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Y2S2 Week 1: An Owl, Dermatology, and Some Acupuncture!

Writer's picture: Izzy PulidoIzzy Pulido

Semester two has officially started and we are already half-way done with our dermatology block!

 

Monday began with a nice hot yoga session; it had been three weeks since I had done yoga, so it was extra fun to be back in the studio. I then learned about the development and microanatomy of the skin followed by two lectures on scales and feathers. You know that you are in vet school when a lecture is literally titled, “scales and feathers”. We also learned about the shedding process, also known as ecdysis. The afternoon wrapped up with a nice walk with Churro followed by some studying. That evening Ari and I taught the undergraduates about some additional Fear Free handling and how it can be done in a variety of clinical settings. The main theme for this quarter’s course is “access to care” which involves learning how to provide accessible care to communities that may not have the financial means to seek traditional veterinary assistance. This topic is super important, and I have personally been invested in increasing access to care throughout my undergraduate career and now up through vet school. All of the students seemed excited to be in class and there were a lot of great discussion points regarding Fear Free techniques!

Long-eared owl
Long-eared owl

Tuesday morning started off with my regular run with Churro, but it was cut slightly short when we stumbled upon an owl stuck in a barbed wire fence. I had originally thought the poor guy was dead but as I got closer, I saw his head move. After assessing the situation and realizing that I was not going to be able to untangle his wing from the fence without help, I called Morgan. Morgan came out with a jacket to try to help calm him down and give us some protection. Once we saw the extent of the wound we reached out to some additional colleagues and ended up getting someone from the Raptor Center to come help. After cutting the barbed wire fence and securing our owl friend in a box, he was quickly taken to the veterinary medical teaching hospital (VMTH) at UC Davis. This was a wild way to start the day while also perfectly tying into the past day’s course material on feathers.



Our first lecture of the day was on hoof, claw, antler and horn anatomy followed by cornification and how that process can be disturbed by various diseases. The afternoon concluded with a lecture on wound healing which was packed with clinically relevant information.

 

After our lectures had ended the Symposium planning team had a chance to do a facility tour of the Mondavi center so that we could start to visualize what our closing ceremony is going to look like. The last time I had been in the Mondavi center was my white coat ceremony at the beginning of vet school, so it was exciting to see the building with a new perspective and realize just how close we are to the event! The rest of the evening consisted of a walk with Churro followed by some studying and histology review.

 

Wednesday started with a hot yoga session followed by a lecture on health and wellness and how to prioritize mental sanity while in vet school. That talk was followed by a panel discussion regarding internships, residencies, and jumping straight into the work force. It was interesting to hear from people in each of these different positions and listen to their perspective on why they chose that specific path. These sessions are helpful ways to learn about the different paths after graduation because it is never too early to think about life after vet school. It was also nice to hear how many of the panelists had changed their minds multiple times regarding where they thought they would be and what they thought they would be doing in the realm of veterinary medicine. It just goes to show that no one’s path is linear and luckily, vet med has an incredible number of opportunities.

 

We then transitioned into a lecture on coat color and how it is affected by an animal’s genetics. Coat color plays a huge role in why people choose certain animals, so it was super interesting to learn about the reasoning behind this phenomenon. The rest of the afternoon included a discussion on wound healing and a lecture on the skin’s immune system.

Sunrise Run
Sunrise Run

Thursday started off with a nice run with Churro followed by a lab on hooves, claws, and horns. We then had two more labs focused on the histology of the skin in mammals and exotics. Our wonderful instructors put a lot of time and effort into these labs and there were multiple interactive stations (one for every color of the rainbow plus pink). These stations had videos, articles, and 3-D models to help emphasize the topics that we had learned in earlier lectures. Dr. Keller brought multiple tortoise shells, feathers, scales, and preserved specimens to lab so that we could get our hands on different types of skins. It was awesome to have such a passionate professor leading the session and it definitely helped the information come to life! The afternoon finished with a lecture on pruritis (itching) followed by some time with Churro.

 

Friday started off with a quick whirl around the block followed by our first exam of the block! After this little quiz was over, Ari and I prepped some lecture material for the undergraduate course. We then transitioned into two lectures on euthanasia and delivering bad news. These sessions were a great way to break down a difficult topic and help prepare us for our upcoming euthanasia client simulation. As veterinarians we have the incredible gift of ending the suffering of an animal and this is not something that should be taken lightly. I am grateful that UC Davis puts time and effort into training us on how to perform this difficult task in a beautiful and meaningful way while honoring the client and patient.

 

The rest of the afternoon was filled with a discussion on the past week’s case-based learning activity. We went through four cases, all of which revolved around some sort of skin issue including burns, oil spills, fungal infections, etc. It was a great way to conclude the week and tie all of the information together!

Churro obviously hates being a model ;)
Churro obviously hates being a model ;)

Saturday and Sunday were both spent practicing acupuncture at Dr. Lauper’s beautiful ranch. It was the second in-person training session and in the span of two full days we learned 90 more equine acupuncture points and a little over 60 new canine points. We also learned more about electroacupuncture and moxibustion, both of which can be used to help supplement and enhance an acupuncture treatment. Taking this course has been a great way to help improve my knowledge of canine and equine anatomy while also expanding my knowledge of Traditional Chinese Medicine! At the end of Sunday’s session, we got to acupuncture and moxa ourselves to help understand what our patients would be feeling. Churro also got to come and enjoy the session and received a nice acupuncture treatment after being used as an anatomy model for most of the weekend. While this course provides a lot of information and can be slightly “brain frying” at times, it has been super interesting to learn about acupuncture and how it can enhance the lives of our patients!

Moxibustion Time!
Moxibustion Time!

For those of you who are wondering about the owl, he was unfortunately euthanized two days after coming to the VMTH. His wounds were too extensive and his overall quality of life was poor. I am grateful for the staff who took him in and treated him like a prince during his stay and am glad that he didn’t die on that fence or get mauled by a wild animal.

 

Quote of the week: “I need a personal day, I’m in ecdysis” – Dr. Keller


Acupuncture is the best way to end the week :)
Acupuncture is the best way to end the week :)

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