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Category: Students

  • PETS with rabies, in the UK?

    dog with rabies
    Close-up of a dog’s face during late-stage “dumb” paralytic rabies. Animals with “dumb” rabies appear depressed, lethargic, and uncoordinated. Gradually they become completely paralyzed. When their throat and jaw muscles are paralyzed, the animals will drool and have difficulty swallowing. Image credit: CDC/Barbara Andrews

    Lectures on legislation regarding veterinary-related issues are never the most interesting, often involving endless lists of dates and figures, but the Pet Travel Scheme (PETS) lecture this week had a slight edge to it.

    Among other important factors, such as microchipping and documentation, the focus was quite obviously on the recent changes to the rules regarding rabies.

    It was evident that abolishing the blood test was not a great move in the opinion of this particular lecturer. But he’s not alone – there seems to be a ripple of discomfort throughout the veterinary community in response to the new regulations.

    Pets are now free to travel within the EU just 21 days after having received one dose of the rabies vaccine, despite the incubation period of rabies being up to three months.

    Although Defra claims the risk of rabies entering the UK is still very low, there still seems to be an underlying concern within the veterinary world.

    It has been proposed that the potential increase in risk of exposure to rabies means that vets should be routinely receiving the rabies vaccination.

    I myself have had a course of rabies vaccinations. Not because I’m a vet student, but because I was travelling in South America, where there was a possibility of coming into contact with rabid animals.

    However, my understanding is that the vaccine does not prevent you developing rabies if bitten, but just puts it off for 24hrs, to give you time to get back to the UK to be appropriately treated. With this in mind, would providing the vaccine for those working in the veterinary profession in the UK be of any benefit if it is purely used to “buy time”?

    I’m not convinced that vaccinating vets would be an effective measure to take, but we must now include rabies as one of our differential diagnoses and be open to the possibility (however slim) of being presented with rabid animals in practice. Perhaps more advice about the risks and clinical signs of rabies would put the minds of vets and owners alike at rest.

  • Role play… at vet school?

    client communication
    Image © iStockphoto.com/DenGuy

    A role play class with professional actors brought in to help out would be commonplace on a course such as drama, and may sound a little odd for veterinary medicine. But is it really?

    Communication is a vital part of being a vet and can often be the “make or break” factor for client satisfaction. Often, owners won’t have any concept of your surgical skills or medical knowledge, but they will know instantly whether they trust their animals in your care within minutes of meeting you simply from the way you communicate.

    The class uses realistic scenarios with different types of “client” (the actors) that we are likely to come across in practice. These involved breaking the news that a pet has to be euthanised, dealing with tight horse owners that just think you’re trying to rip them off, and discussing alternative treatments for someone struggling to tablet their cat.

    Sometimes, it can be difficult if you don’t know enough about the condition the animals has in your scenario, but the important thing is how you convey the information, not necessarily the content of what you are saying.

    On the whole, the students got stuck in and enjoyed themselves. It was interesting to see how different students took different angles on the same scenario, proving there isn’t just one way to communicate effectively. The actors and supervising vet also gave us pointers on body language and tone of voice.

    Years ago, veterinary graduates were thrown into practice with very limited guidance on communication, which must have been terrifying. The interactive sessions give us the chance to make mistakes in an artificial environment, so that we (hopefully) won’t make them in the real world.

    I found the session incredibly helpful and think that communication is an immensely important skill to develop in order to give us the best chance at getting on with our clients in the future. Sessions like this should become a fundamental component of any veterinary course.

  • Food (with added equine) for thought

    (horse) burgers?
    Princess Anne has suggested that the British attitude to eating horsemeat needs to change.

    For a nation of horse lovers, the discovery of equine DNA in food products earlier this year was horrifying. It caused nationwide outrage, with many people sickened that they may have unknowingly consumed meat from the same species as their beloved pets and, in many cases, best friends.

    But are we just being a bit squeamish about the whole situation?

    During a speech at the World Horse Welfare annual conference, Princess Anne – president of both the charity and the Pony Club – suggested that the British attitude to eating horsemeat needs to change.

    With 7,000 equines at risk of abandonment and neglect this winter, could an active horsemeat industry in this country change things?

    The prices of horses have plummeted, meaning some may be worth more as meat. If the choice was between selling the animals for meat or being exposed to starvation, slaughter certainly becomes the kinder option. The Princess Royal inferred that the prospect of selling horses for meat may increase the value of the animals, helping to reduce the number of welfare cases.

    horsemeat quoteShe further claimed the issue with the horsemeat scandal was not the presence of the horse DNA, but the lack of honesty in what is going into our food. If the food were labelled correctly, would Brits be more inclined to eat products containing horsemeat?

    If the Princess Royal is willing to debate the idea, then perhaps we should rethink our attitudes towards horsemeat.

    The question is, regardless of the positive impact a meat industry may have on welfare of equines throughout the country, could Brits ever truly get over the uncomfortable thought of eating them?

    I know I couldn’t.

    As vet students, we are taught about humane slaughter of different species and meat inspection; some of us may well find ourselves working in abattoirs in the future. Are we soon going to have to learn about slaughter of horses too?

  • Wednesday afternoon stress relief?

    Balls
    Balancing sport and vet school can become a logistical nightmare.

    The opportunity to take part in sport, either competitively or recreationally, is an essential part of stress relief for all students – especially for those on intense courses such as veterinary.

    There are enough people on the course to make up teams for many sports solely from vet students and, previously, I have reviewed inter-vet school sport specifically. This is often a very feasible option, with flexible training times to fit around the busy vet school timetable and the knowledge that understanding team members won’t think less of you for missing the odd session if you have a practical you can’t miss – an attitude very different from those of the main university teams, who may leave you off the team sheet for weeks after missing one fitness session.

    But what if you are the competitive type and want a more challenging sport environment? Realistically, the vet school teams only have one or two important matches that training is geared towards, perhaps with a couple of “friendlies” against other university departments such as the medics. If you were looking to get involved in team sport on a more regular basis, you would want to join the main university teams.

    In an ideal world, this should still be feasible, since the national governing body for Higher Education sport, British University & Colleges Sport (BUCS), schedule their fixtures for Wednesday afternoons. This is a time that should be kept free for sport, according to the University Senate policy. Unfortunately, that is often not the reality. The University of Glasgow has received several complaints this year for scheduling compulsory classes on Wednesday afternoons.

    Tennis
    Image © iStockPhoto.com/DYashkin

    The second-year Glasgow vets have practical classes on Wednesdays (at varying times of the day). As part of the main university riding team, I have had to swap these sessions around to accommodate competing on Wednesdays, and have had to miss a couple that were not scheduled for any other time. Luckily, we only have four competitions throughout the year (plus the Dick Day vet competition), so this isn’t incredibly disruptive. But for those in clubs such as hockey or tennis, which have fixtures every week, suddenly balancing sport and vet school can become a logistical nightmare.

    Cambridge veterinary students do not get allocated time off for sport either.

    Another issue is specifying the time frame that is a “Wednesday afternoon”. Third-year students at Liverpool vet school generally have lectures up to 2pm on Wednesdays, after which it is often too late to make away fixtures.

    I don’t think this is an issue specific to veterinary schools, but is becoming a university-wide problem that needs to be addressed. It is essential for students to have the opportunity for sport as escapism, and this is particularly applicable for the vets of tomorrow, who are looking to enter arguably one of the most stressful professions.

    We’ve all seen the suicide figures, and we need to be able to give ourselves the best chance at dealing with stress now, in order to apply it to a working environment later in life.

  • Vet school sports

    rugby
    The rivalry between Glasgow and Edinburgh was as fierce as ever.

    Vet students have their own little community, not only within their own university but also across the eight vet schools throughout the UK.

    We’re all members of the Association of Veterinary Students (AVS) and through this, take part in an annual sports weekend, hosted by a different university each year.

    In addition to this, Glasgow and Edinburgh (The Royal Dick School of Veterinary Studies) have their own inter-vet-school sports competition, “Dick Day”.

    Both events take place in November.

    Over the last few years, AVS Sports Weekend has strayed from actually involving much sport. So when the Glasgow students rocked up in Liverpool this year (dressed as the cast from Michael Jackson’s Thriller), we were all taken aback by the number of matches that had been organised and the variety of sport available… quite a contrast from the mere hint at some hungover rugby last year.

    Nevertheless, we at least managed to scrape together a team for the mixed netball. Needless to say, we didn’t fare too well and finished seventh out of the eight vet schools overall.

    Unsurprisingly, Liverpool won overall, putting the students from other vet schools to shame, most of whom were too busy ceilidh dancing or getting started on the pub crawl to concentrate on sport.

    Equestrian team
    Dick Day 2013: the equestrian team, men’s football and men’s rugby team pulled through to give us some victory.

    Dick Day, however, was another matter; the rivalry between Glasgow and Edinburgh was as fierce as ever and the sport was taken seriously.

    We didn’t make a great start, losing the netball, mixed hockey, ladies football, ladies rugby and volleyball. However, it wasn’t all bad news – the equestrian team, men’s football and men’s rugby team pulled through to give us some victory.

    Although we lost to Edinburgh overall, spirits were still high by the end of the day, since it was only the second time we’d beaten Edinburgh in the rugby on their home turf in 150 years.

    There are few other courses that provide the opportunity to enjoy some competitive sport and social events with students from other universities in the way that we do. At AVS I saw several friends from other schools, and it was great to have a brief catch-up before resuming the inter-vet-school banter with the other Glasgow vets.

    These events are just another reason to add to the list of why being a vet student in the UK is so incredible.

  • A vet school storm on the horizon

    Following last year’s announcement that the University of Surrey is to open a new veterinary school (taking in the first cohort of students in autumn 2014), it would appear that the University of Ulster (Northern Ireland) is now jumping on the bandwagon.

    These proposals have indeed kicked up quite a storm in the veterinary world.

    There seems to be little positive attitude towards this news, with many of us panicking about academic standards, graduate prospects and EMS availability.

    With neither of these being Russell Group universities, it has to be questioned whether the academic standards will be comparable to the current UK vet schools.

    It is notoriously difficult to get into vet school, but will the two new universities have lower entry requirements? If so, this would be providing a back up option for many applicants and, as a result, decrease the currently high standard of veterinary students. If the graduates are indeed less knowledgable, or have less well-developed clinical skills, would this encourage the employment of poorer quality vets in second-rate practices?

    Evidently, more veterinary graduates would mean more competition for jobs, hence pushing down the salaries that graduates would be willing for work for.

    It has been suggested that the restricted number of graduates being able to go directly into clinical practice would mean that more veterinary students would be encouraged to take a different career route (research or veterinary education, for example). But if the aim is not to produce veterinary professionals, why not instead increase the intake on veterinary biosciences courses for those more interested in research?

    I also think it unfair to expect new graduates to begin teaching at vet schools immediately, even if that is what they’re interested in doing. Their credibility and respect from their students would be dramatically reduced if they’ve not actually had any experience in practice and can’t give clinical case examples to the possible vets of the future.

    Another concern is the availability for EMS opportunities. With an increased number of students throughout the UK as a whole, it will become increasingly difficult for students to gain clinical EMS placements. To further the competition, Surrey will not be opening its own teaching hospital as such, and it is expected that final year rotations will instead take place in veterinary practices in the surrounding area, reducing their availability for students from other universities to undertake EMS.

    Could this be the future employment opportunity for UK veterinary graduates?

    Of course, there are a lot of “ifs” and “buts” here, and potentially the two new vet schools could produce better graduates than the rest of the UK – but this would still increase the competition for graduate jobs and EMS placements.

    In my opinion, the main concern is not the repercussions of opening these two vet schools themselves, but the catastrophic effects that would result from further universities following suit.

    With little legislation able to dictate requirements for opening a new vet school, the prospect of having as many veterinary education institutions as medical ones could soon become a reality. Before we know it, we could be inundated with veterinary graduates, some of questionable quality, and the next generation of veterinary professionals will be fighting tooth and nail for a severely underpaid job.

  • “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”

    “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”

    All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
    All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy All work and no play makes Jack a…

    After a summer of EMS, traveling and very little academic work, the time finally came for me to come back down to earth.

    Having been back in Glasgow for about a month now, I think I’ve just about settled into the second-year routine. After a week of scavenging freebies and signing up to every club under the sun at the fresher’s fayres, I managed to just about fit in everything that I want to do this year around vet school.

    During the day, we’re back to lectures and practicals on everything from farm animal nutrition to parasitology, respiratory system anatomy to learning where to put ECG electrodes on a dog.

    I have to say that, so far, second year has been more interesting than first year was. Whether this is because of the course content, a different outlook on my part, or simply the fact that I now know the drill, I couldn’t say. But I certainly seem to have gained more passion for the subjects we’re studying at the minute.

    Glasgow University Guardian
    Glasgow University Guardian

    But it’s not all about studying. This year, I’ve taken on a lot more outside of vet school than I did before. Having this time made it on to the university riding team, I have training every week with my teammates at the local stables, and also hope to start doing a bit of polo. I’ve also gotten involved with Glasgow University Guardian, the student newspaper, in order to do some writing and editing, as well as to learn what goes on behind the scenes when producing a publication.

    Every Easter, Glasgow vet school hosts a big charity event called the Rodeo, and it is the responsibility of the second years (with some acquired help from the freshers) to organise it. A group of my friends and classmates have formed this year’s committee, with me taking on the role of secretary and helping out with advertising the event. Hopefully it won’t be too stressful and we will work together to pull off the best Rodeo so far!

    So it looks like I’m in for a busy year, but it should make being a vet student all the more exciting.

  • Reverse culture shock

    Reverse culture shock

    As mentioned in a recent post, I spent this summer in South America. This involved a couple of weeks in Peru and six weeks in Bolivia, volunteering for the charity Inti Wara Yassi, which runs three animal sanctuaries.

    Jordan and Carlos
    Jordan and Carlos

    During my time there, I was allocated a puma to walk every day, as well as being given other responsibilities looking after the “house animals”. This involved preparing food and cleaning of enclosures for the birds in the aviary, chanchos (pigs), tapirs and tejons (coatimundi).

    It was also important to provide different forms of enrichment to each of these animals, tailored to their specific needs. I also participated in some essential construction work, such as building a new puma management cage and contributing to a set of monkey enclosures.

    Accepting the extraordinary

    To begin with, it was surreal to be living in the jungle and working so closely with such potentially dangerous animals. But before long, sleeping beneath mosquito nets, eating dinner (usually rice) at a candlelit table and having only a deck of cards and each other’s company for entertainment became the norm.

    There was no electricity at the animal parks and only cold showers, which were surprising refreshing after the heat and humidity of the day.

    Every day was a constant battle against mosquitos and we had to make the compromise between wearing enough layers to minimise being bitten and not overheating in the tropical environment. But we soon got used to the lifestyle.

    Caring for Carlos

    The daily commute to my puma, Carlos, involved a 15 minute walk through a waist-high swamp. I learned to love the swamp and accepted it as part of my daily routine, in addition to caring for and walking Carlos. Building a bond with him was incredibly rewarding and unlike anything I’d ever done before. I learnt so much from him and the other volunteers who were caring for different cats.

    Jordan and the team of volunteers at Inti Wara Yassi.

    Although my time with Carlos counted as pre-clinical EMS, there was a vet on site, which allowed me to understand the minimal equipment and sheer lack of resources available to the animals in developing countries such as Bolivia.

    Before experiencing it first hand, I would never have understood the problems these animals face and the struggle to resolve them, mainly due to lack of funds.

    Life-changing experience

    I had mixed feelings about coming home. I loved every minute of my time away – I’d made some great friends and had adjusted to living with utter basics – but it was strange to be suddenly immersed in the media-obsessed world once more.

    Even small things like flushing toilets were a novelty at first. Crossing roads in the UK seemed unnatural when I’d gotten used to everything being the opposite way around. But slowly, I think I’m getting back into the swing of university life again.

    Going to South America really was life-changing, in more ways than I could have imagined. It opened my eyes to a different way of life and allowed me to appreciate so much that we take for granted in day to day life.

    The experience truly reminded me why I want to be a vet. I hope that one day I can use my skills and knowledge to make a difference, and help people in developing countries care for their animals.

  • Ever walked your own puma?

    Ever walked your own puma?

    Over the summer, I spent six weeks volunteering for Inti Wara Yassi in Bolivia. The charity was set up in 1992 and now runs three animal sanctuaries throughout this South American country.

    Comunidad Inti Wara Yassi
    Comunidad Inti Wara Yassi

    The park at which I spent most of my time was Ambue Ari, which is home to over 20 large cats, two species of monkey and a few other exotic species such as tapirs, tejons and many different birds. It was an incredible experience and I would definitely urge other vet students or even qualified vets to get involved in projects like this.

    A day in the life of a cat volunteer

    Wading through a waist high swamp, being mauled by a swarm of mosquitos, I think to myself, “What an earth am I doing here?” But after 15 minutes and a short trek through the jungle, Carlos’ cage comes into view and I remember exactly why. I shout “Hola Carlos” and we meow back and forth to each other until I reach the cage. He brushes up against the metal wire, wanting attention. I stroke him through the cage for a couple of minutes before calling “Vamos!” and making my way to the doors – working with Carlos gives me a chance to practise my (very limited) Spanish.

    While I’m making my way around, he races through his cage with excitement before stopping to wait patiently at the door. I unlock the cage and attach a rope to my waistband before entering the second door to get to him. He paces, rubbing up against my legs before sitting and licking my hands. I clip him onto the other end of the rope and open the doors. He tugs at the rope to begin with, leading me along the trail that he wants to do today.

    Walking a puma
    Walking a puma… as you do!

    I watch out for his every move, prepared to burst into a sprint when he leaps over a log or to unclip his rope when he ducks under a branch to low for me to follow him. He tries to stalk something in the bushes. I can’t see what it is, so I stop him pouncing – trying to strike a balance between letting him be a puma and keeping him from unseen dangers such as snakes.

    As the day heats up, he stops to lie down and sleep a while. This is when my war against the mozzies really starts. Sitting still, I have little choice but to watch their ceaseless assaults on my skin, despite my sweating under numerous layers of clothing.

    After a time, Carlos appears to have rested enough and continue on his trail. The rough ground and natural obstacles result in the rope getting caught between his back legs. “Step over your rope,” I call out (apparently pumas are bilingual) and, after a couple of attempts, he’s free to walk normally again. I congratulate him: “Muy bien”.

    After a few hours of walking, we return to the cage and he utters a deep purr, craving more attention before I say goodbye. I give him a few minutes of fuss before looping his rope around a nearby tree and entering his cage to clean his feeding platform and sleeping area. Leaving his meat on the platform, I return to him, careful to watch for signs that he might pounce while I unclip his rope from the tree. When I do, he tugs towards the cage and we both go through the first of the double doors. I unclip him from the rope and open the second door. He runs towards the platform, leaps onto it, grabs the meat in his jaws and darts into the bushes to eat in peace.

    Turning away, I lock the cage behind me and start the return journey through the swamp, not forgetting to call out “Chao” as I leave.

  • Broaden your horizons with EMS

    Broaden your horizons with EMS

    Bolivia
    ©iStockphoto.com/mjbs

    When I received yet another EMS email that had been sent to the whole vet school, I almost deleted it out of habit, but something stopped me. A word caught my eye: Bolivia.

    I had always wanted to go to South America – would this be my chance to tick something off the bucket list as well as get in a few weeks of EMS?

    After a few days of mulling it over, I decided to fill out the online application – I could always change my mind, and I might not even get selected anyway – but the next day, I received an email inviting me to take part in a Skype interview. Shortly afterwards, I was offered a place on the project, so I decided to bite the bullet and say yes.

    The project I will be volunteering on runs a wildlife sanctuary that houses various types of monkeys and birds as well as jaguars and pumas. Many of the animals are rescued from the fur and pet trades. While re-release back into the wild is difficult (especially for the big cats, due to local laws), the animals are given a much better life in the sanctuary than the alternative.

    Antimalarial drugs
    ©iStockphoto.com/BeauDamonRichardsGallery

    As well as handling and work with the animals, the students on the project will help construct new animal enclosures. The project itself lasts for six weeks, but I will be then going on to Peru for a two-week expedition afterwards.

    Before going abroad, I’ve had to organise vaccinations against hepatitis, typhoid, yellow fever and rabies. I’ve also had to obtain malaria tablets to take while I’m out there. As for equipment, I haven’t had to buy too many “specialist” things as such – just a big rucksack, old clothes and the odd thing like water purification tablets and rehydration sachets.

    With less than a week to go, I’m starting to get excited but still in shock that it’s actually happening. And I really need to start packing!

    I’ll let you know how it was when I return to the UK in two months!