Case Report

By Katherine Gates

Colorado State University

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.

Edit

Family

By Oneal Peters

Colorado State University

The term multifactorial and poorly understood is a favourite amongst my professors and classmates. Even the very whisper of the word is met with a resounding moan because let’s face it, the reason certain conditions earn this terminology in veterinary medicine is because we have no clue how to explain it so we paste some fancy word to cover up our disillusion and we move on.

Family is sort of multifactorial and poorly understood for me and I suspect many others feel the same way. While I know what family is and what it means to me in my own life, I know that I wouldn’t ever be able to explain how my family is to anyone not directly in our clan.  That’s what’s so wonderful about it. It’s your own secret, something that you don’t have to share with anyone if you don’t want to. But here I am, attempting to explain how my family has helped me not only handle vet school now, but how they helped me prepare for this my entire life.

I can remember my dad telling me about his little sister, even when I was very young. He said that he had encouraged her not to sit around and behave like every other suburban middle class school girl but instead to work hard at school so she could be something one day. And somehow it had worked. She was valedictorian of her high school class and went on to get pristine grades in college. Now she is an executive in a major engineering firm, and owns a significant portion of the companies’ shares. So there it was, a random story about my smarty pants Aunt lingering in my brain as I grew up. I didn’t pay much attention to my dad’s influence on others until the other day when I listened to him talking to my younger sibling. “Everyday,” he said, scruffing up his wild grey hair and pausing while he tasted the words in his mouth, making sure they came out just right “you should either learn something new or make some money. If you do that, your life won’t be wasted.” My siblings just stare and sigh, another speech from their dad to add to all the others. “Yes dad, we know,” they reply, wanting to move past the lecture onto more exciting topics of conversation. I sit and watch, smile, I’ve heard it all before too. I am sure my Aunt did as she grew up, eating up her big brothers advice with a voracious appetite, so eager to please him just for the sake of making him proud. And now I realize what has always been there. The subtle urging of my father, quietly and precisely encouraging you to succeed, at first to make him proud, but as time goes on you start to try your hardest for yourself. Eventually, that’s all there is left and you forget that it all started with small pieces of advice, placed in the atmosphere for those who want it.

Veterinary school has its many challenges, and each member of my family, whether it’s a friend, my husband, sister, brother or mother has helped me get through those tough days, each person helping me in their own unique way. But it’s those moments like tonight, studying (and writing) at one in the morning that my dad is there for me, a steady voice in my head encouraging me to keep going no matter what and do my very best at all times and to always remember nothing worth doing is ever easy. The support from my family is mutifactorial, but perhaps now, after looking back all those years, it’s slightly better understood.

Hard Stare

By Kelsey Shaw

Cornell University

Creative Corner- My Horse

By Brady Thompson

Purdue University

Foot in Mouth- a remake of "Firework"

As you approach your next semester of clinics or classes- let this serve as a laugh and an inspiration :)

Especially for the class of 2012- you can make it! Almost there!

To the tune of "Firework" by Katy Perry

By Julie Kornder

Do you ever feel

Like a fluid bag

Is dripping on your head;

Just hanging by a thread?

Do you ever feel,

Feel so very stressed?

How will you ever sleep,

Pass the boards, and rest?

Can you localize

Where that horse is lame?

Block the nerves and trot.

These x rays all look the same.

Do you know that there’s an ophtho case for you?

Cuz there’s a Vet in you.

You just gotta

Shine your pen light

In the patient’s eye

To localize.

PLR is fine!

I’m gonna wear my White Coat

And finally use my Stethoscope.

Clinics make me say Oh! Oh! Oh!

As I stay up writing SOAPS SOAPS SOAPS.

I’m gonna wear my White Coat

And do a Minimum Database.

Chem CBC UA-A-A

I sure hope that they can Pay Pay Pay.

You don’t have to feel

Like it will never end.

May 2012,

You’ll be a DVM!

If you only knew

How to pay back your debt,

Communication, and

Practice Management.

Maybe the reason why

You do 3 fecal floats

So you don’t miss worms

And then see them with your endoscope.

Cushing Yes or No?

Your head will spin.

Your first emergency!

I just hope that

The barn is quiet.

I’m on call tonight.

A colic arrives!

Adrenal over-drive!

I’m gonna wear my White Coat

And finally use my Stethoscope.

Clinics make me say Oh! Oh! Oh!

As I stay up writing SOAPS SOAPS SOAPS.

I’m gonna wear my White Coat

And do a Minimum Database

Chem CBC UA-A-A

I sure hope that they can Pay Pay Pay.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Clients already in the room room room!

Pet needs a rectal where’s the lube lube lube?

And vaccines are over-due due due!

I’m gonna wear my White Coat

And finally use my Stethoscope.

Clinics make me say Oh! Oh! Oh!

As I stay up writing SOAPS SOAPS SOAPS.

I’m gonna wear my White Coat

And do a Minimum Database.

Chem CBC UA-A-A

I sure hope that they can Pay Pay Pay.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Internal Med with Dr Sum Sum Sum.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

No more eating lunch at Noon Noon Noon!