Feline Intestinal Obstruction and Chronic Anemia

Makenzie Wilder, Mizzou

Cases/Abstracts, Honorable Mention

History

 An eight year old spayed feline, who will be named Molly, presented with anorexia of two week duration, lethargy, and lack of bowel movements.  The cat was not current on vaccinations, flea, or heart worm prevention. Molly lived in a home with multiple cats and spent time both inside and outside. 

Presentation

Molly was very lethargic during the exam but purred when palpated. She did not appear tender or agitated upon palpation of the abdomen. Her body conditioning score was one and her temperature was 100.1°F.  Molly was approximately 10% based on the clinical signs:  dry mucous membranes, lack of skin turgor, bilateral weak femoral pulses, and dull eyes which were shrunken in the orbital cavity. Also, her gums were white with a prolonged capillary refill time. Molly was covered in flea feces and fleas especially around the head and tail. 

Click to read more ...

My friend "Carmella"

Christina Scudder, University of Missouri

Foot In Mouth Disease, Winner

I have a dear friend--I'll call her Carmella--who is an endless source of amusement. Despite being an intelligent individual and a dedicated student, Carmella has a bit of difficulty with, well, words. Thus, the medical terminology of veterinary school has proven to be problematic for her. 

Once, Carmella announced to us that a friend of hers had scabies and was suffering badly. We questioned her friend's hygiene, whereupon she corrected herself and said that her friend actually had scrapie. This was hardly a relief! Before we could contact the CDC, however, Carmella--seeing the bafflement on our faces--finally admitted that her friend's affliction was actually shingles. 

On another occasion, we were dissecting horses in Large Animal Anatomy, and happened to uncover the superficial thoracic vein, otherwise known as the spur vein (for its propensity towards being damaged when kicked by a rider). Carmella referenced a story told earlier by the professor about how hematomas have been known to form alongside this vein following trauma from vigorous spurring. "Can you believe that?" she asked, sincerely. "Have you ever kicked your horse so hard you gave him hemorrhoids?" 

Perhaps my favorite Carmella story relates to the time a group of us were discussing a case in the hospital: an animal with an extreme inflammatory response that had resulted in massive thrombosis, resulting in the death of extremities from ischemia, subsequently followed by unchecked bleeding. Know what it is yet? Carmella did, too, and pulled out the three-letter acronym for the condition: "COD!" No, we explained--this was DIC, or disseminated intravascular coagulation. This did not satisfy Carmella, who wanted more information. "All over the body?" she asked. Exasperated, another friend clarified: "DISSEMINATED." 

(submitted with permission of the story's real protagonist)

The Human-Animal Bond

Brandon Thornberry, University of Missouri

Experiences, Winner

I am reminded on daily basis how blessed I am to be joining the field of veterinary medicine. What an incredible opportunity and challenge it is to become a part of a profession that embodies a pledge so far beyond the health and well-being of animals. Our community has entrusted the veterinarian to be a beacon for compassion and generosity, and most importantly, to be the guardian of the human-animal bond.

I would like to share a story about an experience I had recently that has solidified for me the beauty of the bond between animals and people. I volunteered with several other veterinary students on a Saturday afternoon to visit a foster home for abused and abandoned children. We brought a few of our pet dogs along to be able to share our passion for animals with each of these children, who ranged in age from four years old to a senior in high school. The afternoon was unforgettable. The children were laughing and playing with these dogs they had met just hours before. They were smiling from ear to ear as I let them use my stethoscope. One young girl who was about ten years old called me over to alert me that she was having trouble hearing the heart beat on our furry friend, Cooper. I knelt down beside her, gently rearranged her ear-pieces that were facing the wrong direction, and then I said calmly, “Alright doctor, let’s test it out to make sure I have a heart beating inside me.” She giggled and lightly pressed it against my chest and one of her lips started to curve up into a shy smile. Then I said, “I bet you have quite a heart beating inside you, too! Am I right?” I noticed her other lip start to move toward a grin as she pressed the stethoscope to her Mizzou Tiger shirt. Then I said, smiling at her and positioning the chest piece of the stethoscope under the dog’s elbow, “Alrighty, now let’s find Cooper’s heartbeat under all of that fur!” Her face lit up into a beautiful smile when she heard his heartbeat. I think there is tremendous beauty hidden within experiences when you expect to be changing someone else’s life, when in fact, they are being the agent of change in your life. I approached that afternoon with the joy of being able to bring these animals to these children so they could celebrate in the unconditional love that animals provide to me each day. What I was not prepared for was how much of a positive impact these children’s interactions with our animals were going to have on me and my ever-broadening career aspirations.

The experience at this foster home did not simply ignite a spark within me; it was fuel for a fire that has been burning ever since I was young, growing up around my parents’ skin cancer charity foundation and my father’s veterinary hospital. Losing loved ones to cancer, humans and animals alike, has truly moved my life into a very special direction within veterinary medicine. Perhaps more specifically, I have taken a tremendous fascination with the field of comparative oncology because it combines so many of my passions for people, animals, discovery, and teaching.  Although my career path is by no means set in stone, I strongly believe the definition of the human-animal bond can be taken to a whole new level on this journey within comparative oncology that unites advances in both animal and human health into one medicine.  My drive to unite medicine and preserve this aspect of the human-animal bond is forged by the bravery of so many people and animals that have touched my life.

I recognized at a young age the sacredness of the bond between animals and humans and I wanted my passion for animals to be my medium for service and change within people’s lives. Whether I am involved in helping a ten year old girl feel the heartbeat of a furry friend she just met or I am treating an old Labrador Retriever’s arthritis so he can still go on the annual hunting trip with the boys, I will happily dedicate my life to defending and intensifying the human-animal bond within every animal and person I meet.

The Human-Animal Bond

Brandon Thornberry, University of Missouri

Experiences, Winner

I am reminded on daily basis how blessed I am to be joining the field of veterinary medicine. What an incredible opportunity and challenge it is to become a part of a profession that embodies a pledge so far beyond the health and well-being of animals. Our community has entrusted the veterinarian to be a beacon for compassion and generosity, and most importantly, to be the guardian of the human-animal bond.

I would like to share a story about an experience I had recently that has solidified for me the beauty of the bond between animals and people. I volunteered with several other veterinary students on a Saturday afternoon to visit a foster home for abused and abandoned children. We brought a few of our pet dogs along to be able to share our passion for animals with each of these children, who ranged in age from four years old to a senior in high school. The afternoon was unforgettable. The children were laughing and playing with these dogs they had met just hours before. They were smiling from ear to ear as I let them use my stethoscope. One young girl who was about ten years old called me over to alert me that she was having trouble hearing the heart beat on our furry friend, Cooper. I knelt down beside her, gently rearranged her ear-pieces that were facing the wrong direction, and then I said calmly, “Alright doctor, let’s test it out to make sure I have a heart beating inside me.” She giggled and lightly pressed it against my chest and one of her lips started to curve up into a shy smile. Then I said, “I bet you have quite a heart beating inside you, too! Am I right?” I noticed her other lip start to move toward a grin as she pressed the stethoscope to her Mizzou Tiger shirt. Then I said, smiling at her and positioning the chest piece of the stethoscope under the dog’s elbow, “Alrighty, now let’s find Cooper’s heartbeat under all of that fur!” Her face lit up into a beautiful smile when she heard his heartbeat. I think there is tremendous beauty hidden within experiences when you expect to be changing someone else’s life, when in fact, they are being the agent of change in your life. I approached that afternoon with the joy of being able to bring these animals to these children so they could celebrate in the unconditional love that animals provide to me each day. What I was not prepared for was how much of a positive impact these children’s interactions with our animals were going to have on me and my ever-broadening career aspirations.

The experience at this foster home did not simply ignite a spark within me; it was fuel for a fire that has been burning ever since I was young, growing up around my parents’ skin cancer charity foundation and my father’s veterinary hospital. Losing loved ones to cancer, humans and animals alike, has truly moved my life into a very special direction within veterinary medicine. Perhaps more specifically, I have taken a tremendous fascination with the field of comparative oncology because it combines so many of my passions for people, animals, discovery, and teaching.  Although my career path is by no means set in stone, I strongly believe the definition of the human-animal bond can be taken to a whole new level on this journey within comparative oncology that unites advances in both animal and human health into one medicine.  My drive to unite medicine and preserve this aspect of the human-animal bond is forged by the bravery of so many people and animals that have touched my life.

I recognized at a young age the sacredness of the bond between animals and humans and I wanted my passion for animals to be my medium for service and change within people’s lives. Whether I am involved in helping a ten year old girl feel the heartbeat of a furry friend she just met or I am treating an old Labrador Retriever’s arthritis so he can still go on the annual hunting trip with the boys, I will happily dedicate my life to defending and intensifying the human-animal bond within every animal and person I meet.

Entry, Creative Corner
Anna Blick, University of Missouri

This is an original painting I did on the wall of Newman University's science building (in Wichita, KS), it is "Untitled."