S2 Week 1: A Billion Bones and the Start of our Dog Dissection!

Just like that a three-week break is over and we are flying full-force into the musculoskeletal block! This block is roughly 6 weeks long and there is a lot to cover!

First day of Semester 2!

Monday started off with the block introduction and then went into an overview of topographic anatomy of the limbs and a general overview of osteology. That afternoon we had a lab that focused on the osteology of the vertebral column. We were put into groups of three and had a bone box with a deconstructed canine skeleton to work on. That evening our class was hosting a fundraiser at Blaze Pizza so Morgan, Katelyn, and I grabbed some pizza and then came home and watched an episode of Survivor!

Tuesday’s lectures continued explaining the structure of bone and then went into bone and cartilage cell biology. The afternoon lab focused on the osteology of the thoracic limbs and the following day we went through the pelvic limbs. It had only been three days into the semester and we had already covered all the bones of the axial and appendicular skeleton! We had another lab that afternoon that gave us the opportunity to look at some cartilage histology. If you are interested in seeing what your bones look like under a microscope, click here!

Thursday began with a lecture on comparative osteology. It was interesting to learn about the key anatomical differences between the bovine and equine species as well as speculate on why their bones have these prominent differences. One example that was fairly interesting was the fact that the equine species does not have an acromion whereas bovine do. This is thought to be because of the difference in the animals’ deltoid muscles. A cow has a two-part deltoid muscle whereas a horse only has a singular part of that muscle and therefore there is no need for an acromion. The remaining lectures covered the embryology of the musculoskeletal system and bone development. That afternoon we began our canine dissections. In short, this lab was a way to prepare for the following week and consisted of making skin flaps so that we had easy access to different muscle groups. I’m not going to lie; it was a little interesting walking into a room and seeing roughly 25 preserved dogs out on the tables. These dogs varied in age, breed, and sex, and came from a shelter. We will be using them for the following year as we go through different body systems. While it’s sad that these dogs had their life cut short, I am grateful that we get to still value their lives and learn from them.

Planning Meeting 1!

Thursday afternoon also consisted of the first planning meeting for the 2025 SAVMA Symposium. This is a super exciting annual event that brings together students from all different vet schools! The SAVMA symposium is hosted at a different vet schools each year and the event is known for having special guest lecturers, wet labs, and a lot of networking opportunities! It will be hosted at UC Davis in 2025 and I am fortunate to be one of the four students in charge of planning and executing the event! I am also lucky to be working with such amazing ladies and am excited for this whole process!

Friday started out with a lab focusing on the immature skeleton. This lab was pretty interesting because there were “wet” samples so we were able to see the bone marrow and different stages of bone development. There were 13 stations that we got to rotate through and it was a great way to solidify the concepts from lecture. Some stations were case-study based so we got some history on the patient and were able to see the radiographs then discuss the potential findings. The last lab of the week was on comparative osteology and consisted of 6 stations that we rotated through in small groups. This lab made the earlier lecture come to life and it was interesting to physically pick up the different bones and understand what key structures are different between species.

The weekend consisted of some runs, hot yoga, a gym session with Morgan and of course some studying and quality time with Churro. Luckily, all of the vet students have access to the anatomy room via a key card, so we are able to come in after hours and study. Morgan and I took advantage of this and went through all of the osteology labs as well as the comparative anatomy lab! The anatomy was easier to grasp after some detailed repetition and it was pretty cool to see how much we have already learned just one week into this block!

Before ending this week's blog I wanted to take a moment and reflect on the fact that one year ago I found out that I had been accepted into UC Davis. It is crazy to see how much has changed in a year and I am so incredibly grateful for this journey and those that have been by my side through all of it. It is pretty surreal to realize that you are exactly where you had wanted to be for so long and this feeling of gratitude is still fresh going into the second semester! It also made me remember the slew of rejections that proceeded this acceptance letter. For any of you that are currently going through that process just know that you will end up where you are supposed to be. The journey is by no means linear and that is OK!

Also to any of my friends that took the NAVLE this cycle and are waiting for scores to drop in a week or so, just remember a score does not define you nor does it dictate the type of doctor you are going to be. I'm proud of you for pushing through a daunting exam and know you all will be fabulous doctors!!

Quote of the week: “…are they called anything else besides beans?” Dr. Rogers explaining cat digits and polydactyly