Y2S2 Week 12: A Trail Marathon, Llama Hike, and Healer's Art Finale
- Izzy Pulido
- Apr 9
- 8 min read
Week 12 started off with a quick whirl around the block with Churro followed by our first Population Health exam. After the little quiz, we transitioned into a case-based session on honeybee health and pollination. I had very minimal knowledge on honeybee health prior to this session so it was informative! We learned about American Foulbrood disease which can be detrimental for hives. After lunch we had two lectures on epidemiological principles and clinical trials.
The rest of the afternoon was spent walking with Churro before heading back to campus to teach the undergraduates about One Health! This was the first session of the quarter, so Ari and I gave a brief overview of what One Health is, and how veterinarians play a role in keeping, not only animals, but the environment and humans healthy!
Tuesday morning started off with a nice hot yoga session followed by some statistical analysis practice and two lectures on cross sectional, cohort, and case-control studies along with clinicometrics. We then had some time to prepare for the upcoming case-based discussions that were happening later that week.
Tuesday evening ended with a little celebration to signify the completion of the Healer’s Art course. This was a ten-week long course that focused on the side of medicine that unfortunately, often gets overlooked. Explaining this course does not do it justice, it is something that needs to be experienced to truly gain an understanding of what it encompasses.
The course was broken into five sessions:
Discovering and nurturing your wholeness
Honoring Loss
Sharing Grief: The Healing of Loss
Beyond Analysis: Allowing Awe in Medicine
The Care of the Soul: Service as a Way of Life
Each of these sessions included a “seed talk” which was a way for the facilitators to share a personal experience related to the session’s topic. These talks helped set the scene for the remainder of the session and quickly broke down any power dynamic in the room. In these sessions we were all just people, not students and doctors, real people sharing life experiences and being vulnerable with each other. These talks lead to self-reflection which stemmed into deep conversations within our small groups. My small group was made up of some of my awesome second-year classmates and it was great to hear their perspectives on these topics.
Throughout each session it was also evident that regardless of how different we may seem on the outside, we all have some level of shared experiences. This course was also a great reminder that regardless of what you see on the surface, you never truly know what someone is going through and how they are processing it. We all have a different way of dealing with things and it is easy to forget that no process is linear and that is more than ok.
The topics and conversations that this course facilitates are things that we do not talk about enough in veterinary medicine. I think that is why there is such a high rate of mental health issues within the profession. Talking about some of the more challenging aspects of the job, or life in general, can be uncomfortable which makes skipping over them tempting. It takes work to dive into these conversations and truly listen to people. There was never a point in this course where we were trying to “fix” a situation or person, the emphasis was always geared towards actively listening and empathizing with the person that shared. This is such an important skill in all aspects of life and is something that I am constantly working on. I consider myself a strong optimist so when problems arise, I am quick to try to fix things when in reality, learning how to “sit in the suck” with someone is more beneficial.
I am grateful that UC Davis encourages this type of personal and professional growth by offering this course to their students for free. Originally, I had not intended to take this course (mostly because it goes past my “bedtime”) but while touring a new cat clinic in Davis, I met Dr. Serena Brenner who spoke highly of the program and after that conversation, I was sold. To top it off, I was lucky enough to end up with her as my group’s leader! I am grateful for all the amazing facilitators that set aside time from their busy schedules to help foster this growth. I know that my group appreciated Serena’s vulnerability and realness during our sessions and her openness created a safe group dynamic. If given the opportunity, I highly recommend taking this course and know that there are also resources for veterinarians to receive this type of training.
Wednesday morning started off with a nice run with Churro followed by some interesting lectures on vaccination strategies and shelter medicine. I did not know that shelter guidelines recommend vaccinating animals as soon as they are born and then every two weeks until they are 18-20 weeks old. I had initially thought that the maternal antibodies would interfere with early vaccination, which is still partially true however, waiting to vaccinate until the maternal antibody level declines to a certain level leaves the animal more susceptible to disease.
This lecture also brought up how quickly vaccines provide protection which was surprisingly much faster than I had initially thought. In the absence of maternal antibodies, here is a glimpse at how fast vaccinations provide protection...
Canine Distemper: hours to 3 days
Feline Panleukopenia: within 1-3 days
Canine parvovirus: within 3-5 days
Before getting too excited about this and thinking that a new puppy does not need to wait through the whole vaccine series, remember that these are shelter medicine guidelines which focus on herd immunity and protection. It is not as specific or personalized as what is typically done/recommended in a regular veterinary setting.
The rest of Wednesday included another case-based group activity centered around study design. This helped clear up any confusion on the difference between case-control and cohort studies that were addressed in earlier lectures this week.
Thursday morning started off with a nice hot yoga session followed by another shelter medicine discussion, a lecture on syndromic surveillance, and evaluation of diagnostic tests. We then had another case-based discussion on highly pathogenic avian influenza. This was a great discussion since we are in the middle of an HPAI outbreak. The rest of the afternoon was spent taking Churro for a walk and then reviewing the lectures.
Friday morning started off with a quick run around the block with Churro followed by a case-based discussion on diagnostic test interpretation. We then had a little break before diving into our second case-based learning session of the day. This session was focused on a dog food outbreak investigation, and we were required to analyze the case reports and see if the claims were valid. This was one of our last case-based learning sessions for the block, so it was fun to reflect on how much we have learned and analyze data with a new perspective. The rest of Friday night included some quality time with Churro and some studying for the upcoming exam.
Saturday morning started off bright and early. A few of my friends and I piled into my car and headed to Marin County to participate in the Golden Gate Headlands marathon, half-marathon, and 10k. This was my first marathon, and it was an absolutely amazing experience! The course was unlike any running race I’ve participated in. We started on a beautiful trail that took us through a beach where we saw dolphins and then the rest of the run looped up and around multiple mountains. There were tons of steep climbs and stairs that were literally built into the sides of the mountains. This course had over 4,700 feet of elevation and the views were absolutely stunning! I saw a deer in the mountains, tons of wildflowers, butterflies, and the Golden Gate Bridge. It was so much fun to be out on the course with some of my vet school friends and I am so proud of the grit and determination that everyone demonstrated out on the course!
Heading into this race I had no idea what to expect, this would be the longest distance that I have ever run, I knew it was a challenging course, and I also knew that my training leading up to the event was not exactly what I had hoped it would be. There was also a strict no music rule for safety due to the technicality of the course and sharp drop-offs. All that being said, I was a little nervous and knew that this race was going to not only test me physically, but mentally as well. I love endurance racing and thrive in competitive situations so when a race makes me nervous or there is the chance that I may not complete it, I get excited for the challenge! This race pushed me to my limits, and I was happy with how it went. I ended up finishing in roughly 5 hours and was the fourth female marathon finisher.
The night before when I was contemplating why I had signed up and paid for the race I wrote down a list of 26 reasons. This was a great way to reflect on what a gift and privilege it is to be able to physically participate in an activity of this magnitude. It is so easy to slip into the mindset of comparison and wish that we looked a certain way or slip into the toxic standards that society has idolized when in reality, our bodies are literally so amazing and there is so much more to them than how they look. Having the ability to do hard things and enjoy life is something that is easily taken for granted until it’s too late and it is moments like this that remind me to appreciate how hard my body works for me and to be gentle with it.
Sunday, I had the opportunity to participate in the annual llama hike! I did this event last year and had an absolute blast, so I immediately jumped at the opportunity to go again and see my buddy, Jay. There is something special about hiking for hours in the Sutter Butte mountains with a herd of llamas and vet students. Last year I hiked with Jay, a spunky 10-month-old and this year I got to hike with Jay again except he is now strong enough to carry packs. It was so fun to see how much he had matured and how much braver he had gotten, especially around little water crossings! Moments like this remind me of what a privilege it is to be going into a career that provides such awesome opportunities and the ability to work with a variety of beautiful creatures!
This weekend was a much-needed break from the grind of school and was a fun way to enjoy the spring weather, test my body and hang out with awesome people and animals! What a blessing it is to be living this life!
I also wanted to give a shout-out to my awesome family who participated in the Carlsbad 5000 on Sunday. This was the first running race that my parents introduced me to when I was in third grade and since then we have been doing it every year. One of the hard parts about being away from home is missing out on opportunities like this but it is so awesome to see them continue this tradition including my 81-year-old grandpa! They are seriously rockstars!
Quote of the week: You know how many things cause cough and fever? Sometimes even nothing causes cough and fever -Dr. Sharif Aly
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