staging.vettimes.com

Tag: Glasgow

Out of Africa: two weeks in the wild
Shamwari Game Reserve, South Africa.

Wildlife veterinary medicine is more than being a good shot with a dart gun and knowing what anaesthetics to fill the darts with.

I know this because I was part of a group from Glasgow vet school that visited the Shamwari Game Reserve in South Africa to find out exactly what wildlife medicine entails.

Minimal intervention

Generally, as the animals on the reserve are considered wild, the main aim is to keep veterinary intervention to a minimum.

The majority of the veterinary work is translocation (involving mainly sedation and/or anaesthesia) but there are a few exceptions, which are often dealt with in the reserve’s rehabilitation centre – particularly if the animal in question is rare or highly valuable.

Although we learned a lot about anaesthetics (which was surprisingly easy to relate to practice at home), there’s far more to it than meets the eye.

In-depth knowledge

During our two-week stay we learned that an in-depth knowledge of animal behaviour, among other aspects of conservation, is the vital foundation of the veterinary work.

For example, the length of time an animal will spend in transit and whether the animal will be woken up in the field will have an impact on drug choices – a prey animal needs a complete and rapid recovery in the field to avoid showing weakness to the herd or any predators in the vicinity, whereas an animal travelling halfway across South Africa would require longer lasting sedation.

Species differences are also important to consider; drugs that are highly dangerous in some animals may be the sedative of choice in others.

Additionally, the reaction to being darted needs to be carefully evaluated in terms of both the animals’ and the staff’s safety. We were particularly aware of this when working with buffalo and having to judge the right amount of sedation reversal to allow them to wake up completely, while giving ourselves enough time to dash into the truck and put a safe distance between us before they did so.

A different perspective

The team at Shamwari were eager to give us a practical, hands-on experience – which was great.

Image courtesy Shamwari Conservation Experience.

Not only was it an awe-inspiring couple of weeks, but it was also incredibly useful in terms of consolidating knowledge and practical application of pharmacology – particular anaesthesia.

Experiencing all aspects of conservation in addition to the veterinary work also gave a different perspective to veterinary medicine.

It was exhilarating to be working with such beautiful and potentially dangerous animals – I could certainly feel my heart going through the roof when taking blood from a lion whose snores sounded suspiciously like growls.
- Learn more about Shamwari Game Reserve.
July 15, 2015
What is normal in the veterinary world?

Teddy is poorly… 🙁

As veterinary students (and probably later as vets), we have a very distorted view of “normal”.

Exam season (for Glasgow) is now over, but during revision, the social media stakes noticeably increase. While many of my non-veterinary friends share photos of their piles of notes captioned “T-minus 2 weeks”, “Revision hell” or the like, in return they get photos of me gloved and gowned up or an “animal” (cuddly toy of some description) draped up (in tea towels) ready for “surgery”.

This isn’t just me playing vet for their entertainment – these skills were assessed in our practical exams – but my friends still find it bizarre it counts as revision.

The student halls I lived in during my first year had a high proportion of veterinary students, as they were sited very close to the vet school. Being in catered halls, we all ate dinner together, and soon there were a few “vet tables”. If we’d all come in from anatomy practicals, with no second thoughts about discussing the intricate details over dinner, it was no surprise no one else regularly ate with us.

Even when you restrain from comparing the consistency of some body fluid or other to the pasta sauce you’re eating while out with friends, you’ll probably notice something in your hair that could easily be either blood or poo. If your friends notice, they’ll either laugh or be disgusted, but to you it’s just a normal occurrence after a day on a veterinary placement.

Teddy has been prepped and draped, ready for “surgery”.

Every so often, a comment snaps you back into the non-veterinary world and makes you realise we really are quite strange.

While back home and studying, my five-year-old brother (in order to evade bedtime) decided to “help” me revise and was fascinated by a picture of a dissected lizard, which in his opinion was “a turtle with it’s shell taken off so you can see its insides”.

Thankfully, he wasn’t too bothered by it, but I was slightly concerned about giving him nightmares.

It’s easy to take the weird and wonderful world of veterinary life for granted, especially when you’re surrounded by like-minded people during term time. My family think I’m insane when I tell them I was watching postmortem videos at 3am on the day of my pathology exam.

Aside from the gore, there is also the stress element. Every round of exams, various friends or family members ask how I’m doing. When I reply “terrible”, “convinced I’m going to fail”, “will get no sleep during exam week”, their response is “you always say that, and you’re always fine. Just get an early night”.

When I relay this to my vet friends, the response is “what’s an early night?”

May 30, 2015
Represent, support, engage!

The AVS committee poses for an official photograph at the association’s annual ball.

The AVS (Association of Veterinary Students) Congress marks one year since my involvement with the association began.

Last year, in Nottingham, I stood up at the AGM and gave a hustings speech. Before long, I found myself elected the editor of JAVS (the Journal of the Association of Veterinary Students), which is sent out to students in all of the nine veterinary schools. More importantly, this meant I had joined the AVS committee, which has allowed me to gain an insight to the workings of veterinary education and the profession as a whole.

The first full AVS meeting I attended at BVA headquarters in London was a bit overwhelming, but I soon realised how much capacity AVS has to reach out to students and implement changes in order to maximise the veterinary student experience.

Since then, in addition to the annual congress and the infamous AVS sports weekend, the committee has accomplished many things, with just a few outlined below.

The policy sub-committee announced the AVS Workforce Policy, which outlines the concerns over the impact of rising numbers of veterinary schools for the future of the profession. This has been viewed more than 2,000 times on the website and, ultimately, impacted on a national policy.

The marketing sub-committee has been extremely successful this year too, especially with the new website and push on the committee’s part with social media, which has encouraged members to engage with AVS more than ever before.

The equine rescue practical from AVS Congress 2015, held in Glasgow.

A direct example of this is the RCVS consultation on the use of the courtesy title of “Dr” – while members of the BVA MSG (members services group) committee were indifferent or against the proposal, the AVS junior vice president, who was present at the meeting, was able to respond with evidence of the student opinion.

AVS posted about the consultation on the website, Facebook and Twitter. The initial post was seen by more than 22,000 people, 1,719 of which followed the link to the RCVS website. AVS then carried out a quick poll, in which 290 people voted, and 281 of these were pro using the title. Hence, there was an overwhelmingly positive reaction to the consultation and the use of social media has widened the ability for AVS to engage with their members and accurately represent the veterinary student body.

Another example is BVA’s stun before slaughter campaign, which AVS was involved in the initiation of when the reality of non-stun slaughter came into the public eye last March (following the ban of slaughter without stunning in Denmark).

The stun before slaughter e-petition gained an immense amount of support, and has just passed the 100,000 signatures mark – the target required in order for the subject to be considered for parliamentary debate. AVS has been supporting and promoting the e-petition online and, as a result, many of those signatures have come from veterinary students.

Our MSG (members services group) sub-committee has produced a preclinical EMS guide for first year students, which advises many things including what to expect on different types of placement and how to find placements. Having been produced and written by students, it is hoped that the guide will be relatable and useful to help support freshers embarking on EMS for the first time.

AWF (Animal Welfare Foundation), the BVA’s charity, has been hosting talks and debates in each of the universities throughout the year, allowing students to engage with hot animal welfare topics.

Student welfare is also integral to the role of the welfare sub-committee. Just discussing different methods of promoting student welfare and support allows the AVS representatives to share ideas and take those back to their respective schools. As a result, Glasgow has followed in the footsteps of Liverpool and recently set up its own network of peer supporters within the vet school, who have had intensive training to allow them to be proficient in their roles.

In one year, we have achieved so much, and yet there is so much potential for long term aims too, such as the production of an AVS app, consultations on EMS provision and involvement in the Vet Futures project run jointly by the BVA and RCVS.

The AVS marketing sub-committee came up with a “tagline” for AVS: represent, support, engage – and after reviewing all we have done over the last year, you can see this accurately and concisely sums up what AVS stands for.

Since I stood up and shakily gave my plea to become an editor, not only have I made great friends across all of the vet schools, but I have also felt part of a community that has the ability to really stand up and make a difference for our students; and I have not regretted it for one second.

January 30, 2015
Helping the hounds of the homeless
Image ©iStock.com/artefy

The homeless come with a certain stigma – particularly those with pets at their side.

Should we be concerned for the welfare of those animals, whose owners cannot afford to feed themselves so surely cannot adequately care for a companion?

Of course we should.

However, instead of claiming these pets should be removed from their owners, Ruby Shorrock (a fourth year vet student at the University of Glasgow) took a different approach.

Being homeless can be extremely isolating and lonely. For some of these people, their dog is their only companion, and can often be the only thing keeping them going. A dog can also provide a connection to home, and so the reluctance to give them up is understandable.

Despite this, many shelters refuse to accommodate dogs and so the help available can become increasingly restricted for homeless dog owners.

In light of this, Ruby founded Trusty Paws, a non-profit organisation that hosts free clinics and provides preventative care for hounds belonging to the homeless. The clinics involve a free health check (a clinical examination performed by veterinary students, supervised by a qualified vet), microchipping, flea and worming treatment and vaccinations. Dog food packages and other supplies such as leads and dog coats are also given out at the clinics.

Trusty Paws: a vaccination clinic for dogs belonging to the homeless, run by fourth year vet students at the University of Glasgow.

There have been three Trusty Paws clinics in Glasgow so far, with several grateful clients being able to benefit from the supplies donated and the services provided by the students. Everyone involved is delighted with how the clinics have been received.

Plans for 2015 include registering as a formal charity and organising public fundraisers. The Trusty Paws team also intends to tackle the problem of local shelters and hostels not allowing dogs.

Trusty Paws relies entirely on donations and sponsorship and the response to requests for both has been exceptional. The concept has really taken off and looks to gain popularity and success in the future.

The work of Trusty Paws is a fantastic way of not only actively ensuring quality care for homeless pets, but also raising awareness within the community to tackle public perception. If these misconceptions can be eliminated, others will be willing to accept that pets are a huge part of the lives of homeless people too and, perhaps, be encouraged to help the situation instead of avoiding eye contact with that person sitting in a doorway on a rainy evening.
- For more information, or to donate, visit the Trusty Paws Facebook page or follow @Trusty_Paws on Twitter.
December 30, 2014
Hitting the third-year wall

Jordan and her peers, not even halfway through their course, feel they are fighting to keep their heads above water – Image: ©iStockphoto/Anton_Sokolov

Everyone had heard rumours third year at veterinary school was the worst. On coming back to university after a long summer of extra-mural studies and relaxation, we were nervous. Two weeks in, things didn’t seem too bad and we were sceptical.

We were indifferently meandering through the bewildering world of Latin names and impossible-to-spell drugs, resigned to a fate of an increased workload and new subjects, but not overwhelmed just yet. It happened to different people at different times, but, seemingly out of nowhere, the third-year wall hit. And it hit hard.

Whether it was the hours of straining to make sense of indiscernible pinky-purple mess under the microscope, or trying to differentiate one parasite from the next by the subtlest of morphological changes, or even just trying to fathom the hideous amount of Latin that had forced itself into our lives, veterinary school suddenly got the better of most of us.

While drowning under the sheer amount of information to take in, the realisation we’re not even halfway there really seemed to set in this term, making it almost impossible for us to keep our heads above water.

A week of very little sleep, long hours studying and eight exams will mark the halfway point for my year group. The most disturbing part of this revelation is the feeling we’ve been at vet school for a long time (can anyone even remember freshers’ week?), and yet we still have that same length of time left to go.

Several of us have been questioning our aspirations of late – why did I want to be a vet? Why am I putting myself through this? Is it worth it? Is this as hard as it gets? These are just some of the whispers heard around vet school.

Image ©iStockphoto/pick-uppath

It’s often comforting in itself your classmates are feeling as fed up as you are, but you also need to find a way to combat your doubts and climb the wall, or punch right through it. Veterinary students are particularly susceptible to stress and mental health issues – we’ve all heard the statistics, which is why it’s vital to know how and where to access support should you need it.

The student-run welfare system at Glasgow’s veterinary school has boomed this year, with multiple welfare talks and the start up of many new clubs and societies aimed at stress relief, including relaxing yoga classes to help you reboot or a high-energy Muay Thai sessions to help you release all that pent-up stress. Following in the footsteps of Liverpool, Glasgow vet school is also currently developing a peer-support network to provide an ear for those students who need someone to turn to in times of need.

Of course, your own interests can distract you from the stress of vet school, and while it’s tempting to entirely prioritise your studies, it’s really important to ensure they don’t consume your entire life. For me personally, writing, editing and riding keep me afloat.

One lesson I’ve learned this term is you also need to keep on top of your own health. You may have a persisting issue that you keep putting off because you haven’t got time to see a doctor and have too much work to do. But it doesn’t pay off in the end. I allowed back muscle pain to get to the point of me being barely able to walk before shaking some sense into myself and seeing a physio. After a couple of sessions, I felt a million times better and regretted putting it off for so long. Just remember you need to look after your body to keep your mind on top form.

On the upside, by the time our “halfway ball” comes around in February, we’ll be over the hump, and just a little bit closer to graduation. Or in other words – a little bit closer to fulfilling our ambitions or dreams that many of us have had from a very young age. We just need to find a way to hold on to the light at the end of the tunnel, so we don’t run out of steam.

December 17, 2014
D-day

To the victor go the spoils…

It’s that time of year again, when vet students become more competitive than ever and inter-school rivalry (friendly and, for the most part, light-hearted) culminates in the biggest sporting event in the Scottish vet school’s calendar.

The renowned “Dick Day” – the annual event where Glasgow’s vet students take on those from the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies (AKA Edinburgh) – was held in Glasgow on November 19.

After recovering from the AVS (Association of Veterinary Students) Sports Weekend only ten days previously (where the only part of the body that got much exercise was the liver), Glasgow was pumped and ready to fight harder than ever for victory.

Totalling nine matches, Dick Day hosted more sports than ever before – and we weren’t sure whether the new additions were going to put us at a disadvantage or add to our strength.

After a stressful morning on my part (having organised the riding competition), the hard work paid off and the Glasgow vet riding team were again victorious.

The other scores started coming in fast, and we were drawing with Edinburgh, having lost ultimate frisbee, lacrosse and hockey, yet triumphing in riding, netball and men’s football. Netball in particular was a huge success, with this year’s match being the first time the Glasgow vets have won in years.

Glasgow fought to victory in both the men’s and women’s rugby.

With another victory in women’s football, we only had to win one rugby match to secure the title – and after a tense couple of hours, Glasgow fought to victory and won both men’s and women’s rugby.

Having finished on a score of winning six out of the nine sports, Glasgow claimed the Dick Day cup for the first time in more than 10 years!

Every team had trained harder than ever and thoroughly deserved the success. Spirits were high even before the games began, and every Glasgow vet was thrilled with the result. All those involved in organising the day put in a mammoth effort, which made the victory so much more rewarding.

I think all the students that took part or supported their schools will agree that it’s great to have that sense of community and teamwork within veterinary, even when doing something entirely non-vet related.

December 1, 2014
Vet School’s Got Talent

When you apply to vet school, there are certain boxes you have to tick: achieve the right A-Levels (or Advanced Highers), complete a number of weeks of work experience, and pass that dreaded interview.

What nobody tells you, however, is that being a vet student requires a number of other skills that seemingly have nothing to do with the veterinary profession.

Star Baker

After completing a week of EMS at a vet practice, there is the unspoken expectation that you should produce some form of teeth-rotting goodness as a thank you. Your vets would probably appreciate a box of Celebrations, but they’re going to be far more impressed if you turn out to be harbouring secret Mary Berry-esque talents.

Not only that, many clubs and societies use baked goodies to lure in new members, and some vet schools even host an anatomy themed bake off, for which the more exceptional entries often leave us questioning whether their creators are in the right profession.

Salesperson Extraordinaire

Fundraising is a common theme at vet school, whether it’s for a charity event, to reduce the ticket price of halfway ball or for a veterinary society to hold a practical session.

Getting fellow students to part with their hard-earned cash can be more difficult than you’d expect, but persuasion is a great skill to develop, especially when you may find yourself moving on to trying to entice large pharmaceutical companies to sponsor a much bigger event.

Perseverance (or rather bugging people on Facebook and through emails) can really pay off.

Catwalk Designer

Jordan (far left) and the other Glasgow Gnomes prepare for the AVS sports weekend.

Vet students are notorious for their love of fancy dress. Perhaps the results aren’t quite what you’d expect to see on the cover of Vogue, but it is astonishing what we can whip up out of nothing in five minutes flat (or perhaps three hours that may have been better dedicated to studying).

Movie characters, gnomes, circus, thrift shop, “anything but clothes”… There hasn’t been a theme that has baffled us yet.

Rally Driver

We may not all be the next Sébastien Loeb or Lewis Hamilton, but driving is a pretty important skill. Granted, not every vet student holds a licence, but those that do find it a lot easier to get to the numerous EMS placements we have to fulfil during our time at vet school.

Many of us have other attributes from being sporty or musical, to being a fluent multi-linguist or technology whizz. These may stem from trying to boost our personal statements prior to applying for vet school or could just be personality traits.

However, if you don’t enter vet school as a “well-rounded” person, you’ll certainly come out as one.

October 30, 2014
How far is too far?

Noel Fitzpatrick runs one of the most advanced veterinary practices in the UK.

In my interview for Glasgow vet school, I was asked the question “how far is too far?”, and recent episodes of The Supervet on TV had me musing on the topic again, particularly as I had used The Bionic Vet as an example in my answer.

At the time I discussed kidney transplants in cats in the US and, in the UK, the inspiring work and pioneering techniques being carried out at Fitzpatrick Referrals.

Arguably the most famous patient of Noel Fitzpatrick’s is Oscar the cat who, after having both back paws cut off by a combine harvester, had prosthetic legs specially engineered and fitted (see video below). Oscar’s surgery was the first of its kind, and a huge step for orthopaedic veterinary medicine worldwide.

While this type of surgery was a world first in cats, prosthetic limbs are not an alien concept in human medicine – and, at a time when the emphasis on “One Health” becomes stronger every day, why shouldn’t routine or even rare human procedures extend their applications to our domestic species too?

But at what point do we say that medical advances are not ethically suitable for animals? A person may have a reasonable quality of life in a wheelchair, but that doesn’t mean a dog with wheels for back legs would. Such a “cart” would dramatically effect the quality of life of cats like Oscar, but his new legs have given him the freedom to continue to “be a cat”.

Each individual case is different, and the benefits and risks of undertaking a new, advanced technique would have to be weighed up accordingly. I don’t believe the point at which we draw the line on “going too far” is set in stone – every case is unique.

Kidney transplants in humans are life saving, and yet not seen in the UK in cats. A cat with kidney failure would gain a lot from a transplant, providing the risk of rejection was reduced to minimal. The ethical issue here lies with the health and welfare of the donor cat and the fact the donor can’t consent to its healthy organ being taken.

Answering the question “how far is too far?”, Stephen King’s classic 1989 film Pet Sematary is available to buy from www.amazon.co.uk

In the US, donors are often cats from rescue shelters and the recipient cat not only gains a new organ, but also an adopted friend who will come to live with them after the surgery. I think this is an excellent compromise on the consent dilemma – both cats get a second chance at life.

But it is not just the ethical question of whether we should perform such surgeries on our pets, we also have to consider the practical aspects of these procedures (i.e whether we could carry them out if we decided it was ethically acceptable).

There will be a limited number of vets with sufficient surgical experience to attempt such innovations, especially if a certain type of procedure has never been attempted in a particular species yet (such as Oscar’s legs). Financial constraints are also extremely relevant – owners that would love to give their animals the chance to receive such surgery if needed may be limited by the cost that comes with them.

Personally, I think the work of the surgeons at Fitzpatrick Referrals is exceptional and a real inspiration to vets across the country. I would love to see the day that treatment options for our animals routinely match those available in human medicine, and really hope the work of Noel and his team encourages those interested in such developments to continue and further research in order to make it a possibility – within ethical limits, of course.

July 15, 2014
Two years as a vet student

In November, Glasgow descended on Liverpool as zombies for an alcohol-fuelled weekend of “sport”.

Having endured the wait for results, I can officially say I’ve passed my second year at vet school, and reflect on another crazy twelve months of life as a Glasgow vet student.

A vet is a unique type of student – despite having a crammed uni timetable we all manage to fill our “spare” time with a mountain of other activities. Not only that, but the close-knit circle of vet students at each individual school and the wider community across the schools in the UK and Ireland is something that is particularly characteristic to vet students.

In November, Glasgow descended on Liverpool as zombies for an alcohol-fuelled weekend of “sport”. Shortly after, however, the Glasgow vet sports teams focused their attention on the far more serious matter of “Dick Day”, the sports day against Edinburgh.

January brought my first experience of Association of Veterinary Students’ Congress, which was a great weekend of helpful practicals and talks. Here, the AVS elections opened, in which I was running for the editor position of JAVS (the vet student magazine).

Jordan gets her hands dirty during IVSA SpringBreak.

In March, I jumped on a plane to Germany to undertake foaling EMS at a thoroughbred stud yard, which was incredible and well worth the travel. Along with having an enthusiastic vet and yard manager (who were both keen for me to learn) I was also given the opportunity to return in the summer for yearling preparation.

After a year of meetings, emails and phone calls, the group of friends that had formed the Rodeo Committee finally pulled off a fantastic charity event for the public, despite battling the typical Scottish weather. It was a marathon effort for everyone involved, but worth it to see families having fun on the day, and succeeding in raising £16,000 for our chosen animal charities.

During the Rodeo aftermath, our exams hit, and the entire vet school population turned into library hermits. But after two weeks of red bull, little sleep and aching writing hands, we were free.

Shortly after, I ventured abroad once again, this time to Naples, Italy, as part of an IVSA (International Veterinary Student Association) trip. In addition to the interesting and unusual practicals and lectures, I met a variety of vet students from various countries and learned far more about veterinary in different cultures.

Having competed with the university riding team all year, I then found myself at the BUCS (British University and College Sport) Riding Championships with my teammates.

After three days of dressage and style jumping, our team was placed second in our league – a fantastic result for our club!

It’s been a busy year, and although exam results may suggest it’s now over, my summer has other ideas.

June 30, 2014
Could I have a pet at university?

Missing her cats, Jordan ponders the feasibility of owning a pet while at university.

I’ve always had cats at home, and they often played the role of revision buddy/lap warmer. That was one of the things I missed most when I first went to university.

Pets aren’t allowed in student halls, but now that I live in a flat with other vet students, pet ownership becomes a possibility (landlord permitting).

As a student, I meticulously budget in order to ensure I eat well, am able to enjoy myself and get some travelling in without blowing all of my cash the first week that student loan comes in. But even with this amount of planning, could I find some spare to pay to feed a cat as well as myself? Probably. Could I find the money if something went wrong, if said cat needed lifetime insulin or thyroxine treatment or broke a limb in a road traffic accident? Probably not.

Pet insurance would extinguish the worry surrounding the “what ifs”, and I do know other students with pets that are insured. Even then, premiums that cover long-term conditions come at a fair price, and I wouldn’t want to find myself in a financial position forcing me to cancel insurance and risk my pet requiring costly treatment.

Money is not the only commitment that you make to a pet though. The other major consideration is time – although this is more of a concern with dogs, which require a greater time commitment than cats.

I often feel that owning a dog would be excellent stress relief, but as idillic as dog walking seems, could I commit several hours a day, every day, including around exam time?

Even if I could commit the time while I’m around, I know that I don’t stay permanently in one place. For the majority of the time I’m in Glasgow, but during the holidays I’m at home (Leicestershire), on EMS or travelling. Who would look after the pet then? Since I live with vets, they have similarly busy lifestyles and it would be unfair to expect them to pet-sit while I’m away.

And what would happen when I graduate? I don’t know where I’ll be living, where my first job might take me, or whether it will be feasible to take a pet along for the ride.

An alternative to pet owning is fostering. The Glasgow branch of Cats Protection has recently advertised their fostering service to vet students at Glasgow. The fostering scheme encourages taking on a cat, with bedding, litter and food provided. They will provide all veterinary care and will even take back the cats if you go on holiday.

I think fostering is a great way of caring for cats without a lot of the concerns outlined above, and perhaps the only option I’d consider while at university with regards to pets. As much as I’d love to own a pet in Glasgow, I think it would be unfair on the animal if I could not offer the money and time to give it a great quality if life.

It’s unfortunate that many people do not undertake greater consideration when deciding to own a pet. Perhaps many of the day-to-day ethical issues faced in practice could be avoided if they did.

May 30, 2014