SAVMA Chapter Award

A big congratulations is in order to Michigan State University, University of Tennessee, NC State... they have tied for winners of the SAVMA Chapter Award for this issue of the Vet Gazette! WAY TO GO! For those of you who are not familiar, the SAVMA Chapter Award is awarded to the school's chapter with the most submissions to an issue of the Vet Gazette (EXCLUDING TRIVIA). They receive a check for $150 to be used towards SAVMA events all throughout the year, and your school could be next! Make sure you promote the submission window for Volume 59 Issue 2 so YOUR school can be the next winner!

International Veterinary Experience Scholarship Recepient

Submitted by Alyssa Valentine, North Carolina State University

This internship was with the United States Department of Agriculture, under the Food Safety Inspection Service.As a Public Health Veterinarian (PHV) Intern, I inspected animals ante and post mortem to protect the public food supply. PHVs work directly with producers and commercial food processors. PHVs are at the forefront of protecting our food supply from known and unknown threats. PHVs have educated conversations about best practices for public health and evaluate public health programs and policies in food processing. 

On December 2nd, 2023, I traveled overnight to San Juan, Puerto Rico. I ended up sleeping in on the third to prepare for my drive to Arecibo. That night I got my hard hat, cut gloves, timer, and ID badge ready because I would be up bright and early to go to my first processing plant. On Monday I was stationed at Ganaderos Alvarado, a Beef Slaughter & Processing plant in Arecibo. Every plant has its own identification number, where M6682 denoted this plant. The “M” in front defines it as a meat slaughter plant. “Meat” includes, for example, cattle and pigs. If it were a chicken or turkeys, then a “P” for “Poultry” would be the first character. I was able to work with Dr. Neftali Soto, a very experienced and knowledgeable veterinarian. We went through the process first viewing the animals in the barn to look for signs of external disease, including neurological signs, lameness, or sores. If an animal cannot stand and walk on their own, they are not allowed to move forward in the process and must be humanely euthanized. We were also able to observe animals being unloaded from trucks. There are regulations in place that dictate how fast animals are allowed to be moved and with how much force. Not only are we there to ensure animals are free from disease but to also ensure animals are treated humanely under the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act. We watched animals being moved inside and I was interested to see a Temple Grandin style chute network. Animals were led inside one at a time so that they were isolated into a metal box with the top open. Their head was restrained, and a plant employee applied the captive bolt. Plants are only allowed one shot. Upon a second immediate shot, they are written up in the form of a Humane Handling “Non-compliance” (NR), which can lead to a visit from the District Veterinary Medical Officer (DVMO), being shut down, or in other cases of NRs a “Food Safety Assessment” (FSA). If the plant fails to effectively captive bolt the animal and do not have a second captive bolt ready, they are issued an Egregious Humane Handling NR and forced to stop the process until they can be reviewed. After the animal was down, one of the sides of the box lifts to allow the carcass to drop. The carcass is then hoisted and bled. Some plants choose to save blood and it can be sold and used for sausage or other types of products. The animal moves down the line and the feet are removed, head is removed, and then the hide is pulled using hydraulics in most cases. The head is presented to the Food Inspectors (FI) to check the lymph nodes for signs of disease (like abscesses), the cheek meat for discoloration, the tonsils (they should not be there), the tongue for Wooden Tongue Disease, and the head in general for milk, feed, or feces. Similarly, the internal organs are presented to USDA officials, including the intestines, liver, lungs, and spleen. After the plant employees have trimmed the carcass, it is presented to FIs to look for other signs of disease such as cystic kidneys, reactive lymph nodes, fibrosis, pleuritis, etc, and again milk, feed, or feces. When the various parts are passed, they go to the freezer to be cooled according to the plant’s Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Plan, which is an approved procedure for preventing disease in their process. After freezing, carcasses are moved to be processed into different cuts of meat and parts like livers and stomachs are sent to their respective buyer. Sanitation Performance Standards (SPS) are in place to make sure that the plant is kept in a sanitary condition. Likewise, Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOP) are regulations that prevent the direct adulteration of food products.

The rest of the week I traveled around the Arecibo Circuit which is led by Front Line Supervisor (FLS) Dr. Khali Jones. Tuesday, I went to Ganaderia Santiago, a Beef and Swine Slaughter plant. Ganaderia Santiago, M6678, was in Yauco. It was beautiful driving there. I was again able to work with Dr. Soto, as he is a relief PHV, and travels between plants that have openings for PHVs. This process was similar. However, pigs are boiled in the scalder to soften the skin and hair, before going through a dehairer and nail puller. From there on the process is very similar to cattle. Wednesday, I worked with Consumer Safety Inspector (CSI) Adrian Machado at Elaboracion Felo, M7359, in Aguadilla which makes Pastelillos. I also traveled to Elaboraciones Fiesta, M21357, in Moca, which was also a processing-only plant. Thursday, I worked with CSI Roberto at Eurocaribe, M6717, in Vega Baja. They had multiple HACCP categories that I was able to learn about including RI/RNI/NHT-SS/HT SS/FC NSS/HT NFC NSS. Friday, I met CSI Francisco Irizarri at Alcor Foods, M44941, in Bayamon. This plant made raw pork and poultry sausages for patties and sold ground raw sausages and smoked pork. I was going to go to Goya, M1128, in Bayamon which has Thermal Processing but unfortunately, they were not running USDA inspected foods that day.

The next week I was in Carolina Circuit, run by FLS Dr. Geraldine Vidal Covas. I started

in import plant I-119 with Angel Centeno. We also went to processing plant M46798 in Canovanas that had heat treated products including canned sausages. Tuesday, I met Dr. Daniel Olivera at To-Ricos, P7374, a Poultry Slaughter and Processing plant in Aibonito. Here I learned how traditional poultry processing worked. I also went to Macelo Central, M18867, which is a Swine Slaughter plant and Rico Pastel, M46683, which makes Pasteles in Aibonito. Wednesday, I worked with Dr. Enid Aviles at a Beef Slaughter plant, M32170, in Naguabo. I also went to see Caribbean Snacks, M44065, which makes Pork Rinds. The next day I worked with CSI Linoshka Pacheco at plant M7883 in Guaynabo. This plant was undergoing an FSA which was very interesting to see. Finally, on my last day interning I worked with CSI Ismael Rivera. We went to Century Packing Corp, M6707, a Thermal Processing and Export plant in Las Piedras and Numeat, M5369, a Ready To Eat (RTE) and Heat Treated plant in San Juan. Here it was very interesting to see how blood sausage was made. The side was very strict on PPE. We had to use their gloves and coats, then we also had to go through an electronic boot wash with boots provided by them in order to enter.

Overall, my experience was incredibly eye opening. Not just into the realm of food safety and animal welfare but also to the incredible culture of Puerto Rico. In my free time I was able to go to the beach, go camping in the mountains, and try phenomenal local dishes like plátanos amarillos, pastelón de plátano maduro, pastelillos, pasteles, mofongo, tostones, and more. I practiced my Spanish and worked to learn about their way of life including housing, politics, and religion. This internship was truly breathtaking, and it would not have been possible without scholarships like The International Veterinary Experience Scholarship. After crunching the numbers this trip initially seemed unattainable, but IVEC gave me the opportunity to see it come to fruition. 

Photography

Submitted by Hannah King, North Carolina State University

International Veterinary Experience Scholarship

As a first-generation college student from a small town in northeast Wisconsin, I never imagined that I would get accepted into vet school, let alone have the opportunity to travel abroad and work with zoo species. Growing up and even during undergrad, my small town and the surrounding area was home to small animal practitioners and a few equine and bovine clinics. Zoo vets were miles and miles away. My comfort level in veterinary medicine was originally with small animals and horses, but in my journey to get into veterinary school, I also shadowed a large animal vet. Little did I know that that large animal vet would travel to a zoo and its satellite locations to evaluate their animals, introducing me to the possibility of working with wildlife and zoo species. This was something that I never thought would be possible without being a zoo vet, but it made me realize that I, too, can work with zoo species and wildlife as a general practitioner. 

It was this prior exposure to zoo medicine during undergrad that inspired me to apply to be one of the vet students to travel abroad to the Belize Zoo. Fortunately, my application was accepted. In the fall of 2023, I studied abroad for 10 days at the Belize Zoo with a team consisting of a board-certified zoo vet, a zoo medicine resident, a zoo CVT, and 7 of my classmates. While in Belize, our primary job was to perform physical exams on animals at the zoo to assess their health. These animals were either due for their annual exams or perhaps a zoo keeper had concerns about a particular animal. Our physical exams were facilitated by sedation in order to keep ourselves and the animal safe. Once sedated, the animals were then brought back to the veterinary clinic where they were weighed and then evaluated, or they had their exams performed in a holding area next to their exhibits. The latter were typically larger, like the tapirs.  

Having limited access to resources, including supplies and medications, and only being able to bring so much into the country challenged me to become resourceful and problem solve. We also had limited access to controlled sedatives and had to use them wisely based on the amount available and the risks of certain drugs in specific species. This is especially important because our evaluation of the animals relied so heavily on sedation to facilitate our exams. The other challenge regarding pharmacology is that many of these animals do not have any research data on them regarding how they are affected by specific drugs or even what is normal versus abnormal regarding their physical exam and blood work findings. Performing research using textbooks and the zoo’s online database was essential to get a baseline for what to expect for each species and of course, extrapolation from what is known in domestic cats, dogs, and other more common veterinary species played a significant role in our medical decisions. 

While I expanded on my problem-solving capabilities, I also gained a lot of hands-on experience. I became much more comfortable with anesthesia, and I was able to practice placing IV catheters, drawing blood, administering subcutaneous fluids, and performing ultrasound-guided cystocentesis. My lab skills were also tested as I analyzed blood smears, urinalyses, skin scrapes, fecal flotations, and much more. It was truly a rewarding experience to take care of the animals and be responsible for all of their care from start to finish.

One of the most important things I gained from this experience was cultural awareness and a broader understanding of an animal’s place in its ecosystem. Many times when people see a gorgeous jaguar, they just see the animal. They don’t see how that animal coexists within its environment and how it interacts with the local people. It takes talking to the locals and experiencing the wild of Belize to understand how everything fits together in the bigger picture. Just talking to the zoo keepers and staff at the zoo, I learned so much about the Belizean way of life, their economy, and public perceptions of various species. Going to town, I saw how many locals lived, how they relied on raising livestock for food, and how they have far less compared to the US. This helped me understand why a jaguar that hunts a village’s chickens is going to be targeted by the locals. This creates a point of conflict where the villagers try to kill the jaguar and the jaguar has to be relocated to the zoo before the villagers become successful in their efforts.  

The zoo keepers would also tell us the local legends and myths of various animals. For example, to see a barn owl flying over your home is an omen of death. It is these perceptions that also leads to animosity towards these species from the locals, which is how some animals end up injured and at the zoo. While this doesn’t directly affect my role as a veterinarian caring for the animals at the zoo (I am just taking care of their health, right?), it has broader implications in that it helps me understand why the animals are here at the zoo and why they have the injuries they do. 

In addition, I spent time hiking the trails surrounding where I stayed at the Tropical Education Center to better understand the habitat the locals and wildlife live in. The ecosystem is not as fruitful as one would expect in a tropical location. The ecosystem is harsh, which is why human development and agriculture is expanding, but this is also why the animals need more space to find the food they need. It is all intricately intertwined, bringing man and animal close together in a way not suitable for coexistence. 

As you may have noticed, I learned a lot and my perspective has been broadened immensely. While I do not have an interest in pursuing a residency in zoo medicine, I want to become involved in wildlife or zoo medicine in some way even as I pursue small animal general practice. I want to travel and volunteer to provide care to animals at zoos or wildlife rehabilitation centers, and I want to get involved with wildlife research projects so that I can continue to learn about the intricacies between human, animal, and environment. 

My trip to Belize was more than I could have imagined. I am immensely grateful to Dr. Shawna Hawkins for providing this unique opportunity to veterinary students at the UW Madison School of Veterinary Medicine, and I hope the SVM will continue to allow her to enlighten students as I have been. 

Until my next international veterinary adventure, 

Kayla Bloede
Class of 2024 DVM Candidate
UW Madison School of Veterinary Medicine

Cutest Pet

Submitted by Megan White Michigan State University