Y3S1 Week 8: Toxicology, Pet Poison Hotline, and Anesthesia for a Canine Neuter!

Just like that, week 8 is officially in the books! This week started with a quick run around the park with Churro, followed by some fun intervals on the treadmill. It has been a long time since I have done any speed work so it was nice to see how fast the legs could go! We then had a lecture on toxic mushrooms and houseplants, followed by a two-hour session on weakness. This session helped review some of the previous ideas from our neurology block while providing us with exposure to a large animal neurology case specifically focused on camelids.

After that session, I was able to get in a nice swim at the rec center before heading home to see Churro and study. The rest of the afternoon included some prep for the upcoming labs, followed by some lecture organization and review.

Tuesday morning started off with a quick run with Churro followed by a hot yoga session. We then had a lecture on how to perform a dog spay followed by three more toxicology lectures. The first lecture focused on drugs of abuse and the second one covered over the counter medications and prescriptions. The final lecture of the morning was a nice presentation from the Pet Poison Hotline. Dr. Renee S. spoke about the most common items that animals get into and how their service works. Across the board, chocolate was always one of the top substances on their list. It was also interesting to see how the items changed as the pets got older and oftentimes, pet prescriptions made their way onto the list once the dog hit adulthood.

Tuesday afternoon included a gym session during lunch followed by the first lecture of our infectious disease sub-block. This lecture went over the importance of disease testing and how to correctly interpret the different tests that are commonly run in a veterinary clinic. When running any type of diagnostic test, it is important to understand what the results mean for not only the animal, but the client and veterinary team. If the result of a test is not going to change the treatment plan or provide information that will directly impact the care of that animal, it may not be worth spending the owner’s money.

The rest of Tuesday included some quality time on the field with Churro followed by some studying for the upcoming exam.

Post-snack shenanigans

Wednesday morning began with a quick 3 miler with Churro followed by our final canine neuter day. My surgery team and I got to school around 6:45 to check on our little patient and start getting things prepped for the day. One of the best parts of the morning is hearing all the goofy names the shelter assigned to the animals, our pup was named “Uncle Grandpa”. Once we did all of the pre-surgical prep and made sure that Uncle Grandpa was a healthy candidate for surgery, we headed to the classroom for our morning lectures. We had the chance to learn about atypical bacteria such as Nocardia and Actinomyces and then had two lectures centered around diseases that we commonly vaccinate for in the clinic. These lectures were a nice way to dive a little deeper into a lot of the disease processes that we commonly see and understand the immune response on a more complex level.

That afternoon we had pre-surgical rounds with one of the awesome internal medicine specialists, Dr. Erin Lashnits, where we had the chance to discuss any abnormalities without patient’s blood work and physical exam. Luckily all the dogs were fairly healthy and given the “ok” to proceed with surgery. This round I was the anesthetist, Gaby was the surgeon, and Ari was the assistant. The surgery went well and besides some minimal hypothermia and hypercapnia, our dog did well and recovered smoothly. Once our little friend was awake enough to return to his kennel, I was able to get in a quick swim at the rec center before heading to a chiropractor appointment.

That evening included some playtime with Churro followed by a little record writing and an evening check on our pup. Our little guy was still looking great after surgery and was ready for dinner! After he was cleared by one of the clinicians, we took him on a little walk and gave him some love before returning him to his kennel.

Thursday morning began with a quick run with Churro, followed by a hot yoga session. We then had a lecture on fever and how the immune system utilizes this response to help combat infections and other harmful pathogens. We then spent the rest of the morning learning about feline infectious peritonitis and feline retroviruses. It is always enjoyable to delve into the details of these diseases and understand how to interpret test results, administer treatment, and properly educate owners on what a positive test result may indicate for their beloved animal.

That afternoon, I took a nice walk at the arboretum before heading back to campus for a discussion on cardiovascular infections. This discussion introduced mycoplasma haemofelis and infectious endocarditis. While I do not personally have a lot of experience with these diseases at this point in my career, they are common in the small-animal veterinary world, so it is crucial that we are aware of their pathogenesis, treatment, and prognosis.

The rest of the afternoon included a nice walk with Churro, followed by some studying and a board meeting with the SVVMA. This meeting included the elections for the upcoming first-year ambassador position. We have five incredible candidates, and the decision was extremely challenging. Any one of them would have made a wonderful representative and the board was split while voting. At the end of the night, we came up with a winner, and I am excited to watch them soar in the position. It has been such a fun experience to be involved in this organization, and I still vividly remember my interview two years ago.

Friday morning started off with a nice 5 miler with Churro followed by some playtime on the field with his friends. We then had a case-based discussion on fever in companion animals which helped emphasize the main points from the prior day’s lecture. After that we transitioned into our comparative stream and had another discussion on weakness and neurological issues across species. This was an enjoyable way to compare the different ways that neuromuscular diseases may present in our species as well as touch on some of the exotic species such as ferrets and birds.

Morning Run Views!

That afternoon I had a quick planning meeting with the PetVet 365 team. We are getting ready to plan our next outreach event so it was great to touch base with everyone and see how we can best utilize our resources to benefit the students. I then had the chance to do a quick walk around the arboretum before heading back for 4 hours of law. The first two hours were used to discuss regulatory agencies that oversee veterinary practice and the second two hours were a case review that helped us apply our knowledge from the past five sessions. The rest of the afternoon included a nice walk with Churro followed by some studying for the upcoming exam.

Saturday morning started off with a 7 miler with Churro, followed by a hot yoga session and a quick trip to the farmer’s market. I then spent the rest of the morning studying and completing a few tasks around the house. That afternoon, Churro and I went for a nice walk at the arboretum, followed by some extra studying. Sunday morning began with a nice run with Churro followed by Church. I then spent the rest of the afternoon prepping for the upcoming week and getting in a little extra studying.

Quote of the week: “My favorite journal; the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.” -Dr. Jane Sykes  

Tired boy