Y3S1 Week 12: My First Spay, TFAST Lab, and Real Mushrooms Event!

This week was full of exciting milestones! Monday morning began with a quick three-mile run with Churro before heading to campus to meet my spay patient and perform the pre-surgical exam. My patient was a young pit bull mix named Patsy, and she was the sweetest little girl. Once my group and I completed the pre-surgical exam and ran some initial blood work, we headed to class for our first session of the GI block. This session was centered around swallowing disorders and regurgitation. We then had a two-hour discussion on metabolic disorders, specifically focusing on storage diseases. This was a nice way to compare diseases and understand how metabolism varies across species.

The best surgery team ♡

We then transitioned into our afternoon “rounds” session, where we had the chance to review Patsy’s lab work and identify any abnormalities that we should be aware of as we proceed with surgery. Luckily, her blood work was fairly pristine, and we were able to head into surgery. Once we had everything prepped, Gaby and I scrubbed in, and I was able to perform the procedure. With the help of my awesome assistant and the supervision of Dr. Nakatani whom I labeled as my emotional support human, things went well. This was my first “solo” abdominal surgery and leading up to the procedure I was nervous. I understood the steps and knew what needed to be done, but with everything in life, there is always an element of unpredictability. Once I was actually in the abdomen and was able to identify different structures and begin the procedure, I was able to relax and truly enjoyed the process. After the surgery, Pasty woke up smoothly and recovered well, which is all I could have asked for. At our evening check she didn’t appear to be in excessive pain and was acting like a happy little puppy. The rest of the evening included some medical record writing and some time with Churro.

Little Pasty!

Tuesday morning started off in a similar manner with a quick 3 miler followed by the 7am surgery check. Patsy was even happier in the morning, and her incision site didn’t show any signs of infection or dehiscence. She was cleared for discharge and headed back to the shelter that afternoon. I couldn’t have asked for a better patient, team, and supervising mentor for my first spay and it is crazy to reflect on how far we have all come during this vet school experience!

The rest of Tuesday included two lectures on vomiting, followed by a little break before heading into our case-based discussion on vomiting. During the break, I had the chance to run to the rec center and get in some interval training. I was able to increase the intervals a tad more than the week before and it has been fun to feel my body get stronger while running at higher speeds. The rest of Tuesday included a vomiting case-based discussion and another lecture on regurgitation. That evening, I spent some quality time with Churro on the field followed by some studying and lecture review.

Wednesday morning began with a quick whirl around the park with Churro followed by a nice hot yoga session. We then had two lectures on gastrointestinal surgery, which had a lot of clinical relevance since these procedures are commonly done in general practice. That afternoon we had the second part of our vomiting case-based discussion and had the chance to run through our list of differential diagnoses and discuss the potential diagnostic and treatment options. We then had two anesthesia lectures focused on how to minimize risk while anesthetizing a patient with gastrointestinal disease. The rest of the afternoon involved some time with Churro on the field, followed by some studying.

Run break to roll in some leaves ◡̈

Thursday morning began with a nice run with Churro, followed by a swim at the rec center. We then met for our weekly morning prayer session before heading to class. This is always one of the highlights of my week, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to share in this community of faith on campus.

Our morning lectures involved two informative sessions on diarrhea. Diarrhea is one of the more common presenting complaints in general practice, so understanding how to better localize the source and formulate an effective treatment plan is important for keeping all parties happy. We then had a little break before our afternoon lecture, so I ran to the rec center and got in a little resistance training. We had a fairly short class schedule that afternoon with just one lecture on the liver, so I was able to go home and spend some quality time with Churro playing frisbee.

That evening Churro and I headed back to campus for a fun TFAST lab with the awesome cardiology team. Dr. Ames, one of our amazing cardiologists, graciously spent about two hours walking a small group of students through the steps of performing a point-of-care cardiac ultrasound. Once we understood the basic principles, we were all able to practice getting the “mushroom” or right parasternal short-axis view which shows the left ventricle in cross-section along with the “LA:AO” or left atrial to aortic root view. We used Churro as a demo pup and practiced getting these images while he was in lateral recumbency. Once we were comfortable with that, we practiced while he was standing, since this is how we will be doing most of these ultrasounds in practice during emergencies. This was a super helpful lab, and I am grateful for the opportunity to learn from such brilliant people while in vet school.

TFAST lab!

Friday morning started off with a quick run around the park with Churro followed by a hot yoga session. We then had a lecture on exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI). This is a debilitating disease that can drastically alter the life of a dog if it is not caught early and managed. Dogs with this condition have a pancreas that does not produce sufficient digestive enzymes which leads to maldigestion and a plethora of other issues. Supplementation with pancreatic enzymes can help mitigate these problems and improve the quality of life for these animals. We then had a lecture on chronic feline enteropathies before heading into another discussion on metabolic diseases with our comparative stream. During lunch I had the chance to walk around the arboretum and enjoy the beautiful fall weather before heading back to class for the final case-based discussion of the week. This discussion was based on a dog with diarrhea and was a great way to help review some of the material that was previously discussed on Thursday.

The rest of the afternoon involved some playtime with Churro on the field followed by a little costume dress-up. By this point, Churro is super tolerant of my shenanigans, so he patiently wore his costume and posed for pictures. He also got to have some fun with a little goodie bag of toys my parents put together for him. We then had some additional playtime on the field followed by some lecture review.

Halloween Chicken Churro

Saturday morning began with a fun 5-miler with Churro. I then met up with Madeline for a mushroom conference hosted by Real Mushrooms. On our way there we had a little extra excitement and somehow got our tire slashed on the freeway. After a minor delay, and a quick tow to the tire shop, we were back on the road and had only missed a minor part of the conference. The remaining sessions were split up between human and veterinary applications surrounding the benefits of mushrooms. Lee Carol and Rob Silver did a wonderful job of highlighting the benefits that mushrooms can play in the lives of our patient’s, and it was awesome to dive into the studies surrounding these powerful compounds. They also did a wonderful job of pointing out the areas of this field that need more research and how they hope to gather that data in the future. I am always interested in learning more about alternative and complementary treatment options, so this conference was a nice way to expand my knowledge and enjoy an incredibly informative day of lectures.

The main takeaway from the conference was the addition of mushrooms can be a simple way to improve overall health in humans and animals. A few of the conditions that were addressed were cancer, heart disease, dementia, and aging, all of which had scientifically proven evidence surrounding the use of mushrooms. If you are interested in learning more about Real Mushrooms and these studies, you can click here!

Overall, this event was a great way to learn about additional treatment options and supplementation that can be used to help improve the lives of our patients. It was also a blast to spend some time with Madeline, and I am grateful that she continues to share her love of learning with me by inviting me to these fun events. Luckily, the drive home from the event was less eventful, and we made it with all four tires intact.

Sunday morning began with a nice 5-miler with Churro followed by Steve’s Inferno Hot Pilates class. I then went to church and got a few things done around the house before hopping into some studying. The rest of the afternoon included a nice walk with Churro and some extra studying to round out the night.

Quote of the week: "The only reason you shouldn't do a rectal exam is if your patient doesn't have an anus or you don’t have fingers" -Dr. Marsilio