Y3S2 Week 7: Cushing's Disease, Industry Fair, and Morgan's 25th Birthday!

Monday began with a nice sloshy 9 miler with Churro followed by a pup-cup to finish off the morning. The rest of the day involved getting ahead on a few lectures and spending time reading and meal prepping for the rest of the week.

Tuesday started with a quick whirl around the block followed by a hot yoga session. We then dove into a case discussion on dogs with polyuria and polydipsia. These cases were a great way to tie in knowledge from the past two weeks and apply it to real cases. The rest of the morning included two lectures on hypercortisolism, also known as Cushing’s disease. As the name implies, this disease is characterized by an excessive amount of cortisol and can be due to a tumor in the pituitary gland, adrenal gland, or iatrogenically via steroid administration. If you are interested in learning more about this disease, you can check out this document!

The rest of the day included a nice walk around the arboretum followed by two lectures on anesthesia for patients with endocrine disorders. We went through five endocrine disorders; hypothyroidism, hypothyroidism, hyperadrenocorticism, hypoadrenocorticism, and diabetes mellitus and learned about the important considerations to keep in mind while anesthetizing patients with these conditions. The rest of the afternoon included some time on the field with Churro and some studying.

Wednesday morning began with a nice run with Churro followed by a lecture on urothelial cell carcinoma (UCC) which used to be referred to as transitional cell carcinoma (TCC). After learning about this disease, we had two lectures on surgery for the urinary tract. One hour was spent on the upper urinary tract (kidney, ureters, etc.) and one hour was spent on the lower urinary tract (bladder, urethra). These lectures were a great way to understand the surgical treatment options for a variety of urinary tract issues, especially for UCC, which had been discussed that morning.

During lunch I was able to participate in the industry fair and promote Standard Process. The purpose of this event was to showcase different companies as well as promote externship opportunities. Standard Process had sent some awesome promotional items including pens with brains which ended up being perfect since the first-year students are in their neurology block. The event went well, and a lot of students were interested in learning what Standard Process has to offer for veterinary professionals. For more information on Standard Process, you can check out this link. The rest of the afternoon included a walk around the arboretum with Churro and a chiropractor appointment followed by some studying.

Thursday morning included a quick whirl around the park followed by a hot yoga session and spin workout. We did not have any lectures scheduled until the afternoon, so the morning was used to catch up on some studying and preview the lecture material for the afternoon sessions. These lectures were on urolithiasis, and we learned about a variety of different stones that can form and the management strategies associated with each stone type. Some stones, such as struvite, are responsive to dietary management strategies and can be dissolved based on the pH of the urine. The rest of Thursday included some studying and a walk with Churro prior to dinner and game night with friends.

Friday morning began with a quick run with Churro followed by a 25-mile bike ride. We then had a lecture on dystocia for the comparative stream to follow up on some of the material we began last Friday. During lunch, I had the opportunity to go on a walk with Ashley, one of the awesome first year students in CVF. We got to catch up on life and enjoy the beautiful arboretum. It was also Admitted Student Day so all the incoming first-years were touring the school and attending informational sessions. I was able to quickly catch up with Miguel, an awesome Cal Poly undergrad in between sessions. This day always brings back memories of when I was a senior in undergrad Attending Admitted Student Day and it is truly a full circle moment when I get to see some of the incoming first-years I have had the privilege of working with, go through that same experience.

Admitted Student Day!

The rest of the afternoon we had a lecture on Feline Idiopathic Cystitis, which is a condition associated with an exacerbated stress reaction in cats. We then had a lecture on micturition disorders which are disorders that impact urination. We discussed the difference between functional and mechanical voiding disorders in dogs along with storage disorders. The final session of the day was a case-based discussion to help tie together all of the prior lecture material.

That evening, I had the privilege of joining Pete, a 1978 UC Davis SVM graduate and faithful member of CVM, for his birthday dinner. It was wonderful to spend time with him and his family, along with another one of his friends, who happened to be a fish pathologist. 

Saturday morning started off with a fun 7 miler with Churro followed by a hot yoga session and quick trip to the farmer’s market. The rest of the morning included some studying for the upcoming exam and getting a few things done around the house. That afternoon, Morgan, Katelyn, Gretchen, Naomi and I went to Ruhstaller's to celebrate Morgan’s birthday. It is always a blast to hang out with these ladies, and I am grateful for their friendship over the years and the ability to still come together for special occasions.The rest of the evening included some additional studying and some time on the field with Churro.

Celebrating the birthday girl!

Sunday morning began with a sunny 7 miler with Churro followed by church and some errands. After a little baking, the rest of the day was spent reviewing for the upcoming exam with a few breaks to play with Churro on the field.

Quote of the week: “Unfortunately they don’t allow me to grade on telepathy.” - Dr. Westropp