Disclaimer

The content of this blog reflects my personal experiences and opinions during my veterinary school education. It does not reflect the experiences or opinions of my classmates, colleagues, or the UC Davis School of Veterinary medicine. If you wish to contact me via email: hamaleo11@gmail.com

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Spay/Neuter Clinics @ Bradshaw

Every Saturday, there are people hard at work at the brand new SPCA center off of Bradshaw Road on Highway 50. These people are there every week to spay and neuter feral cats. When I can get a break from my studies, I volunteer at the clinic and help induce, and prep animals for surgery as well as administering vaccines, flea and ear mite treatment. Many volunteers help pull this thing off every week and we usually spay and neuter about 40 cats each week free of charge to Sacramento county residents. The clinics were funded by a grant to help stop the feral cat population problem in Sacramento county. Working with feral cats is entirely different from working with your average house cat. They are wild, unruly and not usually friendly. Volunteering at the clinic has given me valuable experiences working with these types of cats that will greatly benefit me in the future. Although I plan on becoming an equine vet, I plan to volunteer at clinics like this one when I can. If I can help make less cats in the world, there will be less hungry and sick cats dying in the wild, less cats in shelters and in need of homes. I encourage everyone to volunteer at your local pet shelter and always adopt animals instead of buying purebreds. You will often find purebreds in shelters that were rejected by their breeders for various reasons and some of my family's best animals have been those adopted from shelters.
Me holding a little kitten someone brought to the clinic, but he was too young to be neutered.
Me "restraining" a young feral kitten for a neuter. He was totally asleep, didn't feel a thing!
This last picture is me carrying my cat Oliver to recovery after completing my first ever neuter surgery. Usually only third year veterinary students get to neuter cats at the clinic, but since Oliver was one of my own, they showed me how to do it. It was a great experience and I thank Oliver for giving me the privilege of neutering him!

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Can't wait For Thanksgiving!!

Vet School has been kinda brutal this month with 5 exams in 15 days, this week isn't so bad and sadly, we are the only class with school next week. The upperclassmen get the entire week off for Thanksgiving, but WE have to go in on Monday and Tuesday for two full days. Can't they just give us a break? We've been working hard! I have to say, I'm doing much better in Anatomy now, thanks to my great friends that help me study and those that let me teach them what I've learned. I was only 2 points away from 100% on my last practical exam! And the funny thing is, the one I missed was one I actually knew cause I had written down the correct name, then second guessed myself and changed it. Uggghhhh. That is what happens sometimes, you just have to live with it. 

I'm exploring this summer's plans although I've already scheduled to attend the American Fonduk in Fez, Moracco summer 2012 (I can't wait!) This summer, I plan on applying for a RAVS trip (RAVS=Rural Area Veterinary Service). They go nationally and internationally helping all animals. I hope to go on their summer trip which is a week long to North or South Dakota, where they will be providing services for several Indian reservations. I would prefer one of their equine trips, but just as happily attend one of the small animal trips. I would love to go to Guatemala or Peru this summer with them, but first you have to do a trip in the US before they let you go abroad. It seems like a great program and is low cost to me. I'm still bouncing around the idea in my head of doing a STAR project. I really like research, but I have already done a research project my senior year of college (and half my junior year), maybe I should just get more involved in externships and clinics and get some more hands on? It's a tough call.

I just can't wait until Thanksgiving break, I will probably have one day of downtime, but a lot of it will be spent studying and preparing for final exams the following week. The week after Thanksgiving is hell week, we have so many labs, a cumulative Radiology final, and I have my two small animal nursing shifts (one the night before the Radiology final). Then the following week, we have four finals, one each day (M-Th). Awww....I'm sure I am going to feel like little kitty after Thanksgiving diner:

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Cavalia! A Wonderful Evening in San Francisco...


Last night, Alex and I went to San Francisco to see Cavalia, an amazing show! I couldn't have been more excited to see horses in such a magical way. It was an exquisite spectacle of the equestrian world that made you feel so surreal as if you were in the midst of a dream. 
The Freestyle  act was my favorite part of the show. The woman had nine gorgeous grey Arabian horses that she single handedly directed around the arena in various patterns. They were so responsive, and so curious! They knew that she was the alpha of the herd though!
 These people standing on the horses also went over about a two food jump! In the finale, the guy standing on the backs of his two horses jumped and flipped in the air over the jump, landing back on the two horses on the other side! It was really cool, and I've been a horse person for 17 years of my 23 year old life and I didn't think that was even possible nor would I ever attempt it! It was thrilling!
Unfortunately, I was unable to get my own pictures since we could not have cameras, probably for safety reasons for horses and riders, but I found some great pictures of some of the main shows. The pictures do not do the show justice at all and I highly recommend seeing the show for yourself.
If you want to see a short video clip, check out this link:

Saturday, November 13, 2010

My Experiences

There are millions of ways to get experience with animals, many of us have our own animals and they are what has inspired us to pursue a career in veterinary medicine. But to get into vet school, you have to show a substantial commitment to animals and animal health. If any of you are wondering what got me into vet school, here is what I believe got me here today:
My personal animal/veterinary experiences:
Volunteer: Folsom Feline Rescue
Worked for Equine Veterinarian (over summer)
Worked as specialty animal caretaker at Pet Smart
Worked a two small animal veterinary clinics as a tech.
Worked at over 8 horse boarding and training facilities
Volunteer with Saddle Pals (equine physical therapy for handicapped)
Volunteer at Mercer Clinic (veterinary care for the homeless)
Member of the Vet Aides Club at UC Davis
Internships at UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital in Equine Medicine and Equine ICU
Worked on research in a lab at UC Davis (equine vaccine reaction research) got paid too!
Participated on the equestrian Team at Sierra College and UC Davis
Involved in 4H and FFA (horse project)
Volunteer at various spay and neuter clinics
Worked at the California State fair at the UC Davis livestock nursery and milking parlor

Other experiences:
Worked at a Take and Bake Pizza place (Mad City Pizza) when I was 15 years old
Worked a summer at Taco Bell (Express=no drive thru) age 16
Worked as a hostess at BJ's Restaurant age 18
Worked at a Florist (helped with arrangements and did deliveries) age16-17
Worked about a year and a half at Jamba Juice (loved this job) age 18-19
Worked as a General Chemistry/Animal Science Tutor at Sierra Community College Tutor Center age 19-20
Worked as a nature trail/natural history museum tour guide at Sierra Community College age 19-20
Quarter long Internship in a 7th/8th grade Science classroom in Woodland, CA
Worked as a peer adviser at UC Davis in the Dean's office of the college of agriculture and environmental sciences age 21-22

I think the main point is, vet school admission committees really want to make sure you can handle vet school. They want to see a substantial amount on your part of animal related activities that exceed the daily care of a family pet. They want you to be well rounded and be able to understand people and people's relationships with their animals. If you're looking to be a veterinarian because you don't like people, you are barking up the wrong tree. Every animal has a human counterpart and as a veterinarian you will be working with people on a daily basis.

I think my background in food service and public positions really helped me learn more about how to deal with difficult people. As a hostess at BJ's on a Friday night, I was swarmed with hungry people angry that their wait was going to be over an hour for a table. At Taco Bell, I had to deal with people ordering five grande meals 10 minutes before closing time. As a student peer adviser, I had to advise fellow students on how to most efficiently and productively finish their major at UC Davis so they could be on their way to their desired career path. In every job I have had, I have worked hard to do my best for the job and myself by learning more about interacting with people in our society.

I have worked hard to get into vet school, and find myself working even harder now (in vet school). For the first time in my life, I have no outside job that pays money. I've decided to let myself adjust to vet school and the rigors of studying. I have always had a job since I was 11 and started mucking stalls and exercising horses at horse ranches, I think it is time for me to take a little break and spend more time learning the material I will use for the rest of my life as a veterinarian.

~ I learned the value of hard work by working hard. ~  


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Friday, November 5, 2010

Equine Aid In Third World Countries


On Nov. 3rd, I had the opportunity to attend a lecture on Equitarian efforts in third world countries presented by Dr. Derek Knottenbelt, a very educated man with a long list of credits to his name. He is an equine specialist that devotes his time and resources making lives for donkeys, mules, ponies and horses improve in third world countries. He was one of the most captivating speakers I have ever seen, truly someone you would want to have a long conversation with.  He had so much to share with us and did a great job really driving his main points home through his knowledge, stories, videos, and photos. If you ever get a chance to attend one of his lectures, I promise you will not be disappointed! 

Dr. Knottenbelt began the lecture with what the horse (well, all equines, including donkeys, mules, and ponies) have done for humans. He pointed out that without the horse, we would never have been able to make so many technological and societal advances in our country. Horses have contributed their labor, sweat, and lives to making advancements for mankind. Now, he says, "the horse needs us. We owe it to them to take good care of them." And he pointed out that the majority of the worlds horses, which totals to approximately 110 million equids are living in third world countries. There are only about 10 million living in developed countries. Horses in developed countries are considered a luxury, a pet, a member of the family. But in the third world, equids are still vital to those people's way of life. The people there do not have a chance without their equid partners, they rely on them daily to provide for their families.

He then shifted to asking the audience to describe the differences between "cruel" and "cruelty". He showed us several videos of little donkeys pulling huge loads, he told us that an average workday for a donkey is 18 hours a day. These donkeys were skinny, had little to no breaks and were forced to work with wounds and some with broken legs. Upon reading this, you may think that this treatment classifies as cruelty, however, when you consider the word cruelty, what else do you consider? Is packing horses like sardines in stock trailers bound for slaughter in Canada or Mexico cruelty? He also showed us a video of a horse that had been abandoned in a vacant field with a broken shoulder, it was horrifying to watch. This video came from a rescue organization in the US. We have cruelty to animal cases everyday in our court system and even more cases that don't make it to court or prosecution. Just because these people in the third world have to work their animals beyond comfort with little food or water, does that classify as "cruelty"? He emphasized that this is not cruelty, but cruel. They have no resources or means to improve their lives, let alone their animals lives. The horse to them is a tool, not a pet, but that doesn't mean they do not care about their well-being. It is wrong for us to impose our standard of animal care on them, but not for us to wish that it was better for them.

He gave a great example to illustrate what needs to be done to help animals and people in third world countries. Denmark at one point in time sent tractors to a remote area of Africa in hopes of helping the people make crops for themselves so they could feed their starving population. However kind one may think this is, it is absolutely absurd! This remote area had no access to gas for those tractors, and for all that we know, the tractors sat there and became rust, Dr. Knottenbelt ensured us that we could still see the tractors sitting right where Denmark dropped them off. If we really want to better the lives of these people, we can't impose our lifestyle on them. They don't have any clue about the luxuries we have here in the states or those do in Europe, they just care about feeding their families. Life is hard for them, but do they pitty themselves? Do they think it's hard. Of course not! That is what they're familiar with, this is what life is to them. They are probably happier than we are. I've seen this myself in my travels to Peru in South America.

What needs to be done is education about birth control, availability of free basic health care, knowledge about basic veterinary care and access to common medicines and vaccines. These people are not stupid because they are uneducated, they are truly talented and have specialized roles in their societies. They don't want to change the way the live, they just want to make the lives of the next generation better. 

The people want better for there animals, but they are inhibited by the poverty and starvation that they face every day just trying to survive. They may be cruel, but they don't want to be or don't know any better. Dr. Knottenbelt developed SPANA (Society for the protection of animals abroad) which strives to improve the lives of the animals in third world countries in hope of improving the living conditions for the people. These societies are far from materialistic and want to stay that way, but they can become knowledgeable about animal care and welfare.

The lecture left me wondering what can I do? What difference can I, just one person make in the lives of these equids and these people? Dr. Knottenbelt shared some touching stories about his travels to third world countries and his challenges helping these animals. I plan to take part in SPANA volunteering abroad when I graduate from vet school and to take part in other programs that help improve the lives of these people and animals. I knew that I've always wanted to make a difference in this world, that's one of the main reasons for going to vet school (to learn how to help animals and their people), but I think Dr. Knottenbelt has convinced me that I have to do something to change the world and I may be just one person, but I CAN make a difference!!! Summer 2012, I plan on volunteering at a veterinary care center in Fez, Morocco. It will give me great experience for my veterinary career and touch the lives of many animals and people.

If you want to read more or are interested in seeing what you can do, check out these links:
http://www.mmilani.com/commentary-201006.html
http://www.spana.org/index.html
http://www.avma.org/onlnews/javma/feb10/100201a.asp

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

"That's Vet School"

So we're more than halfway into the quarter, we officially done with more than half of our first quarter of vet school!!! We have five exams in exactly 15 days! The first 3 weeks of November. I think it is kind of insane, but you just have to take a step back and take one test at a time, study, test, study, test, etc. until you are ready for the next TG!!! No, just kidding, until you are ready for the next exam. None of us will fail, all of us will pass, they want us to do well in this program, that's why they were so selective when they let us in. But sometimes, when you are in the midst of exams, you don't feel quite the way they intended for you to feel.

They want you to RETAIN all the information you learn in class, but it's quite impossible to remember everything. I think the important thing to realize is that you don't NEED to remember everything, just the important things, you will always be able to look up a reference in a book or converse with a colleague.