The German Shepherd Dog is one of the most popular breeds, achieving a rank of 2nd most popular breed recognized by the AKC. It was originally used as a herding dog but has since been used for many different jobs due to its trainability and intelligence. German Shepherds are commonly used today as service dogs, […]
Saying Goodbye to the Island
My graduation brought about the end of a long four years that held a lot of ups and downs. Prince Edward Island, Canada became my home for the time I spent in school, and it will forever hold a lot of memories for me. Sure, there were times that I didn’t have the best experiences […]
Return of the Bloodsuckers
As the temperatures begin to rise, the eight-legged critters are emerging from their winter slumber. Hide your pets! Ticks are on the move and hungry for blood. This year is supposed to be the worst yet! The summer temperatures are rising and winters have become milder. Deer populations are increasing and migratory birds are on […]
Amazing Equine Rotation
Before equine rotation started, it was the only large animal rotation on my schedule. After just two weeks when I finished half of the rotation, I decided to replace one of my externships with farm animal rotation. I was totally amazed by equine medicine and I loved it. My first half of equine rotation was […]
Improvising
Throughout veterinary school, we have always been taught what situations we may encounter and how specifically to handle any problems that may pop up. However, life and veterinary medicine don’t follow set rules and you may have to do something different than you thought you were going to do. The other day I performed a […]
Horseshoes – More Than Just Lucky
Part of what makes veterinary medicine so interesting is that you get to learn a little bit about everything. For instance, while learning about common equine diseases, we’ve picked up bits and pieces about farriery, nutrition, and equine sports. A few days ago our topic at educational rounds was horseshoes. The attending clinician brought a […]
First Time as a Surgeon
Finally, the time has come. For some of my classmates, this part of our education has been in their minds since they were a child. After many of us have spent years watching others do surgery and maybe even getting to assist with a few surgeries, we actually get to pick up the forceps and […]
3/4 Veterinarian
I have finally finished my third year of vet school—and my final year of lectures in classrooms and final exams! I’m so excited to begin my fourth year after our short four-day summer. What does it mean, though, to be ¾ veterinarian? I’m ¾ done with school. I’m ¾ qualified to heal, to save lives, […]
Ulcers, Ulcers, and More Ulcers
During my clinical rotation with ophthalmology, I began to feel that every patient assigned to me was destined to have a corneal ulcer. Even patients presenting for other issues began to surprisingly also have an ulcer. But as unfortunate as it was for each of my patients, with every additional corneal ulcer I saw I […]
A Day with Alpacas
I think the sentiment “practice makes perfect” is better expressed as “practice makes confident.” After spending ~6 hrs handling a small alpaca herd during a selective week workshop, I feel much more comfortable approaching and handling these odd creatures. First we learned the best way to catch an alpaca free in the field. It turns out […]
