Trivia Tidbits

It's Trivia Time!

Humans have fingerprints that are unique to each one of us!  What is the equivalent to a fingerprint in a giraffe?

No two giraffes have the same pattern of spots - each one is unique!  Literature states that giraffes inherit certain spot characterisitics from their mother, helping to improve their camouflaging capabilities.  Congratulations to Laci Taylor of Cornell University for answering our question correctly!  Check out our 'Call for Submissions' page for our current trivia question!

Vet Students Abroad: Dominican Republic

Congratulations to Kassandra Schneider on her 2020 International Veterinary Experience Committee (IVEC) Individual Scholarship!  We love to see students thriving in the field and we are so glad to see that those funds helped you to have a successful experience.  

In winter 2019, I participated in a student-run team bringing veterinary care to underserved areas of the Dominican Republic. We cared for dogs, cats, horses, pigs, chickens, and goats in five different communities in a developing nation. This trip (my first trip abroad!) taught me so many unforgettable lessons and brought deep meaning both to my career and my life as a whole.

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Fluffy and Furry

Happy Friday Vet Med!

Lets start off this weekend with some of the fluffiest and furriest faces around!  Thank you to Daniela Hojda from Cornell University for sharing these snapshots with us!  

Case: Cauda Equina Syndrome

Thank you to Thea Madill from St. George's University for sharing not one but TWO great pieces as part of our Cases and Abstracts category!  What a thorough and interesting case work-up - take a look!

A 3-year-old FS Great Dane was presented for orthopedic evaluation to further work-up the complaint of a chronic progressive hind limb weakness. Aside from this weakness, that was more notably reported when walking up and down stairs, she was behaving normal at home. On dynamic evaluation, she had an evidently ataxic gait in the hind limbs, and some urine dribbling was noted but initially thought to be due to excitement. On observation of her hindlimbs, her toenails were significantly shorter and appearing filed down in comparison to the forelimbs. She appeared painful when palpating her vertebrae moving caudally towards her tail and upon palpation of the lumbosacral joint, she let out a loud yelp. She was also painful when her tail was lifted.  At this point in the exam, it became suspicious that she was seeing the wrong department, and was referred to see a neurologist. This long-standing unknown cause of weakness was later diagnosed on MRI as Lumbosacral Stenosis, or Cauda Equina Syndrome. Demonstrated in this MRI T2 weighted image is narrowing of the spinal canal at the level of the lumbosacral articulation.

COVID-Era Clinicals

Dermatology Externship
By: Amber White

Scratching, licking, and collar jingling. The things that keep us and our clients up at night, quite literally. As a proud dog mom to a very itchy and miserable Labrador retriever, I vowed to myself that I would do everything I could while in vet school to learn how to treat her and the numerous other pets that suffer from dermatological issues. I unfortunately did not receive much Veterinary Dermatology education while in pre-clinical years and was looking forward to studying under a Dermatologist during my clinical year. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to complete an externship in Atlanta, Georgia at the Veterinary Specialist of Atlanta-Dermatology specialty clinic. I was greeted with open arms and welcomed into the small but thriving dermatology practice ran by Dr. Mary Schick. Two licensed and dedicated veterinary technicians and a compassionate office manager helped make my experience at the clinic not only educational but also motivational. 

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