A Veterinary Response to Natural Disasters

This piece was shared with us by Chris Dolan from Texas A&M University. As we learn more everyday about the destruction caused by Hurrican Harvey we hope this experience will help us all gain a better understanding of just one way we as members of the veterinary community can help those in need. Thank you for sharing Chris and for donating your time to your community. 4:30am - my phone rings. I was being called because the Texas A&M Veterinary Emergency Team (VET) was being deployed. Canton, Texas had been hit by F3 and F4 tornadoes and needed our help to cover the urgent animal needs in their devastated community. I was called because I was on the Community Connections rotation at Texas A&M University, which is taught by members of the VET and shows students how veterinarians can be an asset during an emergency response. The rotation also allows for students to deploy with the VET if they are sent to help with a disaster during the rotation. My bag was packed and I was ready at the school by 5:30am.

Click to read more ...

Cutest pet contest Winners

It's a proven fact that looking at cute puppy pictures makes everyone's day better. So today take a quick break and enjoy these adorable pictures of Knox the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever owned by Shannon Ure fron the University of Illinois. 

Knox, the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling RetrieverA wet Toller is a happy Toller

Dogter KnoxMy First Snowfall

Bird watching in Iceland

Kennedy Brooks from St. George's University was selected as a winner in our photography contest with these incredible images from Iceland. Thank you for sharing Kennedy!

Arctic Tern Chilling in Jökulsárlón, IcelandNesting Puffin on the Cliffs of Látrabjarg Peninsula, IcelandPuffin Stretches her Wings after a Long Day of Nesting

CREATIVE CORNER

These beautiful colored pencil drawings were sent to us by Alison Vancouver of Western University. Thank you for sharing your incredible talent with us Alison!

"Peanut and Daisy""Rainbow Lorikeets""Serval"Lillie and Bubba

Kindness across borders

Mallory Stuckwisch from Purdue University shared this story from a recent trip she took to Nepal proving that compassion is truly universal.

Last summer, I travelled to Nepal, where I spent a month working in a veterinary clinic in Kathmandu. Nepal was altogether a wonderful experience, but the most impactful moment of trip came one night after I had returned from the clinic. It had been a rainy couple of days as it was monsoon season, so when I got back to the house, my feet were absolutely covered in mud. Bhabana, my host mom, saw this and immediately ran to get a pitcher of water without me even asking. She took me into the bathroom, knelt down, and washed my feet… like really washed my feet (between the toes and all). This was such a neat experience for me as a Christian, because that is a huge gestures of servitude, and here she was, a Hindu women, who was honestly doing it out of love for me, not for the cleanliness of her house. This moment, while not directly an animal related experience, was such a deep connection that I will remember forever as I dedicate my life to the human-animal bond. The Nepali people give until they have nothing left to give but themselves. Their generosity and respect transcends religion, culture, and species. They display a sense of compassion that I can only hope to achieve, and after all it is compassion that drives a Veterinarian forward.