Alaskan Wilderness

By: Emily  Mehlman

Colorado State University, Class of 2013

For my last official summer, I wanted to gain vet experience while also seeking adventure and travel.  Alaska was the perfect place, having a paid externship opportunity in small animal emergency and miles of wilderness to explore. 

Anchorage was our base-camp of sorts and where we spent 4 weeks working at P.E.T. Emergency while hiking/running/biking around the area.  Even close to Anchorage there was much more exploration than one could do in a single month.  Every day I either ran in nearby Kincaid Park, biked to the Aleyeska (the local ski area), or found a good day hike around nearby glacier lakes.  Without having the limitations normally dictated by the nightfall, any hour was a fine time to enjoy the limitless outdoors. 

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Cold Winter Evening

By: Megan Keplinger

Class of 2011, Iowa State Univeristy

There's no denying it, the snow is coming soon (if it hasn't already).

MSPCA-Angell Pathology Externship

By: Jolene Carlson

Purdue University, Class of 2011

I participated in one three week off campus block at the Mission of Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA)—Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston, MA during June & July 2010.  MSPCA-Angell is a private, non-profit organization founded in 1868, making it second-oldest humane society in the United States.  Angell Animal Medical Center is a fast paced world class emergency hospital in Boston, MA.  I worked in the Pathology Department with Dr. Pam Mouser and Dr. Patty Ewing, both ACVP boarded pathologists.  During my time there, Angell clients were allowed to submit their deceased animals for a free educational necropsy performed by me with oversight from Dr. Mouser.

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Little-ones need love too

Happy Thanksgiving!

By: Alicia Agnew

Class of 2013, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine

Max and Alex were two hamsters who came into the clinic.  When I first came into the room I saw a pleasant woman with two children fussing over a video game.  Alex was rolling around in a little hamster ball.  When setting him out on the blue towel on the examining table I could see that his arms were filled with pus.  His illness was put in the shade when Max was revealed.  Max was rolled out of a small carrying cage.  Rolls of fat hit the ground.  A huge puffy face waddled across the table.  Never in my life have I seen an animal so disproportionally fat.  My first impression was that a genetic defect had his legs stuck inside his body.  Q-tips revealed that the rolls of fat had fallen around his paws so he was unable to touch the ground, instead moving against his skin giving the appearance that he had no legs.  His cheeks were solid masses that extended beyond his width.  My diagnosis of a tumor was incorrect, as the vet was able to push out a rotten mass of half-chewed foods.  Stinky smelling sunflower seeds scattered on the table’s surface.  Max went home on a diet while Alex received some antibiotics.  They came back a week later for a recheck where both were doing much better.   Even little guys need love and care too!

Costa Rica: It’s more than just the Rain Forest

By: Lana Chumney

Class of 2011, Texas A&M University

During the Christmas break of my first year of vet school, I traveled to Costa Rica for an International Veterinary / Animal Science program. Our group consisted of twelve veterinary students from Texas A&M and the Ohio State University. Proyecto Asis is a wildlife refuge located in Ciudad Quesada. For two weeks we stayed with host families, most of whom spoke only Spanish. While I am not fluent in Spanish, my vocabulary improved substantially even in two weeks of being immersed in the language.

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