sorry for the absence...

So, it's been awhile.  Frankly, this year has been fairly boring in terms of school (just lecture after lecture, with a lab thrown in a couple times a week) and I haven't really had anything happen that I thought was worthy of a blog post.  But then I started reading another blog that was written by a vet student (now full-fledged vet) and realized that not every post needs to be about some neat hands-on class, or even a super interesting day of lecture.  I realized that I was just as interested in reading about her day to day happenings during day after day of lecture as I was in reading about her beginning to perform surgery (okay, maybe not just as interested, but pretty darn close).  While I don't plan on posting every day (or even every week) this year, I do plan on keeping up the habit of posting, so that as I progress through school and things start getting more exciting, I'll still be in the habit.

I wish I had posted this summer (frankly, after getting out of the habit it just wasn't something I thought of)...I worked in a small animal practice, and had tons of interesting things happen.  Something I struggle with, however, is how to maintain client privacy and still including all the relevant, and exciting details, so I would probably have to leave out a fair amount.

As for an update on my activities this year so far, here it goes:  we are taking all the "ologies." Systemic pathology, parasitology, virology, bacteriology, and pharmacology.  No hands on classes this term, but I've attended several interesting rounds (essentially case presentations by clinicians and fourth year students), went to a dinner meeting of a local veterinary organization, attended a panel discussion on subtheraputic antibiotic use in food animals (it became quite heated), and went to lots of lunch talks.  I've been spending lots of time studying, as usual, and feel like I've really hit my stride as far as that goes.  Exams have gone fairly well, though the latest parasitology exam could have gone better--oh well.  There's been a bit of a lack of hands-on wet labs, which hopefully will change next term.

Alright, well, have to get back to the studying.  More later (I promise!).

2 terms down, only 11 to go...

So, it's been awhile, for which I apologize.  The constant exams kind of sucked me in, and I kept pushing this blog to the back burner.  Lots has happened since I last wrote...I spent most of my time with my nose to the grindstone, but did fit in some time for fun and hands-on animal stuff.

While the 4th year students learned how to do c-sections on ewes, myself and some of my classmates learned how to take care of newborn lambs.  That was a fun and busy lunch period, as my partner in crime and I had triplets to take care of.

I also got called into foal team, which is where we help take care of neonatal foals in the hospital.  However, they ended up not needing me when I got there, so I just looked at a cute foal and then went home to sleep.

Lastly, I spent a lot of time learning how to do neuro exams on various animals.  Luckily, one of my classmates had the idea of asking the local animal shelter if we could come and practice these exams on some of their animals.  This was great experience and made me much more comfortable in my ability to perform and interpret the necessary tests.  It was a definite help when it came time for our final exam in neuroscience, though it didn't really help with the "non-traditional" species.

Anyway, that's about all the interesting stuff I've been up to.  We'll see how the spring term goes...it starts in two days!

And they're off!

Last monday, I journeyed to Portland Meadows racetrack with a group of students from the OSU student chapter of the American Association of Equine Practioners.  The trip was organized by one of the equine surgeons at the vet school, who also happens to be a member of the Oregon Racing Commission.  When we arrived at the track, the announcer met us and took us on a tour of both the front side (the stands, saddling paddock, restaurant, announcer's booth, etc.) and the backside (the shed rows where the horses are housed, testing shed, etc.).  We were able to meet and talk with the two private vets who run practices on the backside and tour one of the stables.  We also talked with the women who work in the testing shed, and learned about how/when they test horses for illegal substances.  After lunch, we met the racing commission vet--she and the other commission vet work on the front side and on the track.  They make sure horses are sound before the race, monitor the progress of the race, and treat any injuries that occur during a race.  In small groups, we were able to observe her checking the horses in the saddling paddock and during the post parade.  After the post parade, we jumped in a van with her, her assistant, and a bunch of starting gate guys.  We rode around the track to meet the horses at the gate, watched them load the horses and start the race, then jumped back into the van and rode around to see the finish.  She then watched all the horses to make sure they were still sound.  It was really cool to see a race from right down on the track, and also learn about the racing industry from a vet's perspective.

After my turn with the commission vet, we went up and watched a few races before heading home...I picked a horse in each race, but didn't put any money on my guesses.  Too bad!  While my picks didn't always win, if I'd bet on them to show (finish in the top 3) I would have made money on every race I watched.  During this time, the two backside vets had come to the restaurant where we were watching to eat with the surgeon from our school.  While they were there, the horse I had picked for the race won!  One of the vets knew the owner...her deceased husband had been a vet.  So, he took us down to the winner's circle, and she let us be in the winning picture with her.  She was so happy her horse won, and more than happy to have us all in the picture with her; her policy was the more the merrier.

Well, I have to get back to studying...midterms are upon us.

Hello again!

So, it's been a while since I last posted.  In the time I've been away, I've studied A LOT for midterms and finals, and been on vacation.  I guess I'll start by wrapping up the end of the last term.

After we discussed small animal nutrition in animal care, we had lectures/labs on cats, rabbits and ferrets, reptile handling, and fish medicine.  For the fish lab, we took a field trip to the Hatfield Marine Science Center where we practiced handling fish and learned about different types of life support systems.  We also got to touch a giant octopus, which was pretty cool.  Oh, I also did a club activity where I learned how to shoot dart guns for wildlife immobilization.

Since the winter term started, I've done several cool things.  For a little background, my class schedule now includes: physiology, gross anatomy, microanatomy, integrated problem solving, and neuroscience.  We don't have animal care anymore, which is a total bummer.  But, that doesn't mean the stories have to end.  It appears the clubs are stepping it up and offering lots of cool activities.  This week, I participated in a wildlife necropsy (necropsy=autopsy on animals), where I got to necropsy a cougar with my group.  It had been shot for being a "naughty kitty," and we were able to follow the path of the bullet: through the heart, skimming across the liver, and ending by lodging itself in the right kidney.  Other animals necropsied that night included a couple more cougars, a young black bear, a nutria (kind of a cross between a beaver and an otter), and several raptors (birds of prey).  It was pretty sweet!  The next afternoon my friend, A, and I attended a lab on trimming cows' hooves.  We had a short lecture by one of the rural practice vets from the school,  and then we went and did the lab.  He had set up tables with cadaver cow legs tied down, and we practiced doing both conformational and theraputic trimming.  It definitely takes some muscle to use those hoof knives, especially since most of them were pretty dull and the hooves were pretty hard since they were cadavers.  Also, you're forced to be ambidextrous: you have to use your left hand (and the left-handed knife) on one hoof, and the right hand on the other.  We learned how you would trim/treat a cow with ulcers or abscesses in their hooves also, since at least one of our specimens was a prime example.

The fun doesn't end there...tomorrow, a bunch of my friends and I are journeying up to the racetrack with the student chapter of the American Association of Equine Practioners and one of the equine vets from the school.  We'll be getting a tour of the backside and meeting the vets.  Then, if we want we can go shadow the vets as they do starts and finishes.  Lastly, Tuesday night several of us are going to be attending the monthly dinner meeting of the Northwest Equine Practioners Association.  It's free for students to attend, so we thought we'd see what it's all about.

Anyway, that's about it for now, but I'll try to update again soon...I'll be sure to let you know if I win my fortune at the track!