Native American Project HSVMA Stipend

By: Angela Snell

Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Class of 2011

Just before beginning my clinical year at Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, I spent a week with the Humane Society Field Services at two Native American reservations in Nevada.As part of a team of veterinarians, technicians, and veterinary students, I worked long days to provide veterinary services to as many animals as possible. Two of my days were spent receiving people’s pets for vaccinations and/or surgery. The people I met were very appreciative that we were there to care for their animals. One man brought in his cat who had injured her paw a few days before, and was now lame and had a fever. Although he was primarily interested in having her spayed, he showed concern about her tender paw and let us investigate her lameness and fever.  We found some bite wounds on her leg, started her on antibiotics, and after just one night at the clinic she was bearing weight on her leg again. After two days, she was ready to be spayed and the owner was very pleased that we were able to provide her with such good care.

While I was on the reservation, I was also able to take one morning away from the clinic to talk to a class at the local high school. I spent an hour with animal science students and we discussed a variety of topics, including the reasons why a pet should be seen by a veterinarian. When I asked this question, I was surprised when the first response was “to kill it,” and I realized that a discussion about euthanasia was in order. I talked about when veterinarians tend to feel that it is an appropriate decision and a little about how it is accomplished. I talked about the animal losing consciousness and therefore not feeling pain during the euthanasia. The students were intrigued. I believe the students enjoyed the talk and learned about the field of veterinary medicine. It was my first time speaking to students specifically about veterinary medicine, and after three years of study I felt I was able to share some interesting, and hopefully memorable, stories with them. I would like to thank the Native American Project (NAP) for reminding me of the importance of doing this type of outreach/education and for their financial support.