Case Report

By Katherine Gates

Colorado State University, Class of 2014

I’ve always learned the most about veterinary medicine from my own animals. Most recently, Linus (8 yr, M/C, Germ Shep mix) gave us (I’m married to another vet student) a lesson in acute onset hemiparalysis in an otherwise healthy dog. One Sunday afternoon, Linus was running outside, and ran under an electric wire we have for our horses. I didn’t think much of it, since each of our dogs has been shocked before and usually do just fine after the initial yelp. Within an hour, Linus was walking like a drunk, and couldn’t even get himself up the stairs in our house. Shortly thereafter, he couldn’t get up from lying on his side. Of course, with my own pets, I can never think clearly enough to come up with a reasonable list of differentials. I was worried that he was going to be paralyzed from some sort of spinal cord injury from the shock and I was going to have to put him down. We decided to give him some time, hoping he’d bounce back in a few hours from whatever was ailing him. Hours passed, and if anything, he seemed worse. I decided then to head to the Teaching Hospital.

After a thorough examination by a herd of vet students and one exhausted resident, we had a couple top differentials – intervertebral disc avulsion and fibrocartilaginous embolism (FCE). They wanted to do an MRI to confirm the diagnosis, since treatment for the two conditions is very different – strict cage rest for the disc, and active physical therapy for the FCE. Being a vet student married to another vet student with one human offspring and several pets in our menagerie, the MRI was out of our budget. Since Linus was not exhibiting any signs of pain (and he is NOT the stoic type by any means), we decided to assume he had an FCE and proceed with physical therapy.

The first few days were difficult – Linus, about 55 lbs, was almost completely paralyzed on his right side. We had to pick him up with a homemade sling to get him outside to relieve himself, and do passive range of motion exercises on his thoracic and pelvic limbs several times each day. His thoracic limb was more severely affected, and completely non-weight-bearing. After just a day or two, we already saw an improvement. Linus was beginning to use his right pelvic limb, but was still extremely paretic on his right side. It took just over a week before he was walking, albeit awkwardly, on his own. He would still occasionally lose his balance and fall onto his right side, but I couldn’t believe how quickly he recovered proprioception and motor function in both limbs. Now, 6 weeks post-FCE, Linus is not back to 100%, but he is walking, running and going up and down stairs happily. His right thoracic limb is still a bit weak, and he does walk with a slight limp, but he is happy and mobile and back to his normal goofy self. If I had my way, I’d learn veterinary medicine at school and come home to healthy, spoiled pets, but I suppose that’s asking too much. I really wish our own pets didn’t teach us quite so much about veterinary medicine.

Creative Corner

By Stephanie Silberstang

Cornell University

Life as a Vet Student- Advice to First Years

By Chelsea Mason

Virginia Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine

One year of school down, three to go!  This year was certainly a whirlwind of excitement, terror, fun, and stress.  Probably the most surprising and memorable thing about my first year was the amazing professors!  They were so far from what I expected, and from what I had experienced in my undergraduate studies.  I have never met people so passionate about what they do. They were so eager and excited to teach us everything they know.   I was completely shocked when one of my professors gave out her home phone number and address to all of the students. She even told us that we could come over on weekends if we needed help!  Another of my professors let me borrow his personal copy of a textbook that I didn’t have so that I could understand the material.  These professors were so selfless, and wanted nothing more than for us to learn and succeed.  Their compassion and warmth made the first year so much less stressful, and I am truly going to miss them next year. 

The hardest transition for me was adjusting to the schedule.  I have always been a very active person, so sitting down in the same classroom all day was very difficult for me.  I never realized how much I enjoyed walking between classes in undergrad!  Lunch was the only time that we really got to go outside, but by October it was too cold and rainy to sit out there anymore.  Eventually I accepted it though, and used my weekends as opportunities to go out hiking, biking, and enjoying the fresh air. When all was said and done, I think that I transitioned into veterinary school very well, and my first year was a positive and enjoyable experience.

 

Standing out from the Herd- Creative Corner

By Tanner Miller

Kansas State University

Reflection

By Regina Shores Sumner

Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine