Caption Contest

Submitted by Laurel Dhority, Louisiana State University

"Me going to the chiropractor after Year 2 of vet school"

Student Experiences: AVCO 2022

Submitted by Marissa Matthews, Ross University

My name is Marissa Matthews and I’m a clinical year veterinary student about to graduate with the Pink Semester Class of 2023. Veterinary ophthalmology has been an interest on mine since before starting at Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine (RUSVM). I had been eyeing the annual American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (ACVO) Conference each year, hoping the dates would fall during a semester break. Unfortunately, this was not the case, but I knew clinical year would be an opportune time to attend the conference in person. With the help of SAVMA’s Professional Development Funds (PDF), I was able to travel to Palm Springs, CA and attend my first ACVO conference.

The General Session included three days of in-depth lectures, research presentations, and networking opportunities. Many of these topics were a little over my head, such as vitreoretinal surgery and endolaser treatment; however, other topics were immensely helpful, like managing feline herpesvirus. Overall, this was a very informative experience, and it allowed me to reconnect with ophthalmologists I’d met over the years. Though the highlight for me was on the last day of the conference.

The General Practitioners’ Practical Ophthalmology Course was an all-day lecture series geared toward primary veterinary care providers. This was the perfect way to end the conference, as it contained valuable diagnostic and therapeutic advice about common ocular conditions. I think any veterinary student would benefit from this course, which can be taken separately from the General Session. While I can’t delve into every lecture, the presentation I would like to highlight contains information that I believe would benefit the RUSVM student body the most.

Dr. Lucien Vallone’s “Smartphone Ophthalmology” presentation demonstrates how to make ophthalmology more accessible by obtaining high quality photos with minimal equipment. These photos can be used to identify small lesions, document response to therapy, and discuss referral options. The techniques described were for non-magnified imaging, magnified imaging, direct fundoscopy, and indirect fundoscopy.

Non-magnified imaging uses a smartphone camera with room lights on, which is ideal for head photos, eyelids, or for demonstrating asymmetry with two views: a front and dorsal (top down) view. When obtained prior to application of proparacaine, the photos can be evaluated for blepharospasm (squinting) and help differentiate between buphthalmos (enlarged eye) and exophthalmos (pushed forward eye of normal size).

Magnified imaging utilizes a $15 EasyMacro lens over a smartphone. The “recipe” is phone + EasyMacro lens + white tape filter over LED flash + room lights off + video mode with continuous flash + anchored hand-phone-patient position. The video can be used to obtain as many screenshots as necessary to document all pathologies, then crop the final images, and the large video file can be deleted. Common mistakes for this method are leaving the room lights on or having the EasyMacro band overlap the flash on the phone. It is important to note that the EasyMacro band is a typical rubber band that can dry out, so it should be kept in its clear plastic pouch when not in use.

Direct fundoscopy utilizes the same “recipe” as above, just without the macro lens. Limitations of this technique are that any lens opacity will impede viewing the fundus, peripheral lesions are difficult to visualize due to the narrow field of view, and shadowing occurs when there is a large distance between the LED flash and camera lens. Indirect fundoscopy overcomes all those limitations by using the direct fundoscopy “recipe” with a condensing lens (20D to 40D). Volk has a Single-Use 20D lens that can be bought in bulk, $170 for a box of 10. I would like to disclose that neither myself nor the presenter have a financial incentive in promoting either of the above-mentioned products.

I’m grateful for the opportunity to attend the ACVO conference and subsequently share some of the knowledge I was imparted with. I would encourage anyone to attend the General Practitioners Course, especially those looking for an ophthalmology refresher. I would also recommend that students utilize programs like SAVMA PDF, to attend an event or conference in their field of interest.

Cutest Pet

Submitted by Madeline Zutz, University of Wisconsin

"Roma"

Photography

Submitted by Sydney Barnes, Oklahoma State University

"Orca and Boat"

Student Experiences: The Big Fix

Submitted by Lauren Bynum, Texas A&M University

One of the reasons I first became interested in veterinary medicine was because of the time I spent volunteering with SNIPSA, Spay Neuter Inject Protect San Antonio. SNIPSA is a group that rescues, fosters, and adopts dogs out of shelters and holds large scale low cost spay/neuter operations out of San Antonio. It’s also the rescue organization from which I adopted my own dog, a foster failure Great Pyrenees named Riley. In high school, I volunteered at SNIPSA adoption events where I loved on the animals as we helped them find forever homes, and I worked the check in desk at quarterly “Big Fix” events where 400+ animals were spayed or neutered in a single day. I enjoyed my time helping out at check in or at adoption events, but I always longed to be a part of the actual surgeries. 

Now that I am a veterinary student with several years of technician experience, I was given the opportunity to work as an anesthesia technician at the last Big Fix I attended. I will admit—the fifteen hour day was quite long. My sore feet at the end of the day can confirm this. But getting to be a part of the action after years of watching from the outside of the surgery room was so worth it. Assisting the veterinarians as they neutered faster than we could even prep the next pack was intimidating, but so inspiring. They put my five cat minute neuters on my shelter rotation to shame! It quickly became impossible to keep track of the number of patients I’d worked on as the hours passed. Being in charge of running anesthesia was also a huge confidence booster. Learning about anesthesia and running cases on a rotation, under supervision, is one thing. But having a veterinarian trust you to keep their patient asleep and pain free as they focused on solely the surgery was a whole new level of responsibility that truly made me feel prepared to be a veterinarian myself in not too long. 

The veterinarians volunteering at SNIPSA came from all over Texas, and some even from out of state. Some were shelter veterinarians, some private practice, some mixed animal, and an equine vet was even there helping out! The planning and organization required to put this event into motion, to staff it, and to keep the day running smoothly can’t be understated. Even lunch was meticulously planned, which all the doctors and technicians were grateful for—long days are much better when you have a near constant supply of fajitas and brownies available to you at all times. Despite the long hours, morale was high, as we all shared a common goal: to save the animals. Spaying and neutering pets to reduce shelter overcrowding is one way we as future veterinarians can have a direct impact on animal welfare. I plan to continue doing this through SNIPSA, and I cannot wait to graduate so that I can give back to the animals of San Antonio and to the organization that helped inspire my love of veterinary medicine.