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Glasgow Vet School Rodeo
My responsibilities included poster/flyer design.

The Glasgow Vet School Rodeo is an annual charity event organised by vet students. It is traditional for second year students to make the event happen, and so this year, I was involved in its organisation.

My responsibilities included taking minutes at weekly meetings, correspondence with print media for advertising, compiling the programme and poster/flyer design.

Each year, we support several (usually animal-related) charities with the aim of hosting a fun-filled family day out while raising money for worthy causes. The year, the final total raised came to a huge £16,162.74, which will be split between the charities [see bottom of page for a full list].

The 54th annual Rodeo was held within the grounds of Glasgow Vet School on April 12.

After the committee was soaked to the skin while unloading and directing exhibitors to their pitches in the morning, the rain (but unfortunately not the wind) stopped just in time for the gates to open at 11am – much to everyone’s relief.

The day included falconry, dancing, duck-herding and husky demonstrations in the main arena, with SMAART horse, Trec and horse rescue demonstrations in the horse arena. There was also a dog show, which offered all owners the chance to enter their dog in a variety of classes, as well as an animal tent, reptile tent and pony rides.

Jordan (left) and “friends”

If that wasn’t enough, there were craft stalls in the marquee, bouncy castles, horse and carriage rides, and local animal charities also came along to promote their work.

As has become traditional, we ended the day by drawing our “rodeo raffle”. We had some fantastic prizes, such as a family pass for Blair Drummond Safari Park, afternoon tea at Hilton Glasgow, “Tee Time” at Royal Troon Golf Club and many more – we are grateful to the various organisations for providing these.

Despite battling through the fury of Scottish weather in the morning, and relentless wind throughout the day (resulting in many stalls being relocated into one of the marquees), the committee felt the day was a success overall. After eight months of planning, we pulled it off, and celebrated that evening in true Scottish style with a ceilidh open to students at Glasgow Vet School.

The charities being supported this year were:
- World Horse Welfare, which is an international horse charity that ‘improves the lives of horses in the UK and around the world through education, campaigning, and hands- on care’.
- Blue Cross, which “finds the right homes for unwanted pets throughout the UK, treats sick and injured animals at their hospitals when owners can’t afford private fees, promotes animal welfare and provides the Pet Bereavement Support Service”.
- Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, which helps people experiencing hearing loss throughout the UK by creating “life-changing partnerships between deaf people and specially trained hearing dogs”.
- Veterinary Development Fund: the James Herriot Scholarship fund will enable Glasgow Vet School to award scholarships to excellent undergraduate and postgraduate veterinary students who, through financial constraints, may otherwise not be able to study at Glasgow.
- Inti Wara Yassi is a Bolivian charity that works to rescue wildlife by confiscating illegally kept wild animals or by offering sanctuary to animals that are voluntarily brought to the charity. These animals are cared for in one of three parks throughout Bolivia (I also volunteered at two of the parks last summer).
- Hessilhead Wildlife Rescue, is a charity in North Ayrshire, Scotland, that aims to rescue, treat, rehabilitate and release birds and animals back to the wild.
- Students for Animals In Need is a charity made up of veterinary students from the University of Glasgow who work together to provide treatment to sick or injured animals that might not otherwise be treated, due to financial difficulties.
- Riding For the Disabled Association (RDA): Glasgow RDA provides equine therapy to more than 300 children and adults with disabilities from across the greater Glasgow area.
April 30, 2014
CV review time: is your CV too vague?

Image ©iStock.com/peepo

By Claire B.

If you have a vague, non-specific CV then it might be time for a quick CV review, as these are fast becoming the bane of employers and recruiters’ working lives.

Normally these CVs can be spotted a mile off; all the right skills and achievements are included but none of them really go into any real detail. The CV contains few examples and there’s a general sense of hollowness about the whole document. It’s as though the CV is full of words, yet nothing is really being said.

Not the best way to impress a potential new employer.

A vague CV says to an employer that the applicant either has poor communication skills, has something to hide, or is just plain lazy. Perhaps all of the above.

Conduct your own CV review – and be honest

Obviously most jobseekers are not lying about their work history or too lazy to write a more detailed CV – they just can’t remember what the details are anymore. If you simply can’t remember all of the different roles you’ve fulfilled and skills you’ve honed then it’s understandable really.

After holding a job for a number of years, if you’re suddenly looking for a new position and it’s time to update that old CV it can be tough. If you haven’t updated it for a while it may well be difficult trying to recall all of your achievements and accomplishments. You know you were very busy in your previous roles and you know you were doing great work, it’s just that you can’t remember the exact details.

And as any recruiter will tell you, it’s the details that matter.

So you rewrite your CV without fleshing it out with any detail and it reads like a vague list of imaginary skills. It shows no personality, no uniqueness and no detail.

So what can you do about a vague CV?

Well, particularly in the current employment market, a small proportion of clever folk are keeping one step ahead at all times by updating their CV every few months or so. They’re conducting their own CV review. Just thirty minutes is all they need to review their recent projects, challenges and achievements and review and update their CVs accordingly.

There’s no excuse – make time to do this and stick to it. You’ll feel far more confident about your skills and your accomplishments, plus future employers won’t be put off by a bland, vague and boring CV.

Claire Brown has been in recruitment for 10 years and works for The CV Site – a professional CV writing site. The CV Site reviews CVs for free and makes suggestions on both content and layout. To get a free ‘The CV Site’ review go to http://www.thecvsite.co.uk or call them on 0845 094 1950.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?CV-Review-Time:-Is-Your-CV-Too-Vague?&id=7881826

April 24, 2014
Topical treatment of Pseudomonas otitis externa in dogs

Severe otitis externa in a four year old cocker spaniel. The ear canal is inflamed and swollen shut, and ceruminous exudate is present. Image by Joel Mills [GFDL, CC-BY-SA-3.0 or CC-BY-SA-2.5-2.0-1.0], via Wikimedia Commons.
As a general guideline, 5-10 drops (depending on the dog’s size) of topical antimicrobial agent should be applied to the ear twice daily, but in cases with ruptured tympanic membranes, all topically applied antibiotics are potentially ototoxic.

When the tympanic membrane is not intact or its patency is unknown, pet owners must be warned of potential adverse reactions. However, such cases are rare, and the benefits of topical antibiotics outweigh the risk of ototoxicity.

In acute Pseudomonas otitis cases, first-line topical antibiotics include neomycin, polymyxin and gentamicin.

Cases that fail to respond to initial therapy or cases of chronic Pseudomonas otitis call for second-line topical antibiotics such as tobramycin, amikacin, enrofloxacin, ticarcillin and silver sulfadiazine.

In these circumstances, presoaking the ear canal with Tris-EDTA enhances the activity of the subsequently applied topical antibiotic. Tris-EDTA disrupts the cell membranes of gram-negative bacteria, such as Pseudomonas species, allowing the antibiotics to permeate the bacteria and work more effectively.

April 21, 2014
The German attitude to learning

A veterinarian placing a syringe in the vein of a horse. © iStockcom/Jan-Otto

The vet handed me the needle and vacuum tubes and, at the slightly bewildered look on my face, asked if I’d ever taken blood from a horse before. Upon my answer of “no”, he shrugged and said: “I’ll show you the first one, instruct you for the second, then you can do it by yourself.”

Having started at 8am on my first morning, he had me taking blood samples from broodmares used to produce top class racehorses by 8:05 – not something I would expect to be allowed to do as a second year vet student anywhere in England.

I spent the rest of that morning with Neils, the vet, driving to different yards and observing while he performed rectal ultrasound scans on mares, assessed an ongoing case of RAO (Recurrent Airway Obstruction) and extracted a tooth from a very old and very hairy pony, alternating between being utterly flummoxed by his exchange of German conversion with clients and him then explaining things to me in perfect English. I then returned to the stud yard I was based at (between Hannover and Hamburg) to groom, feed and bring in the mares.

Although I was technically supposed to be on pre-clinical EMS at the stud, Neils was eager for me to learn from him, in addition to the more husbandry-based experience I was gaining from being on the yard. Some days were spent entirely on the yard, and others were spent partially with him, gaining bonus clinical experience. Neils was a “one-man-band”, running a mobile equine practice by himself – an alien concept, compared to the practice based vets that are the norm at home.

About halfway through my first week, I spent an entire day with Neils and, having watched him scan (via rectum) more mares than I could count, he decided there were a few safe candidates for me to try my hand on (or, rather, arm in). After a few minutes of fumbling around, I managed to orientate myself and understood far more clearly what the grey and black mush on the ultrasound screen represented.

We then went on to x-ray a horse with a fractured radius and I assisted in applying its Robert Jones bandage. I took a few more blood samples and we called at other horses to drop off medication, vaccinate, assess lameness and rasp some teeth.

I felt like I’d had a taste of what it would be like to be a qualified vet – not from the practical and clinical things I got to see and do that day, but from the 14 hour day, having had nothing but a Creme Egg to eat and not stopping for breath…

However, arriving back to the yard that evening just after the arrival of a new foal made it worth every second. Between them, Neils and the yard manager explained everything that was done and needed to be done just after a foaling; we examined the afterbirth to ensure none had been retained, assisted the foal while it began to suckle and kept an eye on both the mare and foal for the next few hours.

The end of my two weeks in Germany came around all too soon and was quite sorry to have to leave. I was taken aback by their hands-on attitude and desire for me to get as much out of my placement as possible, and not just be another pair of hands for mucking out.

The generosity I experienced from everyone I worked with is something I’m extremely grateful for, and will never forget.

April 15, 2014
Causes and treatment of regurgitation after surgery

Bleurgh!! © iStock.com/rbphotography

The most common cause of regurgitation is reflux of acid from the stomach into the oesophagus while the patient is under anaesthesia.

Acidic fluid can provoke oesophagitis. This results in poor motility of the oesophagus, therefore water and food will accumulate in this structure.

In most cases, oesophagitis is self-eliminating and will resolve within two or three days.

Symptomatic treatment of oesophagitis includes feeding bland food, and administering sucralfate and antacids, for example ranitidine or omeprazole.

April 8, 2014
Boost client numbers and build loyalty with Purina
PURINA PETCARE, maker of Purina Veterinary Diets, has announced the details of its exciting new Purina Partners Programme.

Dedicated to the veterinary industry, the programme is aimed at helping practices make the most of their business – ultimately through maintaining strong client relationships and providing the best all-round care for pets.

The Purina Partners Programme combines a practice’s clinical excellence with Purina’s passion for pets, giving veterinary surgeons the chance to be the best in their local area. There is no risk or financial commitment required as the programme is wholly funded by Purina. The only prerequisite is to recommend Purina diets as first choice.

Purina seeks to use the programme to help build a long-term relationship with veterinary practices, which should help them to have:
- healthy, happy pets and loyal, delighted clients;
- increased revenues and incremental sales;
- increased awareness among pet owners of the clinic, leading to recommendations; and
- shared expertise and motivated staff.
For members of the partners programme, Purina provides a comprehensive set of initiatives tailored to each individual clinic and these are based on four key platforms: Clinic+, Client+, Knowledge+ and Food+.

Chris Nickson, senior brand manager of Purina Vet Channel, said: “As a partner, practices will work with a dedicated Purina representative who will develop and implement a tailored business plan that is perfectly suited to the clinic and its clients. The programme is designed to be completely flexible, allowing vets to select and tailor elements to suit themselves.”

Each of the initiatives – Clinic+, Client+, Knowledge+ and Food+ – has specific business development aims.

Clinic+

Understanding how a practice looks and feels through the eyes of clients and their pets will lead to the optimum solution for layout, design and merchandising that complements the existing clinic brand. Implementing the guidelines offered by Purina through Clinic+ could help practice owners benefit from:
- improved client experience beyond consultation;
- enhanced aesthetics of the clinic;
- increased clinic awareness through more consistent branding; and
- greater levels of client bonding.
Mr Nickson comments: “First impressions really do count, so it’s important to get the look and feel of the practice right. The Clinic+ section of the partners programme covers design, merchandising and how to maximise a practice’s existing brand.”

Client+

Creating mutually beneficial relationships between the practice and pet owner helps turn owners into loyal clients. Following the Client+ advice may lead to increased client visits with regular purchasing of pet food, treatment and accessories from the practice. It may also help boost client numbers through word-of-mouth recommendations from happy pet owners. Finally, loyalty is proven to improve through strengthened relationships with clients.

Mr Nickson adds: “Word-of-mouth recommendations are really the gold standard in terms of boosting client numbers. These won’t be forthcoming unless a practice provides the very best care for pets. Purina Partners’ experts will assess a practice to see where it might be falling down in this area and help optimise the pet owner experience.”

Knowledge+

Investing time and money in continuing professional development (CPD) for staff is fundamental in maintaining best practice. Through Knowledge+ a business could benefit from:
- ongoing technical support from a dedicated Purina representative;
- access to the extensive nutritional research by Purina; and
- improved team motivation (staff working together with a common aim).
Mr Nickson continues: “As well as keeping up to date with staff CPD, it’s important to keep abreast of local and global trends in the veterinary profession. Of course, this can be costly for a practice. Purina has the ability to provide practices with the latest insights from the veterinary world free of charge, so they can utilise these in their clinic.”

Food+

Maximising food sales at a practice is a proven way to increase turnover and profitability. Ways to boost sales range from providing product samples and brochures, to kitten and puppy packs, and displaying point-of-sale materials. A Purina representative will guide practice owners through the best solutions for an individual clinic.

Taking on board the Food+ advice could mean a practice can experience:
- increased sales of diets – both maintenance and veterinary – boosting clinic profits;
- improved patient well-being through high quality nutrition;
- access to special promotions and offers from Purina; and
- partnership with a leading nutritional expert.
Mr Nickson adds: “Purina Veterinary Diets are backed by decades of scientific research, providing vets with the confidence to recommend a specific formula to clients. Through the Purina Partners Programme we will pass on our comprehensive consumer understanding and sales and marketing expertise to help a practice boost client numbers, gain happy pet owners and, as a result, increase word-of-mouth recommendations.”

Things to consider

How many of your clients are recommending you to other pet owners?
The partners programme will help optimise the pet owner experience at your clinic, boosting client recommendations.

How many of your clients also use other clinics?
Bespoke initiatives from Purina, tailored to the specific needs and objectives of your business, will build loyalty and drive footfall.

Are you ready for the challenges of the future?
The Purina Partners Programme delivers significant benefits that will help drive growth, attract new clients and boost turnover for your business.

Purina and Purina Veterinary Diets are registered trademarks of Société des Produits Nestlé S A

Mr Nickson concludes: “With absolutely no financial outlay, and the opportunity to help increase client numbers and profitability, the Purina Partners Programme provides practice managers with a win-win solution.”

To sign up for the Purina Partners Programme, call the Purina Petcare team on 0800 212 161.
April 1, 2014
Ignorance is bliss

Over the last month there’s been quite an uproar over the reality of the production of halal and kosher meat, which has finally been brought to forefront of the public eye after the controversial decision to ban slaughter without stunning in Denmark.

There has been nationwide outrage and horror at the claims that slaughter without stunning (i.e. slitting the throat of the conscious animal) causes prolonged pain and awareness of aspirated blood before losing consciousness.

I have to say, I’m not as shocked as most people seem to be, including fellow vet students. Religious slaughter was mentioned during anatomy lectures last year with regards to blood supply to the brain. During ritual slaughter, the vertebral artery is not cut (only the common carotid arteries and jugular veins are severed when the throat is slit). In cattle, the vertebral artery is one of the main sources of arterial supply to the brain, and so they lose consciousness more slowly than other species, such as sheep, when slaughtered in this manner.

But after those lectures, nobody in our class expressed the level of disgust and anger that currently seems to be sweeping the nation. Evidently, Denmark’s drastic move to ban all slaughter methods that do not include stunning has brought the facts to public attention. Perhaps many people simply didn’t realise exactly what is meant by halal or kosher meat.

A goat slaughtered at the Kashgar livestock market according to the laws of dhabīḥah ḥalāl. Image © iStock.com/tanukiphoto

This sudden understanding has resulted in many people, including vets, voicing their opinions and calling for the UK to follow Denmark in banning such practices. However this suggestion was more than a little ambitious, and was put to bed unequivocally when Prime Minister David Cameron said, in Israel, that kosher will never be banned in the UK.

Personally, I think it was unrealistic to ever entertain the idea that the UK would do the same as Denmark. This country’s culture is extremely broad and mixed in the present day, and so could never allow for the banning of religious slaughter without offending a considerable proportion of the population. Religion is always a touchy subject and political correctness, along with fear of being labelled as racist means the Government would never allow a complete ban.

Ensuring animal welfare is the moral priority of any current or future vet, and I am no exception. Yes, I do think that slaughter without stunning is cruel. However, I don’t believe that it is entirely unacceptable, because I respect the fact that it’s not quite as black and white as banning these methods outright.

This might seem defeatist, but I’m just being realistic.

Instead of fruitless protests and campaigning for a ban, I feel that it would be more productive to raise awareness of animal welfare issues such as this instead. The vast majority of the UK public would probably still be blissfully ignorant to what goes on in our very own abattoirs if it wasn’t for Denmark’s recent actions. Slaughter without stunning has been happening for thousands of years, and it seems like the general public are only just beginning to understand what is involved.

It’s not just the species or method of slaughter that makes an animal product kosher. Further laws govern which parts of it can be eaten.

If we want to tackle this issue directly, the best result we could hope for would be better labelling of meat products to enhance public knowledge of how they’ve been produced. Perhaps then, those who are not Jewish or Muslim would be more inclined to buy products from animals which have been stunned, allowing a refinement of the market so that minimal animals are subject to the methods used to produce halal and kosher meat.

Looking at the bigger picture, those of us within the veterinary community should take it upon ourselves to raise public awareness of similar welfare issues that those outside of the industry are not necessarily aware of. It can be difficult for us to distinguish between the issues that the public are or are not aware of because we are immersed in the animal produce industry to a much greater level. However, it is our responsibility to realise this, and bring future welfare issues into the public eye, when they otherwise might go unnoticed for years to come.

March 31, 2014
Should I be a vegetarian?

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Vegetarianism can be quite the controversial topic, with many people choosing not to eat meat or particular types of meat for varying reasons – be that moral, financial or simply down to taste and preference.

But how should I stand on the matter, from the point of view of a vet student?

While on EMS, I’ve been met with differing opinions. At my lambing placement, the farmer’s mother just could not understand why anyone would be vegetarian and believed that we especially – as future vets – should not even entertain the idea. In stark contrast, the farmer and his family at my dairy placement were quite surprised when I told them that I eat all types of meat, and claimed that every previous vet student they’d had was vegetarian.

These views may simply arise from generation differences, with older generations still firmly sticking to the “you get what you’re given” attitude. But is it more than that? Are we, as vet students, expected to have an opinion one way or the other?

©iStockphoto.com/alle12

Vets contribute massively to the meat industry; they need to be present in abattoirs, and the aim of farm vets is to keep the industry going. On a day-to-day basis the farm vet is likely to undertake routine tasks (TB testing, pregnancy diagnosis or the occasional caesarian or surgical correction of a displaced abomasum), but if you look at the bigger picture, these all contribute to helping the meat and dairy industries run smoothly. The farm vet also plays a vital role in advising on improving production and maintaining high welfare standards in order to produce the optimum quality and quantities of meat.

So, if a farm vet spends their life oiling the cogs in the meat industry, surely it’s entirely counter productive to be vegetarian?

Of course, there is the moral argument against using animals for meat. But, as ambassadors for animal welfare, should vets sit on this side of the fence?

There is the opinion that any type of farming instigates cruelty and unnatural methods of some degree, and that, as vets, we should not stand for this. Dedicated to ensuring good welfare of all species, we, of all people, cannot turn a blind eye because we are faced with the reality of what goes on behind the scenes of the meat industry.

But we are not vets yet. And how much of the “student” in us dictates our diet, whether we like it or not? The hard truth is that meat is expensive to the average student, and a lot of us subconsciously undertake the decision to eat very little meat purely due to finances.

Is this how vets should be expected to think?

While I respect other people’s decisions to become vegetarian, I could never do it. Since we have a pig farm in the family, meat eating has always been a way of life, not a choice – not that I genuinely think I’d be forced to eat meat if I didn’t want to, but vegetarianism is just “not done” in our family (and I always get packed off to uni with enough home-produce to last me the semester).

As for seeing “behind the scenes” of the meat industry, I have very strong opinions on farming, and the reasoning behind methods and techniques that may be deemed as “cruel” to the outsider. These views stem from my farming background, and the ignorance of non-farming folk often frustrates me.

While vets have a much deeper insight into the meat industry than the general public, I’m not convinced that this has a particular effect on our choice in being vegetarian or not – and I don’t think being a vet student changes your opinion in one direction or the other.

However, I do believe that if someone genuinely had very strong objections towards the meat industry, they would find a veterinary course very difficult to handle morally. Even if you’re set on purely becoming a small animal vet, we all get immersed in the meat industry to some extent.

March 14, 2014
Ammonia tolerance test for diagnosis of portosystemic shunts

Image © iStockphoto.com/Dizzy

Normal hepatic function is essential for conversion of ammonia to urea. Increasing resting ammonia concentration indicates decreased hepatic mass or shunting of portal blood.

Concentrations of blood ammonia are not well correlated with severity of hepatic encephalopathy, and ammonia levels may be normal in 7% to 21% of dogs with portosystemic shunts (PSS), especially after prolonged fasting.

The ammonia tolerance test was developed to provide a more accurate diagnosis of liver dysfunction.

A heparinised baseline sample is taken after a 12 hour fast, and ammonium chloride is administered orally by stomach tube or in gelatin capsules or as an enema. A second blood sample is obtained 30 minutes after administration. Blood samples are then transported on ice for immediate plasma separation and analysis.

Normal values vary with the method of analysis; results in animals with PSS should be compared to a control sample from a healthy animal to ensure accuracy.

March 11, 2014
Glutamine shortens the time of postoperative ileus

Space-filling model of the glutamine molecule, one of the 20 amino acids used to build proteins. This image shows the L isomer in neutral form.

Postoperative ileus (POI) is a transient bowel dysmotility that occurs following many types of operations and is one of the most common complications of gastrointestinal surgery.

Enteral supplementation of glutamine after abdominal surgery restores fuel to the small intestine, suppresses oxidative stress, and leads to improvement in POI.

Therefore glutamine, along with other appropriate medication (metoclopramide, cisapride, lactulose, warm enemas, antibiotics) can act as a motility-recovery agent after abdominal surgery and thereby decrease the duration of POI.

March 3, 2014