Up to my armpits

Winner, Experiences category
Justin Padgett, Auburn University 

 

The stories of James Herriot, Charlie Edwards, and other old country veterinarians fill the minds of each veterinary student as they set off on their pursuit of their veterinary career. Each pre-vet and veterinary student is encouraged by, and hopes to one day become, just like the veterinarians of old that were central pillars in their communities. The doctors of 50, 60, 70 years ago imparted important, helpful knowledge,  applied skills to save their neighbors beloved pet and/or farm, and were cornerstones of integrity and respect that helped build the veterinary profession into what it is today. I know firsthand of many of today’s students  who aspire to join a small farming community and carry on these romantic visions of a life as a skilled, helpful and respected mixed animal veterinarian. 

 

There is doubt, however, as to whether this life exists anymore. Growing up in the suburban South East, I was convinced that the life of the country gentlemen veterinarian was extinct. Often times it seemed that veterinary medicine was too specialized now and that much of it was becoming corporatized to the point that there may one day be a small animal clinic in a Super Wal-Mart. While many advances of specialized practice and big money from corporations are great, these kind of benefits come with the risk of rubbing a little of the soul out of the old county vet.  

 

Luckily for me, I was able to spend a short externship last winter with the veterinarians of Ashland Veterinary Hospital in Ashland, OH.  I came to know that the respected, needed, and recognized veterinarian still exists. In fact, they are alive and well. The small practice in North Central Ohio is home to three mixed animal practitioners (Drs. Gingrich, Brennan, and Yoakam) that have carved out the kind of life in the relatively small town of 20,000 that everyone reads about in the tales of old veterinary practitioners. They operate two offices, one that exclusively sees the small animal patients of Ashland, and another that is considered central operations for the herd health of just over 100 local dairies.  

 

I began my externship the minute I ran out of the finals in Auburn and booked it to OH. I arrived on a Thursday afternoon and was immediately assigned the task of heading to a local dairy to score teats with another veterinary extern, Dale, a student form The Ohio State University. Dale was kind enough to show me the ropes and give me a run-down as we hit the back roads in search of the dairy. From the time I arrived until my departure a short 11 days later, the work never really slowed down. 

 

The teat scoring went off without a hitch as we used a PDA to record data of over 100 cows. It was right away that I could tell that the farmer for which we were working was reliant on the Ashland Clinic for knowledge and help to keep his livelihood going. We were checking the teat health of his cows to see how they were responding to a new milking system and automatic take offs that Dr. Gingrich had help research and install. While there, we were asked questions ranging from herd nutrition to individual suspects of LDA’s. I got a good feel for how well the veterinary profession was seen by the local farmers. They took our word, as students, seriously and I am sure they regarded the doctor’s opinions as gospel!  

 

Dale and I returned to the clinic after the scoring and worked up a dog with a high GGT for cholestasis, reviewed x-rays on another dog, and shadowed the doctors as they saw other patients. Right away I was amazed at how these doctors were applying a well-rounded education to a myriad of situations. 

The following day I was assigned to tag along with Dr. Brennan on farm calls for the day. This was the reason I made the trip to the North as I couldn’t wait to get some real dairy experience. Our day started relatively early at 7 am and we hit the two lane country roads to a ton of herd checks.

 

 The first check was a Jersey herd of an “English” farmer. It was during this description of the herd and farmer that I came to know that in this part of the country there were English Dairies, Mennonite Dairies, and Amish Dairies.  We checked the Jersey cows and palpated over 20 cows using portable ultrasound machines. I was very impressed by the Ashland Vet’s incorporation of new technology into the country vet profession. Dr. Brennan flew down the line of cows and marked them open and pregnant. He then slowed down and helped me follow the tract to the cervix and uterine horns of a few cows. 

Dr. Brennan and I continued on that morning hitting dairy after dairy.

 

 At each stop, we were welcomed by farmers and always took time to chat about family, news, sports, the economy, and of course, herd health. As the day went on I became especially impressed with the Mennonite dairies we visited. Each one of them was family operated by small families who knew their animals well and frugally operated successful farms. They each seemed extremely honest, hard-working, and friendly. 

 

All seemed friendly, that is, except the Mennonite children. I tried to say hello to each one I saw and was always greeted with no response that first day. After a few stops I asked Dr. Brennan if they just didn’t like Southerners and he said, “No, they don’t speak English, yet!” The youngsters were still being brought up with the old Pennsylvania Dutch and didn’t know what I was saying to them! 

That first day would have been enough to make the long drive worth it. I remember calling my wife that night after work, exhausted, and exclaiming that I had just lived the dream! I now knew first hand that these storied vets still were around. 

 

The remaining 11 days were filled with case after case. I slept in the small animal clinic and was on call to check on hospitalized animals throughout the night. I was able to take part in an emergency crash cart attempted recovery of a blocked male DSH, checked heating pads and fluids, and monitored the health of recovering animals. My large animal experiences also picked up as we went on emergency calls that saw me getting the chance to remove a Holstein’s lacerated eye and pull two bull calves. There is nothing like the first time you pull a calf! 

 

The routine calls were always interesting, too. A few of the highlights included making rounds with Dr. Gingrich as he jammed out to Phish, Trey Keller, and The String Cheese Incident (not the kind of music you would expect from a rural dairy vet!). Drs. Brennan, Gingrich, and Yoakam  were always patient and insightful as we recognized and treated a cow with Salmonella, treated a herd with winter time Pink Eye (a rare find!), administered and saw the immediate effects of calcium to a downer cow, palpated dozens of cows, and dehorned several calves. The capstone of my trip was when Dr. Yoakam guided me through my first neuter of Scotty, a 50 lb. great-looking, Golden Retriever farm dog! 

 

The few days I spent in Ashland included invaluable experience and exposure to a side of veterinary medicine that I wanted and needed experience in. The stay was short, but the veterinarians were patient and skilled teachers that made the trip worth it. I realized the dream of living the life of a country vet and was charmed by the hard-working Mennonite farmers of the area. They certainly gave me hope for the future of US agriculture and food animal medicine. As an added bonus, I was lucky enough to enter my externship experience in and win an externship stipend from the AVMA for food animal experiences. There is no doubt that I would recommend the charming town of Ashland and the kind folks at Ashland vet clinic to any vet student seeking firsthand experience in the throw-back ways of veterinary mixed animal medicine.