Y2S1 Week 15: Pyometra, PetVet365, and Cal Poly Presentations!
Week 15 is now in the books, and the semester’s end is rapidly approaching! Monday started with a quick whirl around the block followed by the reproduction midterm. This exam was a nice way to assess our knowledge and ensure everyone was on the same page before heading into the second half of the material. After the exam, we had a couple of hours before our lab sessions, so I went home and spent some time with Churro. That afternoon we had the opportunity to ultrasound some pregnant ewes. It was awesome to have a hands-on activity to emphasize earlier concepts and apply the knowledge that we have been learning. After that lab I was able to get a quick swim in before heading back to campus for a session on pregnancy diagnosis and parturition. The day wrapped up with the Knight’s Landing One Health Undergraduate course where we had a guest lecture on medical translation and how those skills can help improve a community’s access to care.
Tuesday started out with a hot yoga session followed by a lecture on clinical approaches to abortive diseases. We then had two lectures on lactation and mammary gland pathology. These lectures were interesting and helped demonstrate the clinical relevance of reproduction and how clinicians can intervene to improve the health of these animals. During lunch, the Integrative Veterinary Medical Club had the opportunity to hear from Dr. LaShelle Easton, a Colorado State Graduate who has worked as an integrative veterinarian combining conventional medicine with acupuncture, laser therapy, nutrition, and herbs. She also completed a year-long apprenticeship in animal communication. Her lunch talk was focused on how animal communication can be utilized in veterinary medicine to help improve the lives of patients and the people that love them. It was interesting to hear her perspective on the topic of animal communication and learn how she uses her skills to help bridge the gap between human and animal.
After this awesome lunch talk, we had a lecture on assisted reproductive techniques and how they can be used in different areas of veterinary medicine. We then finished the afternoon with a discussion on genetics and the application of assisted reproductive techniques. Dr. Bellone ran the first half of the session and took us on a deep dive through animal genetics and health testing panels. After understanding the benefits and limitations of these panels, we walked through some cases and analyzed genetic testing results to see if we would recommend breeding that dog. I enjoyed this session and found it interesting to learn more about these genetic tests. When I adopted Churro, I got him a full genetic health screen, so it was nice to learn more about the results and how to interpret them. If you are interested in looking at one of these panels, here are Churro’s results.
The rest of Tuesday consisted of some quality time with Churro followed by some studying for the upcoming reproduction final.
Wednesday morning started with a nice 8-miler with Churro. We then had three lectures on different pathologies associated with pregnancy. It is always interesting to learn about different disease processes and understand how they may present clinically. Pathology lectures are always fascinating and provide good information about potentially zoonotic diseases and how they can impact human health. After these lectures, I hosted a lunch talk for PetVet365. They are the first hospital network that is 100% Fear Free certified, and each hospital is owned by a veterinarian! Their exam rooms are luxurious, and animals are greeted with pup cups, Churus and love during every visit. I had the opportunity to visit three hospitals in Colorado last summer and was honestly blown away by the way that they practice veterinary medicine. Dr. Jeff Lowery gave a great presentation on how the Fear Free philosophy can be a good business model and also walked through some important business information that we do not get in our traditional vet school curriculum. This talk had great attendance, and it was awesome to see so many people interested in learning about how they can implement Fear Free techniques into the way that they practice veterinary medicine.
Wednesday afternoon was filled with two case-based discussions. We were given one small animal case, and one large animal case. Both involved reproductive tract pathologies that we had learned about earlier in the week. As a group, we got to work together to figure out what was wrong, why it happened, and how we would treat it. After working in our groups for a few hours, we met up as a class and discussed our findings. My group was selected to present the small animal case, which ended up being a dog with a closed pyometra. This was an interesting discussion and is something that I have personally seen countless times in a clinical setting. Prior to this course I did not completely understand the pathophysiology associated with a closed/open pyometra but after being immersed in reproduction for the past three weeks, things are much clearer. Here is a little information about pyometra.
Pyometra is just a fancy word for a uterus full of pus (super fun, right?!). This unfortunate event typically happens a few weeks after the dog has been in “heat” or the estrus part of her reproductive cycle. During this period in her cycle, estrogen levels are high, and the cervix is open. This is a prime time for bacteria to enter. Once she transitions into the diestrus and anestrus portion of the cycle, progesterone levels rise, and the cervix closes, trapping bacteria. Progesterone is immunosuppressive which allows the bacteria to proliferate, worsening the situation. It should also be noted that there is a higher incidence of bacteria trapping with older intact females also affected by cystic endometrial hyperplasia. Once the bacteria (typically E. coli) has been trapped, it ascends and causes proliferation of the uterine lumen. This results in systemic absorption of toxins leading to a very sick pup. These dogs typically present with a fever, lethargy, and an overall crummy appearance. There are two flavors of pyometra. Closed (the one that I just explained) and open pyometra. With an open pyometra the cervix remains open, and the pus is able to drain from the uterus. Neither version is desirable, however, the closed pyometra is the more life-threatening of the two since the animal is systemically ill and uterus has the capability to rupture into the abdomen. Both require medical intervention and performing an ovariohysterectomy or “spay” is the curative approach. Broad-spectrum antibiotics may help in the case of an open pyometra but oftentimes do not have the capacity to fully eliminate the infection and a OVH is still recommended.
Thursday morning started off with an awesome hot yoga session followed by a meeting with an event planning team that is going to help make the SAVMA Symposium exhibit hall amazing! We then had a fun pregnancy pathology lab. There were seven stations with different specimens that we were able to observe and dive deeper into the pathophysiology of the lesions. This was our last official anatomy lab, which is absolutely wild to think about, it seems like just last week we were learning all about the bones of the skull! After that lab I picked up Clover and Churro got to have some puppy time while I did some interview tutoring.
A lot of undergraduates are hearing back from vet schools regarding interviews, and I have the privilege of helping them prepare for the process. I vividly remember being in that interview seat and am so grateful for the opportunity to help those going through this daunting experience!
After the interview prep, I headed back to the anatomy lab for a review session to help prepare for the upcoming final exam. The rest of the afternoon was spent running another interview prep session followed by some quality time with Churro.
Friday morning started off with a nice hot yoga session followed by a run with Churro. I then had the opportunity to speak to the Cal Poly Animal Science 101 class and talk about my time at Cal Poly and the transition into vet school. I gave this presentation last year and it was fun to update it and see just how much has changed in a year! I absolutely love talking to students and sharing my experiences/answering their questions about undergrad, vet school, and life in general. If you have followed my blog for a while, you probably know how much I enjoyed my time at Cal Poly, and I truly believe that the curriculum sets students up for success in vet school. I remember being a freshman in the 101 course like it was yesterday, and it is absolutely crazy that I am now almost halfway done with my second year of vet school. Time flies and talking about my journey from undergrad to vet school reminds me of just how many incredible people have helped me along the way!
After the Cal Poly presentation, I was able to do another interview prep session before taking Churro for a nice little walk in the rain. I then had a little time to study before doing another Presentation for a different section of the Cal Poly Animal Science 101 class! The rest of the afternoon was spent studying before meeting up with a bunch of my classmates for a fun Friendsgiving!
Saturday started off with a quick run with Churro followed by a hot Pilates class. I then did some interview prep for a recent Cal Poly grad and used the majority of the afternoon to review lecture material for the upcoming final exam. That afternoon I had the opportunity to meet up with Madeline and we spent some time at Rock Mamma! Sunday followed a similar schedule with one interview prep session (for another Cal Poly student) and the rest of the day was filled with studying.
Quote of the week: “If you’re my liver cell you’re going to make alcohol dehydrogenase to take care of that Jack Daniel’s” – Dr. Bellone
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