Y3S2 Week 1: Diving into Cardio/Respiratory and Regulatory Medicine!

Week one of the Spring Semester is officially in the books. We are in our final 10-week species-specific stream and will be covering cardio/respiratory, renal, endocrinology, reproduction, and oncology!

Monday began with a quick run with Churro followed by a hot yoga session. We then dove into a quick block introductory lecture followed by information on cardiac auscultation. This was a nice review and provided a foundation for the rest of the week’s lectures. We then transitioned into our comparative species course and had a discussion on sepsis in small and large animals. We didn’t have any class scheduled for the afternoon, so I had a chance to get in a nice swim and do some grocery shopping for the week. It was nice to have a shorter day and catch up from the weekend of travel. The rest of Monday included a wet walk with Churro followed by some studying.

Tuesday morning started off with a quick run with Churro followed by a spin session at the rec center. We then had a lecture on airway collapse, chronic bronchitis and feline asthma, and ended the morning with a lecture on anesthesia for patients with respiratory diseases. During lunch I walked around the arboretum before heading back to class for a radiology discussion on thoracic disease. This was a nice way to practice applying our radiology skills to clinical cases and reviewing different lung patterns.

The rest of Tuesday included an evening walk with Churro and some studying.

Wednesday morning began with a quick whirl around the block with Churro followed by a hot yoga session. We then had an anesthesia discussion session with reparatory disease cases followed by two lectures on clinical echocardiography by Dr. Ames. Those lectures provided a great baseline on echo procedures and interpretation. A few months ago, Churro was a demo dog for an echo lab with Dr. Ames, so it was fun to review the material after having some hands-on experience with the probe.

We then had a little break, so I was able to get in a quick swim and play with Churro on the field before heading back for a lab on regulatory medicine. This lab is a part of our USDA accreditation and involved four different stations. The first station was on livestock identification and RFIDs. We then had a station on goat transport and herd health followed by a station on Caudal Fold testing in cattle. A Caudal Fold Test (CFT) is a way to test for bovine tuberculosis and involved an intradermal injection of purified protein derivative tuberculin into the tail’s skin fold. You then wait 72 hours and reassess the site for swelling or discoloration indicating an immune response to Mycobacterium bovis. The final station was on ear tagging and Bangs vaccines/tattoos in cattle. Heifers are vaccinated against Brucella abortus between 4 and 12 months of age to prevent abortions, stillborn or weak calves and other reproductive issues. Once this vaccination is given by an accredited veterinarian, the cow is given a tattoo. I had some prior experience with some of these techniques during my time at Cal Poly, so it was fun to have a refresher!

The rest of Wednesday included some studying and time with Churro.

Thursday started off with a nice run with Churro followed by a lecture on pneumonia and two lectures on acquired heart diseases. All these lectures covered things that are commonly seen in the clinic, and it was nice to do a deeper dive on these topics. We had the chance to cover myxomatous mitral valve disease, dilated cardiomyopathy, (list others after looking at notes)

During lunch I had a chance to take a walk around the arboretum before heading back to class for another radiology discussion. This session was focused on respiratory diseases and how they may present on a radiograph.

The rest of the afternoon included some playtime with Churro on the field followed by a board meeting with the Sacramento Valley Veterinary Medical Association. It is always fun to reconnect with the board and learn about current events in the veterinary world.

Friday began with a fun run with Churro followed by two lectures on electrocardiography and arrhythmias. These lectures were helpful in cementing some of the information we had learned about last year as well as adding some additional disease relevance. We then ended the morning with a two-hour discussion on melanoma. This was part of the comparative stream, so we learned about melanoma in multiple species including humans and had the chance to compare the disease processes.

After a lunch walk at the arboretum everyone met up for a three-hour lecture on regulatory medicine. This lecture included a deep dive into the process of animal export and the steps required for interstate and international animal export. We also explored the topic of health certificates and looked at some of the common mistakes veterinarians make when filling out these forms. We were then assigned two transport scenarios, one interstate, and one international, and will have a chance to work as a group to create these certifications and complete the process.

The rest of the afternoon included a quick trip up to Sacramento to help set up for this weekend’s acupuncture lab session followed by some quality time with Churro.

Sunrise Run with Churro!

Saturday started with a nice run with Churro, followed by hot yoga and a trip to the farmer’s market. My group and I spent some time working together on the animal export assignment and the rest of the afternoon was spent reviewing some cardiology lectures. Churro and I spent some time playing on the field and then went for a walk before I hopped on my bike for a quick ride. The rest of the evening included some additional studying and an early bedtime.

Farmers Market!

Sunday morning began with a quick whirl around the park with Churro followed by a hot Pilates class with Raymond. I then went to church and did some grocery shopping. The rest of the day was spent studying, meal prepping, and getting ready for my dog spay surgery. Churro and I also had some fun on the field with his new toy!

Quote of the week: “We usually try to get the whole patient in the view... but this one had a body condition score of 12/10.” – Dr. Spriet