T-minus 10 days..

..until my first year of veterinary school is complete! I can't believe I've already been out of undergrad for a year now...how quickly time flies!


Last week I was kind of a nut case. I basically came to a point where learning anything new was physically painful, and just prioritized what I thought was most important. So I definitely learned NOT to procrastinate if I don't want my head to explode! It's crazy though because despite that fact that I was beyond sleep deprived, over caffeinated, and feeling loony by the end of last week, I had to literally FORCE myself to lay down and take a nap after my exams, rather than study for the next week. It's hard to make myself relax knowing there is so much to be done. But it was a glorious 4 hour nap, and I even went out and was social on Friday night :)


Anyway, we've finished our calf dissection, dissected a fetal pig yesterday, and we're doing a chicken tomorrow (also did a turtle last week, and a snake the week before!). I think it's pretty safe to say I will pass on being a food animal vet. And an equine vet. Yep. Although I do have a thing for goats!! What do you think about a marine mammal, small animal, goat vet? Possible? I think so... :)


So what's left you say? Well I have a bovine theriogenology final today, an epidemiology final tomorrow, and integration exam Thursday, and then 4 more finals next week. I'm teetering on the edge of an A (89.94 at the moment) in Physiology, and with it being a 6 credit class I REFUSE to get a B! That will destroy me! So my main focus starting Wednesday will be ruminant digestive physiology (not my favorite topic) which I basically need to get a 95 on. I CAN DO THIS!


I know, my life is incredibly fascinating, right? Study, sleep, eat (occasionally). So intriguing. As a side note, I decided to rent a room in a condo, where I'll be living with a roommate that works at Gulf World. I can't bring Rhyley though :( It seriously makes me sick to think about being without her for two months! I hate even leaving her for school! Yes, I realize I have a serious issue hahah but I don't care. She's my best friend and I don't really trust anyone with her. Over Christmas break my dad was going in and out of the house and left the door cracked. I was calling her name and she didn't come, so I got up to check on her. I see the door open, run outside, and she is half way to the street!!!! If I hadn't been there, I guarantee she would be dead right now. Going to be so sick with worry all summer. But it really is best for her (as long as my dad doesn't kill her) because I could be working anywhere from 30-60 hours a week...more if I want to get a part time job. It's not really fair for her to be trapped at home all the time. My mom is at home 4-5 days out of the week, so she'll at least be with her most of the time. Plus I will be paying 300 in rent, rather than 1200 (even though she really is worth the extra money). Sigh.

Alright, time to review some bovine rectal palpation and whatnot. Yeah, it's a glamorous life I lead.

Happy is an understatement :)

I have been horrible at posting this semester, but so many exciting things have been happening that blogging hasn't really been on my mind. I figured it was time for an update though, because today was AWESOME! :)

I received an internship offer at Gulf World Marine Park in Panama City, FL! I feel bad to turn down the internship at the marine mammal care center, but this was the internship that I wanted the most out of the five that I applied to so I HAVE to choose this one. I'm really still a little in shock that I got it! I will learn basic marine mammal health care, as well as do a project. I'll also get to do something called "vet camp" once a week where I can teach kids about basic anatomy, do ultrasound demos, and help the kids work through "diagnosing" animals. Gulf World also helps with dolphin and turtle strandings, so I should be able to help out with that too. I am so excited! The area is beautiful, and I'll only be a drive away from my family and friends, so excited about that :) I feel so blessed by God to have this opportunity!

 

On the topic of marine mammals, we finished dissecting the sea lion a few weeks ago and it was so cool! We explored the larynx, thorax, abdomen, and limbs. Their bones are so funny looking - the humerus and femur are really short compared to all of the other limb bones (and they have carpal/tarsal bones and phalanges very similar to ours!) It's pretty neat though how small differences can make them suitable for deep diving. I've gotten to dissect so many cool things this semester - we finished the pony, and we're now working on a mink in special interest anatomy and a HUGE calf in gross anatomy. I am loving the calf!!! For some reason I am way more excited to learn about cows than I was about horses, even though the horse was really cool.

No test this week means I have been taking it a little easy, but I do need to work on some reproductive physiology before I get too behind!

Finally, an update!

My lack of updates is due to the fact that I have been without home internet for 6 weeks! Finally got my T-mobile Hotspot in the mail and now I'm back online :) You really don't realize how often you need to look stuff up on the net until you don't have it! Makes me so thankful for the "little things".

Six(ish) weeks into school and a ton has happened already! My 24th birthday, a few too many late nights in Aggieville, bowling with half of my classmates, super bowl party, learning how to do a electrocardiogram on dogs, dissecting a pigeon, goat, and sting ray in addition to the pony we're dissecting in anatomy, spent some time in the cardiology department (watched an echocardiogram on a German Shepherd with sub-aortic stenosis)...so much more has been learned and experienced and I love every minute of it!

Speaking of cardiology, my parent's dog Hershey was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy/left sided heart failure. My mom told me that he was acting strangely and coughing, and then suddenly collapsed. They rushed him to the doctor and took radiographs and found his heart to be irregularly shaped, and found fluid in his lungs. Later in the day my parents had an ultrasound/echocardiogram done to confirm exactly what was going on. He is now on a combination of three medications and they say he should have another 1-2 years. My heart basically sank when my mom initially told me what happened, because when I left my parent's house in Florida I was so worried about Rhyley (she doesn't do too well on planes) that I forgot to hug and kiss the dogs goodbye. I hope I can see him at least one more time.

On a lighter note, yesterday I spent some time with my 4th year mentor who is on his dentistry rotation. I watched him sweat over canine and carnassial extractions (those roots are huge!) and then got to do a tooth extraction myself. I also sutured up an incision. I might be obsessed with suturing now. Two main things contributed to my obsession with good suture technique. When Rhyley had her abscessed microchip removed, they completely jacked up her incision and left a scar. So I've promised myself I will do everything I can in the future to make incisions look nice for my clients. Also, the doctors I worked for in Orlando showed me how rewarding a good suture can be. There is just something about seeing that incision basically disappear in front of your very eyes when you develop patience and excellent techniques. I love it!

But there is something that lies ahead that I am even a little more obsessed about - I get to dissect a SEA LION on Monday!!! Wanting to go into aquatic animal medicine, there are not a whole lot of opportunities for me here in Kansas. So getting to do something like this is so exciting! On the same subject, I've found some pretty amazing internship opportunities with marine mammals this summer. I'm in the process of completing my applications, so fingers crossed that I am accepted to one! I want this so badly and I am ready to work my butt off for it!

Before I go: if you have yet to see these awesome underwater dog photographs, I highly recommend you click the link!! My personal favorite: