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.   

Foot in Mouth Disease

Submitted by Rachael Lahar, University of Illinois

Student Experiences: An EYE-Opening Experience at TAMU Ophthalmology Workshop

An EYE-opening Experience: TAMU Ophthalmology Workshop

By Ashley Cubb

My name is Ashley Cubb and I am a third-year veterinary student at Texas A&M University. This year I am serving as the Ophthalmology Club President and am a shameless eyeball enthusiast. While I hope to pursue a career in veterinary ophthalmology, I realize that there are many people who are uncomfortable with eyes or are even scared of them. My goal as the Ophthalmology Club President was to provide an interactive way for veterinary students to overcome their fear of eyes and become more comfortable with examining them (since all our patients do have eyes!) What better way to do this than to allow students to bring their own pets to the veterinary school to practice their examination skills! In the past Ophthalmology Club has not been able to offer any hands-on experiences for students, so I thought creating an ophthalmology workshop would be perfect a way to get students involved. When starting to plan the event, I assumed there would only be a few students interested, since Ophtho Club was such a small organization. However, once I sent out an interest form to the student body, I was shocked by the number of students that wanted to attend the event. There were so many students that wanted to practice their eye exam skills and had questions about how to do a thorough ocular exam. I actually had to call the facilities to book a bigger room to accommodate all the students that wanted to attend!

As part of the event planning, I reached out to An-Vision Inc to see if they would be able to supply any ophthalmic material for use during the workshop. An-Vision graciously donated supplies for diagnostic ophthalmic testing AND arranged for a representative to attend the workshop in person to demonstrate an ERG exam (electroretinogram). An ERG exam is used to examine the function of the retina (the light-detecting portion of the eye). This test is typically not routinely done in general practice but is often used in ophthalmology services. Many students had no idea this technology even existed and were interested to learn more! At the event, a demonstration of how the machine works was given by the representative. Then students had the opportunity to practice placing the probes on their pets and practice interpreting the results! With the support of An-Vision and TAMU faculty, students were also able to practice fundic examinations via direct and indirect fundoscopy, tonometry, Schirmer tear testing, and fluorescein eye staining. 

Overall, this experience was a huge hit! Students were so excited to practice the skills we learn in our clinical courses on live animals and include their pets in their learning experience (Who doesn’t want to bring their dog to school!) After this event Ophthalmology Club membership has continued to grow which will allow the organization to continue working on future hands-on events! By creating this experience, I hope more veterinary students take an interest in ophthalmology and learn skills that can be applied to their future career.