Emerging Issues Committee Newsletter

Emerging Veterinary & Animal Health Issues

August 2010

CURRENT TOPICS

 Study links evolution with increased risk of rabies infection in bats Live Sciences

 Pet foods can put people at risk for Salmonella Associated Press

Mandatory ID for livestock being discussed by USDA The Billings Gazette

The food of love now (ironically) threatened by herpes in Europe National Geographic

Equine Infectious Anemia found in Missouri Horse Kansas City Infozine

Congressman seeks to make 2011 World Veterinary Year Oregon Live

Gulf oil Spill could still threaten millions of migratory birds National Geographic

Senate to consider food safety bill by end of year ABC News

British pet owners abandon pet insurance over rising premiums The Daily Mail (London)

Humor in Medicine

Wildlife cleaning volunteer stuck with the gulls again The Onion

WEBSITE OF THE MONTH

AVMA Student Externship Locator – Trying to find a great veterinary experience while also enjoying some time away from your vet school?  Try out the AVMA externship locator, which lists externships by state and area of interest.

Native American Project HSVMA Stipend

By: Angela Snell

Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Class of 2011

Just before beginning my clinical year at Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, I spent a week with the Humane Society Field Services at two Native American reservations in Nevada.As part of a team of veterinarians, technicians, and veterinary students, I worked long days to provide veterinary services to as many animals as possible. Two of my days were spent receiving people’s pets for vaccinations and/or surgery. The people I met were very appreciative that we were there to care for their animals. One man brought in his cat who had injured her paw a few days before, and was now lame and had a fever. Although he was primarily interested in having her spayed, he showed concern about her tender paw and let us investigate her lameness and fever.  We found some bite wounds on her leg, started her on antibiotics, and after just one night at the clinic she was bearing weight on her leg again. After two days, she was ready to be spayed and the owner was very pleased that we were able to provide her with such good care.

While I was on the reservation, I was also able to take one morning away from the clinic to talk to a class at the local high school. I spent an hour with animal science students and we discussed a variety of topics, including the reasons why a pet should be seen by a veterinarian. When I asked this question, I was surprised when the first response was “to kill it,” and I realized that a discussion about euthanasia was in order. I talked about when veterinarians tend to feel that it is an appropriate decision and a little about how it is accomplished. I talked about the animal losing consciousness and therefore not feeling pain during the euthanasia. The students were intrigued. I believe the students enjoyed the talk and learned about the field of veterinary medicine. It was my first time speaking to students specifically about veterinary medicine, and after three years of study I felt I was able to share some interesting, and hopefully memorable, stories with them. I would like to thank the Native American Project (NAP) for reminding me of the importance of doing this type of outreach/education and for their financial support.

Out of the classroom…and back into the classroom

By: Becky Lee

UC Davis, Class of 2012

The summer after my first year of veterinary school, I traveled to Honduras with VetMerge, an organization that provides veterinary services in areas with limited access to veterinary medical care. Along with a small group of veterinary students and two doctors, we traveled to a town with a population of 7,000 called La Villa de San Antonio.

School was out, and I was excited about this trip. It would be a great opportunity to leave behind the lecture hall, abandon the books, and get some “real” clinical experience. We learned that the ranchers relied on their livestock as an important source of income, and we would have a chance to help them. Months before our trip we raised money and gathered supplies. Arriving with our suitcases stuffed full of medical supplies, we were ready to get to work!

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Jolly Ball Time!

By: Jessica Dowling

Cornell University, Class of 2011

Sex Change Operation?

By: Jennifer Blewitt

University of Pennsylvania, Class of 2013

The bulk of my experience before applying to veterinary school was working as an emergency and critical care technician at a near-by specialty and referral hospital. Some of the roles of a CC/ER technician include acquiring radiographs, running various in-house laboratory tests, performing in-patient treatments, venipuncture, and assessing triages.

At my particular clinic, the number of technicians working on a shift are split into either in-patient or out-patient care. On one particular day I was assigned to out-patients which meant I handled the incoming triages. One triage I will never forget was a roughly six-year-old male neutered cat that presented for a gunshot wound. I assessed the patient fairly quickly to make sure it was stable before asking the owner too many questions. The cat’s vitals were WNL so I began to examine the patient for the wound. The owner mentioned that it was located in the cat’s “hind area” so I searched for a minute or so before I asked the owner to physically point out where he had seen the wound. At such time, the owner leaned in and pointed to a specific spot on the patient. I stood for a moment and tried my best not to laugh as I told him, “Um, sir, that is not a gunshot wound…that is your cat’s vagina, and ‘he’ is in fact a she.” We awkwardly starred at each other for a few seconds before I said, “would you still like your pet to be seen?” He picked up the cat and then walked out of the hospital.