A Summer of Travel Part 1

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This summer I traveled to Europe/Africa for almost two months. I began my adventure in London where I explored all the tourist attractions and felt the buzz from the soon to begin Olympic opening ceremonies. The following are excerpts from my mass email to friends and family. I will have several parts to share about my travels, as I had some very unique experiences while abroad.

"I've made it to London, which is by far more amazing than I really expected. I've been here since yesterday afternoon and my feet are tired! My hostel is great for the price, however it is far from central London (and the touristy spots). I have become very familiar with riding the London underground which is much like the RT in Folsom or the Bart in SF, but it is much more efficient. You can get a day pass for £8. I never wait more than 2 minutes for a train and it is so easy to use! I think they are preparing for the Olympics because there are maps and signs everywhere as well as real people to help you with tickets or your travels.

I've seen a lot of the tourist traps and a few of the hidden treasures. I spent yesterday seeing the London Eye & the London Bridge, then I roamed through Camden Town, which used to be an old stable yard for the horses that pulled the barge. It is now a market place for tourists as well as London locals. There were many cool horse statues and alleyways leading to endless shops! There was also cheap food of any nationality you could want, even Mexican food, although I was a bit suspicious! I then headed to Primrose Hill which is a park above the park where the London Zoo is that overlooks the entire city! It was so beautiful and the weather was amazing (still is amazing) so I have plenty of pictures.

Today I went to Green Park around 9AM and strolled around there and stumbled upon Buckingham Palace, I knew it was there, but it was so majestic and huge I didn't expect it! I walked up to the gates (there was hardly and tourists at that time) and I saw the guards standing there like stones. I discovered that you can tour the Royal Mews or 'Stables'. That was really cool and totally worth the £7!! I saw the Queens carriages and two of her carriage horses. Many of the horses were not there because they were at an event, but they say it is the oldest functioning stables. I really enjoyed that! I left there around 11AM just in time to stumble across the changing of the guard in front of Buckingham Palace. That was lucky! They also have many black horses that joint the parade, marching band, and soldiers and all, such a big production! Then I headed to Westminster Abby and saw all the sites there, I decided to skip going in the big cathedral because of the line and I just took photos and walked around. The buildings are so old and lovely! Then I went to the London Tower and saw the Queens Jewels! That was a really fun place to walk around in and see all the history there. It was very crowded!"  

Then I traveled by Eurostar to Paris, France just two days after arriving in London. 

"I had an amazing time in Paris, a city with vibrant history, culture and nightlife. I stayed near the Montremart district which is near a really gorgeous cathedral called"sacred heart". The hostel was nice, I stayed in a 4 bed female dorm with an Argentinian and a Canadian (Montreal). The Canadian and I went on a free 3 hour city walking tour and saw all the main sites and got quite a bit of a French and Paris history lesson. We spent the rest of the day at the Eiffel tower where we took a Cruz at sunset in the Sin or Sen which is the water that runs through the city. On our way back, we saw the Eiffle tower sparkle on the hour at night. So beautiful! I have some great pictures. The next day, we relaxed a bit and strolled through The Eiffel tower park area with one of the Canadian's friends. After we got more pictures, we had drinks at a non-touristy bar. The metro station is really crazy in Paris! I finally got the hang of it! I really enjoyed Paris, but I feel like I saw enough of it in just a couple days. I was so lucky to have such good weather! I took the Eurostar between Paris and London. It was such a smooth and pleasant ride!"

After two nights in Paris I headed back to London...to fly to Fez

"I basically traveled all day on Sunday. Train from Paris to London, then I flew to Fez. The airport was an hour outside of London and I took a bus there. On the way, I got to see the structures for the Olympic games they are still building and lots of farms/small communities filled with green pastures. So wonderful!

Then I landed in Fez, Morocco, it was 102 degrees. A driver for the Fondouk was waiting for me at the airport with a sign that had my name on it, which was comforting. On our drive to the Fondouk, the streets and town we passed reminded me a lot of Mexico. The houses were half built, many abandoned, people were walking along the street, almost all, but not all women are covered here. Some are wearing more modern clothes, although all their shoulders are covered, many people, including women wear sandles, contrary to what I read, it is NOT rude to show your feet in public. We arrived at the Fondouk around 8pm and I was introduced to the other volunteers: the first left the same night, but I got to talk to her a lot about her experiences, she was a student at Tuffs in MA. There us a Canadian vet student, Then my roommate, Camelia is from Poland and is a recent veterinary graduate. Then there is an intern here who studied in Morocco, then there is a couple who are vet students from the Czech Republic. The final person arrived today and is a recent graduate from the university of Edinburgh. The main doctor and assistant director of the Fondouk is also from Morocco, but he speaks very good English! He also knows French, Arabic, And Berber. Unfortunately, Dr. Gigi Kay who is the director is away on holiday the whole time I am here. I'm kind of bummed about that because she is more into teaching than the Moroccan vet. I wanted to meet her since she has a long history of working in third world countries providing veterinary aid.

The Fondouk has about 16 patients right now all undergoing treatments, one mare had a swollen hock and a referring veterinarian "cut" it open to drain it, but opened the joint capsule which is really bad. She does not bear weight on the hind leg where her hock is very swollen. Today they flushed it. Her progress is limited and humane euthanasia is on the table, because she has a very bad condition and will likely not be able to return to work. According to the externs who have already been here 2 weeks, we have seen 2 rabies cases in donkeys and several others with Tetanus. One donkey survived Tetanus but then got thrombolitis of her jugular vein, tomorrow we are doing surgery to fix that.

It is very different here at the Fondouk, both in the way animals are presented and in the way they are treated. Costs are cut if at all possible, we make our own fluids. I've learned to make some interesting bandages already. It's heartbreaking to see some of these animals, by the way the Fondouk only sees horses, donkeys and mules.

My first day and a typical day at the Fondouk: wake up at 6:45, eat, do TPRs, the staff does the morning treatments (giving medicines/hot compresses/etc. Then the gates open from 8am to noon and we accept patients. At noon we shut the gates and make our new patients comfortable. Then we take an hour lunch ( I got in the pool) and then we head back to work at 2pm, we do all our procedures and surgeries. Then we finish whenever we finish, which today was about 5:30. Then we went back in the pool! At 7:30 we do our evening treatments. Today I helped clean up the extern house!

A successful first day! Tomorrow after our day is done, Kamila and I will head into the city. I will tell you about the Fondouk's animal residents in the next email. The Fondouk is truly an oasis in Fez, I am very lucky to be here! It's sad that the horses/donkeys/mules do not get fly spray or fly masks and there is a huge fly problem here! I have some ideas to improve the quality of their lives. Luckily I am making a dent right now, but there is just so much more to it.

Also it's neat to hear the call to prayer four times per day. It's actually quite relaxing and peaceful."

"Today is my second day at the American Fondouk. I've seen some amazing and very sad things in my short time here. The lives of the working animals in Fez, Morocco are very different from those back at home who are pets or top condition competition animals. I do realize we have poor treatment of animals in the US too, but far different from the Moroccan workhorse or mule.

I've settled into my room at the Stuart Villa which is really an oasis here at the Fondouk, I will be trying to send some pictures of my travels shortly if time and the Internet connection permit. The other externs and I have become quite good friends, especially Kamila and I (the Polish veterinary grad). She wants me to skip Italy and come with her so she can show me Poland, but I will save it for another trip. It has always been my dream to visit Polish Arabian Horse breeding farms there.

Anyways, back to the Fondouk.. the way it works here in the Villa is some of us go to the grocery store every 2/3 days and purchase food, someone cooks dinner for everyone at tonight and the food is comunal if it is in the fridge. You have to keep it in your room if it's personal. Everyone is great with sharing and the cooking and dishes. We have a women who cleans the kitchen, shower and toilets everyday of the work week. Lunch here is provided,  a sandwich.. Of cut up hard boiled egg, tomato slice, lettuce(sometimes) and light mayo. I've been told they can get very boring. On Fridays, we get couscous, which I can't wait for!

We buy tons of bottled water here, and I drink a lot during the day, today it was 108 degrees, which was hot, but much like home on a hot summer day. Usually the water is room temperature, although I often fill and stick my water bottle in the fridge. The fridge is cold, but not super cold. There is a water dispenser in the treatment area that gives coldish water, but I will really enjoy a water with ice when I get home! We have to wear coveralls in the mornings when the Fondouk is open to the public. They are nice quality, but still very warm. I take mine off and wear scrubs as soon as I can.

In the villa yard, we have tortoises, almost 10 I'm told, you can catch them hiding under the plants in the dirt where it's cool, I fed one watermelon yesterday. We have about 5 cats running around the Fondouk, they look well fed, and love being petted and scratched. They have a hard time with the heat cause of so much fur and they lay in the shade up against the buildings, in the middle of the day they sleep in these cool places. There is a miniature donkey that came into the Fondouk with a rectal prolapse about 3 months ago, the prolapse is chronic and we have to periodically push the small part of it that sometimes bulges out back in. His owner never came back for him. He doesn't have a name, but I call him monkey, he's got a lot of fur and is a curious little guy that runs loose around the Fondouk (except when the main gates are open). He's always trying to stick his nose in your business and is always stirring up trouble, he knocked down a decorative vase yesterday tearing around the villa.  He's got a lot of spirit and love to share. You can often find him hiding in our small pharmacy shed which is air conditioned or hanging out by the pool watching us swim, he's quite a spoiled donkey. We also gave 4 dogs, 2 younger and 2 older. They are sweet and loving too.

Today I changed many bandages, some wounds look better, others are not improving. I've gotten some pictures of before and hopefully will get afters. There is one grey mule mare that had a swelling in her hock on her leg and the referring vet cut it open to drain, but he cut the joint capsule open too and the joint is now badly infected. She is on pain medicine and antibiotics and we flush the joint everyday. Surgery here is far from sterile, we scrub once, then rinse with our homemade distilled fluids. they use sterile instruments and gloves, but with the amount of flies here it is literally impossible to keep things sterile. The mare has a very poor prognosis and we are waiting for the owner to return so we can discuss ending her suffering.
 
Today someone dropped a kitten in front of the Fondouk, it was crying at the door and Kamila and Alicia took it in. It was crying it's head off, probably about 3 months old. She was white with bright green eyes. Unfortunately, there is not a place for all animals at the Fondouk and this happens way too often, but the Fondouk staff euthanized the kitten. It was saddening for me and the other volunteers, but we understand the financial limitations and implications if that animal survived. She was given love and a good meal before her short life ended peacefully, life for a cat on the streets in Morocco would be tough. Sorry for the sad story, but there is a lot of sad here for the animals.

We had a female donkey come in today and we removed a huge urolith from her urethra, it was huge! The removal looked painful, although she was sedated.

 
We also removed some leftover testicular tissue from a donkey that was improperly castrated with a knife. This is a common issue in Morocco even though the American Fondouk offers free castration services. This involved anesthesia and the donkey was laid on a large pad on the ground, I was helping monitor his vital signs and anesthetic depth, at one point he was very light and I could tell he was feeling it. His front legs were moving, I asked if I could give him more drugs (which I had on hand already drawn up) and the Moroccan doctor looked at me and said coldly, many vets in morocco don't even use sedation. I was kind of taken aback cause I'm sure he would want some good anesthesia if his testicular tissue was being removed! :(

Medicine here is much different from at home, but the animals are different too. They are stronger and they give a lot to their work and don't ask for much in return with their simple lives. They are content to be tied in front of water and feed in the shade of a palm tree at the Fondouk, they patiently wait for what you ask of them next.

Right now while I'm writing, it is raining!! I just stepped outside, it's cold rain and thunder! I'm glad I brought in the laundry! I'm going to go check on the in patients now!

Part 2 to be continued... 

Making International Veterinary Aid Sustainable

International Animal Welfare Training Institute Seminar and Discussion at UC Davis SVM

May 14, 2012

Featured Speakers: Dr. Susan Monger DVM, Dr. Dave Turoff DVM, Dr. Richard Bachman DVM, Dr. Bonnie Markoff DVM, Dr. Eric Davis, Dr. John Madigan

I attended a wonderful discussion about making international veterinary aid sustainable. I have a special interest in travel and helping animals and people around the world. I am a great believer in the "one health" approach and am active in the students for one health club at UC Davis. I am always seeking for opportunities to help animals abroad and this discussion was just something I couldn't miss even though I had a big midterm the following day.

Each speaker emphasized certain aspects of volunteering internationally and how we can really help communities in need. Many current approaches to international veterinary aid are NOT sustainable and we are striving to steer our efforts towards a more sustainable approach. Like the Chinese proverb: "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."

Dr. Susan Monger
Currently Dr. Monger organizes teaching clinics and training programs throughout Latin America and Ethiopia, and facilitates the development of sustainable veterinary outreach programs throughout the world. She shared her diverse experiences in learning how to make international veterinary aid sustainable. She emphasized that we should "leave something behind" - we need to think consciously about what what kind of impact we are really making in these communities. What have we taught them that can make life better for the animals and people in the long run? She spoke about how many people relate to numbers, international aide groups focus on numbers way too often. She used the example of veterinary teams going to countries to spay and neuter animals, but emphasized that while it does good and impacts a small sector of the community by decreasing over-pet population, there is nothing really left for that community if we don't come back. For example, they will just cycle again, animals that were not spayed or neutered in the voluntary efforts will reproduce and in time, they will have the same problem on their hands and the same need for veterinary aide.

Dr. Dave Turoff
Dr. Turoff is one of my mentors and I have learned so much from him in my lifetime. He was my horse's vet when I was young and allowed me to shadow him while in college and even wrote a letter of recommendation for me when I applied to veterinary school. He operates at an equine practice in Placerville, California and still manages to volunteer large amounts of his time to work on equine welfare projects in Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, and Peru. He described international veterinary aid as a "super drug" - you get addicted to this kind of work. He emphasized that many communities lack the resources and economies to be able to teach their own "how to fish" - he altered the Chinese proverb to be that you can teach a man to fish, but in many of these communities you have to "provide the bait and patch his boat once in a while." 

He had a unique perspective because of his vast experience and feels veterinarians have a professional responsibility to help communities make better lives for their animals. It is often difficult to change a culture, recruit local resources, and influence local influential interest in these international veterinary projects. He defined "poverty" as not a lack of resources, but a lack of communication in the community and attitude of the people. 
Trying to fix resource management will never improve by just giving people more resources, you must change the attitudes of the people.

Rick Bockman 
Dr. Bachman has worked internationally in India, Romania, and Mexico with various animal welfare organizations, primarily assisting with shelter operations and small animal sterilization projects. His origin as a shelter vet exposed him to high quality high volume spay/neuter programs. He emphasized that communities desire knowledge of western medicine. On his journey he has found that we are exporting a quantity, not quality. This needs to change, we need to leave something behind, make a change and effect change.

Words of Wisdom from these speakers: 


What methods can your international veterinary group implement in your travels to raise awareness in the community for animal welfare?
When attending or hosting town meetings - don't make too many assumptions...and avoid criticism!
See if there is a peace core representative in the area your group is traveling. 

You can watch the Seminar/Discussion on their website if you're interested:

International Animal Welfare Training Institute

First Anesthesia Lab

Photo Credit

We had our first anesthesia lab. The day began early, we showed up at 7AM to do physical exams/meet our dogs for the day. Turned out we were group number 23, the last group, the group without a dog! Yep, we got to watch everyone else do their exams and meet their dogs. We yawned and watched on in envy. Luckily we were notified that there would be a dog for us arriving later that day and it was just a mix up why we didn't have our own dog. 

We went back in at noon and our dog had arrived! He was a gorgeous dog, will definitely get adopted! He was really good for us and we did so well as a group. Honestly, the anesthesia lab was one of my favorite things this quarter. There have not been a lot of labs, except for my equine locomotor lab each week (but we work on cadaver limbs). It felt nice to have a lab where we had a live animal and all parties benefited. 


I am so lucky to have such a great surgery group, yes I got to pick them, but I think we all picked each other. We have become great friends over the first 2 years and will have another exciting 2 years to come.

I can now say that I can anesthetize a dog, catheterize, intubate and monitor vital signs safely. During anesthesia we monitor blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, pulse quality, mucous membrane color and capillary refill time. We also monitor signs such as a palpebral reflex and withdrawal reflex and the placement of the eyeball to monitor anesthetic depth. We also had an esophageal stethoscope and thermometer placed. We also measured end tidal CO2. There really is a lot that goes into monitoring during anesthesia and I am so lucky to have so many good teachers. Many of the clinicians/professors came by our group yesterday and taught us useful information and gave us bouts of encouragement and constructive advice.


Next fall my surgery group and I will be ready to castrate our first dog! Very exciting! 


Life of a Vet Student....

Working in the Equine ICU

From the UC Davis LA Clinic Facebook Group

How did I get a job in the the equine ICU? 
I started working in the equine ICU in March of 2011. I got the job through contacts I knew in the department. I had participated in foal team which gave me a chance to get experience and help the equine ICU staff at the same time. I also completed 2 internships through the Vet Aide Club in both equine medicine and equine ICU.

What do I do all day in the equine ICU?
Observe and monitor patient vital signs. Administer medications (oral, IV, IM). Carry out clinician's orders. Work with students and clinicians on patient care and management. Maintain sanitation protocols. Document treatments and keep track of bowl movements, feed intake and urination.

What do I like best about my job? 

Working with horses, I love helping make them better. Being a student and getting paid to be on call is also very nice.

From the UC Davis LA Clinic Facebook Group

UC Davis Foal Team

I want to go to veterinary school, but I have a low GPA

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthpicturegalleries/8210202/Animal-pictures-of-the-week-17-December-2010.html?image=16

Question: 

Hello, I am currently attending school to become a veterinarian. I am in my sophomore year of majoring in animal science as an undergraduate. I currently have a 2.5 GPA and worried that I will not be accepted into vet school. I read your blog and was very relieved after reading it. I love animals and would like to help them in any way. I would consider pursuing a veterinary technician program but I feel like my animal science degree would be just a waste. Do you have any advice to give me? I would really appreciate it. Thanks. 

Reply: 

First, I strongly consider anyone (regardless of GPA) to consider WHY they want to go to veterinary school? It cannot be only because you want to help animals. Of course everyone who grows up wanting to become a veterinarian so they can help animals. Unfortunately just that want and desire to help animals will not help you get into veterinary school or get through the challenges of the veterinary curriculum. It will also not make you a good vet. The rising costs of a veterinary education should be a consideration, although do note that it should not prevent you from achieving your dream.

 

The required minimum SCIENCE GPA is 2.5. If your OVERALL GPA is 2.5, this must mean your science GPA is lacking. If it's only the beginning of your junior year, you still have time to improve your overall and science GPA.  if your overall GPA is 2.5 and you are graduating, I don't think this will satisfy the requirements for veterinary school. 

Second, is there any way you can retake courses you got lower grades in? This is a good way to increase your GPA. Make sure you can retake the courses first, i.e. if you got a C, I don't know if you get credit for taking it a second time, you would have to check with a counselor at your school. 

Third, focus on your current/upcoming courses because you will need to pull good grades. If you are struggling, get help, go to office hours. Assess why you didn't do as well as you hoped in previous courses and what academic challenges you need to overcome. 

Fourth, Do WELL on the GRE. If your GPA is lacking, an excellent GRE score can help you overcome that deficit. This is a really hard exam, you will spend hours studying for it AND wishing you never have to take it or learn the material again. 

Fifth, if you have never had the chance to volunteer at a veterinary hospital or work at one, do this immediately. This experience is vital to your decision to become a veterinarian. If you can't handle blood or death, you should NOT consider becoming a vet or vet tech.  

Finally, there are tons of different careers you can have with animals besides being a veterinarian or veterinarian technician. Explore some of those options. Remember, any college degree will allow you to apply to veterinary school, you don't have to be an animal science major. You do have to complete the prerequisite courses, but you can major in whatever subject you enjoy. 

Best of Luck and Study Hard!

http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/students/dvm_program/admissions/index.cfm

A Stack of Pancakes

I haven't been able to write any posts lately because frankly Spring quarter of veterinary school is tough! I really thought last quarter was rough, but little did I know what Spring quarter could bring....
I really like that we have started taking our medicine courses, which means I have classes specific to equine and small animal medicine, but since I have decided to take two medicines, I have increased the number of lectures, exams and time I need to direct towards school. 

Sometimes it makes me think of this post I found online. Veterinary school or Med school in this case is like having a stack of pancakes every morning! They are amazing, but when you eat too many, you are sleepy, groggy and don't want anymore pancakes. But every morning you wake up and are forced to eat 5 pancakes! EVERY MORNING! I also found the picture at the top of this post on the back of my UC Davis magazine, which frankly just made my day since I was feeling this way at the exact moment I saw the picture. 

I have 3 more weeks of classes, then finals week. After that, I will be heading to Morocco/Europe for almost 2 months! I'm very excited, but still have a lot of planning to do. I can't wait to finish this quarter, like I said Spring quarter, it's been fun and you've really pushed me as a veterinary student, but it was nice knowing you! Please enjoy the article below, I could not summarize for you, you just have to read it.

http://rumorsweretrue.wordpress.com/2006/11/01/pancakes-every-morning/

What I've learned from Mercer - a student run veterinary clinic

Me with "Lucky"

 This past year (May 2011-May 2012) I have served as a Co-Coordinator for the Mercer Veterinary Clinic for Pets of the Homeless in Sacramento. I have really enjoyed this position as it has challenged me to actually run a veterinary clinic. Specifically, a unique veterinary clinic that is offered only once a month (every second Saturday), but struggles to offer referral services during the month to current clients with problems that need immediate medical attention.  Mercer is also unique in the fact that we don't have an actual veterinary clinic. We are based out of a warehouse at loaves and fishes in Sacramento. It's a large, covered area with surrounding outdoor area where we see patients. Every second Saturday, clients line up in our parking lot making a long line around the perimeter.

As a head coordinator, I was responsible for helping oversee the whole clinic. I quickly became familiar with every mercer officer position and was often able to step in when needed. I took an executive role in helping develop and implement new rules and protocols for the mercer clinic to help it run more efficiently. I was present at 9 out of 12 clinics and got there at 7AM, not leaving until 3PM each day. It was a substantial commitment in addition to veterinary school, my job and my life, but totally worth it.


Outside of the actual clinic, I was responsible for helping answer the phone messages left my mercer clients. This was very helpful in improving my communication skills with clients. The hardest part was returning a call from someone who was not homeless, but low income and didn't qualify for Mercer services. I realized that there are not really a lot of choices for pets owned by low income owners. I will address my feelings on this issue in a later post.

My classmates that served on other Mercer positions did a wonderful job and really put their heart into helping run mercer. Mercer is the responsibility of the second year veterinary students at UC Davis and we will soon be passing the torch to our fellow colleagues. I am confident that they will continue to provide the same services and even be able to make improvements on things we had just barely gotten the chance to implement. I plan to continue volunteering at Mercer during the rest of my veterinary career as a student and later as a veterinarian. 

The warehouse that houses Mercer

Mercer Website: http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/clubs/mercer/