Y2S2 Week 8: Hiking, Healer's Art and Zoonoses!
This week started off with a nice hot yoga session followed by a quick run with Churro. This week of the infectious disease block was slightly different than the prior weeks since it was focused on a “problem-based learning” case. We were given the case on Monday which was centered around a septic foal. We were presented with some of the initial physical exam findings and the preliminary lab tests. During our first session we were responsible for creating a problem list and differential diagnoses that could account for the clinical signs that the foal was experiencing. After that session, I had a quick break before meeting with the AVMA to discuss the SAVMA Symposium. We are officially 18 days (about 2 and a half weeks) away, which is wild to think about! The meeting went well, and everything is on track. This has been a huge project, so it is wonderful to see things coming together so smoothly. It is also great to be working with such amazing individuals and I cannot be prouder of all the demanding work everyone has put in during this process!
After a short break and walk with Churro we transitioned into another meeting, but this one was with the Symposium event planning team. That evening Ari and I taught the undergraduates about some of the biggest myths surrounding the Access to Care topic. Most of these “myths” were centered around the idea that those without a permanent residence do not deserve to own animals / the animals in their care receive a lower level of care. To prepare this lecture we had to dive into some research surrounding the topic and as expected, there was a lot of information that supported the idea that dogs under the ownership of unhoused people do not inherently have a worse quality of life. These dogs often get more physical exercise, time with their owners, and are more socialized than their housed counterparts.
Tuesday morning started off with a nice hike with Morgan and Olivia! We had a lecture later that morning which gave us the opportunity to get in some quality nature time! After the hike we learned about serology principles and how to interpret different tests. That afternoon we continued learning about these tests and had the opportunity to practice running Zoetis TiterCheck, Biogal VacciCHECK, and IDEXX 4Dx Plus tests. This was a great way to immediately apply what we had just learned in the lecture!
The rest of the afternoon included some studying and quality time with Churro. That evening we had another Healer’s Art session. This session was a continuation of the prior session on grief and loss.
Wednesday morning began with a quick run with Churro followed by a hot yoga session. We then had a lecture on antifungal and antiviral drugs followed by the second session of our problem-based learning. During this session we received more of the diagnostic test results including a culture that indicated the foal was infected with Salmonella. This diagnosis allowed us to dive into some research on this pathogen and create a treatment plan for the foal. We were also given the antimicrobial susceptibility report so that we could choose drugs that would be beneficial in fighting this infection.
The rest of the afternoon included some quality time with Churro, a chiropractor appointment and some acupuncture studying with Madeline. We reviewed a lot of TCVM concepts and then she helped me review some of the main acupuncture points. I am so fortunate to have her mentorship during this process and can confidently say that I would be lost without her.
After a nice 6 mile run with Churro, Thursday morning started out with three lectures on zoonotic diseases. The first lecture was focused on wildlife and the last two were on small animal diseases. These lectures were super interesting and were a fantastic way to tie together the importance of learning about these diseases. As veterinarians, it is crucial that we understand our risk and signs of disease while working with animals so that we can protect ourselves and not put others in danger! The rest of the afternoon involved a lot of studying followed by some quality time with Churro.
Friday morning started with a quick run with Churro followed by a hot yoga session and quick swim. I then had some time to get some studying done before heading to school for the final part of our problem-based learning session. During this session, we shared our treatment plans with our team and discussed the primary question: was this infection due to an autoimmune issue or was this a pathogen that the foal acquired from the environment? We agreed this was an acquired pathogen since the foal did not show any signs indicating they were immunocompromised or had a failure of passive transfer.
The rest of the afternoon included some studying for the upcoming exam and a little acupuncture review.
Saturday morning started off with a nice 9 miler with Churro followed by a hot yoga class. I then spent the rest of the morning getting some things done around the house and studying for the upcoming exam. That afternoon Churro and I did some training on the field while enjoying the sunshine. The rest of the afternoon was fulled with more studying and some time with Madeline reviewing for my upcoming acupuncture exam. This test is in two weeks and it has been such a blessing to have her help me understand the material and commit things to memory using her study tricks.
Sunday started with a quick 3 mile run with Churro followed by Church. The rest of the afternoon was spent studying and prepping for the upcoming week!
Quote of the week: "You're on the physiologic downhill slide and it doesn't get better" - Dr. Brian Murphy
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