Vacation Time

Rebecca Gill from Cornell University thinks her cat is trying to tell her it is time for a vacation!

"Mom why are you studying? We need a vacation like meow!"

Belize Zoo Experience

Laci Taylor, Cornell University

This summer I had the opportunity to participate in a one-week experience at the Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center through a course at Cornell called International Experience in Wildlife Health and Conservation. The course is a partnership with Cornell and the Belize Zoo in Central America. As an aspiring wildlife veterinarian, I found the course to be highly rewarding as it was unlike any other offered in the core veterinary curriculum. 

The Belize Zoo was started in 1983 by Sharon Matola to educate the people of Belize and tourists alike. One of the most interesting aspects of the Belize Zoo is that the entirety of its animals arrive as orphans or rescues and all of its animals are native species, many of which are at risk for extinction. Through educational programming, the zoo aims to dispel some of the negative stereotypes and myths engrained in Belizean culture that cause the public to intentionally harm or kill animals. One such myth is that the sighting of certain species of owls means that death is coming for someone close. The educational component of the zoo ultimately contributes to the preservation of many local endangered species populations.

While at the zoo, I worked with a wide variety of species ranging from spider monkeys to jaguars. Alongside some of Cornell’s veterinary faculty and the Belizean zookeepers, I was able to attend lectures, practice physical exam and clinical skills, take and analyze lab samples, as well as observe and assist in anesthesia and dentistry procedures. In just one week, I learned to insert my first catheter, participated in a dental extraction and gave preventative vaccines to a jaguar, ran diagnostic testing and bloodwork on a howler monkey and performed an ultrasound on a puma, amongst many other wonderful clinical experiences! One of my most memorable experiences was assisting in the dental procedure on one of the zoo’s jaguars. Before I wanted to be a veterinarian, I wanted to be a dentist, so this was an especially impactful opportunity. As a rising second year, I hadn’t yet learned about dentistry in the curriculum so assisting was a great hands-on introduction. During the procedure I learned about simple vs surgical extraction. The extraction on the jaguar was a surgical extraction which meant that the removal of the tooth required creation and elevation of a flap, and removal of bone. I watched the dentistry resident use many different dental surgery tools to remove the periodontal ligament from the tooth and I was able to loosen the last bit of periodontal ligament, ultimately “delivering”, or removing, the tooth!

When we weren’t working in the Belize Zoo Veterinary Clinic, the team immersed itself in the history, culture and traditions of Belize. One such experience was a trip to Xunantunich, an ancient Maya archeological site in Western Belize consisting of four major architectural groups. Additionally, we traveled to San Ignacio, Belize to a marketplace where farmers, traders and vendors from all walks of Belizean life gather. 

My desire to make a global impact as a wildlife veterinarian drew me to this opportunity and participating only reaffirmed this desire. The course at the Belize Zoo allowed both students and faculty to broaden their veterinary experiences by providing veterinary care to zoo animals all while learning about Belize’s conservation efforts. It is a course I highly recommend!

UC Davis Rx One Health Summer Institute

Jerrisa Ching, Washington State University

As a representative of Washington State University, I participated in the 2019 University of California at Davis (UC Davis) Rx One Health Summer Institute in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania from June 23-July 19, 2019. One Health is an initiative that involves the collaboration of multiple disciplines to promote the health and well-being of humans, animals, and environment. This program provided an immersive One Health curriculum and hands-on experience for veterinary students, veterinarians, and other health professionals interested in One Health, public health, international medicine, and global health careers. This year, the 2019 Rx One Health cohort was made up of 22 individuals from 9 different countries (USA, Tanzania, Malawi, Senegal, Somalia, Vietnam, Mongolia, Japan, and India). My Rx One Health cohort and I participated in diverse activities in Tanzania, which ranged from livestock farm visits and zoonotic disease surveillance activities, Ruaha National Park wildlife disease surveillance and sampling, health institute/research facility tours, agriculture visits, Mafia Island ocean conservation/ecology/water and waste management activities, Masaai community and culture engagement, and government policy discussion. 

The UC Davis Rx One Health program was valuable for my veterinary education and professional development as it guided me towards my career pathway in veterinary public health. After I participated in this program, I affirmed my passion for veterinary public health while providing myself open doors into One Health careers in veterinary medicine. In addition, I learned the importance of veterinarians' role in community and government engagement since this skill permits you to build a relationship with all species to implement One Health interventions in a population. From the Rx One Health program, I intend to incorporate my knowledge and skills to improve the public health infrastructure systems in the state of Washington and Hawaii, USA. 

For any veterinary students interested or want to learn more about One Health, public health, or global health, I would highly recommend applying and participating in UC Davis Rx One Health Summer Institute Program! 

2019 SAVMA Symposium Experience

Victoria Villafane, Ross University 

Amidst the hectic life of a veterinarian student, I hesitated before making the decision to travel mid- semester back to the states for SAVMA symposium. Most schools were on spring break but for Ross students, travel consisted of lugging our laptops, notebooks, and all study materials with us and studying throughout the day any break we got. The question came up more than once, of why we would put ourselves through that just for a convention. Since I have never been before, I did not know the answer until I took the chance and packed my bags, heading off to Athens, Georgia. I felt a mix of nerves, excitement, and stress as I settled in on the plane hoping it was all going to be worth it.

Stepping into symposium, I knew I made the right choice. I looked around at the many vet students from all across the country, glanced at the lengthy list of veterinarian names there to give us lectures and guide us through wet labs and I smiled. This wasn’t something I would ever be able to experience during any other part of vet school. I knew I had the opportunity to network with others in my field, listen to lectures expanding my knowledge on what we learn in school, and to strengthen skills during wet labs.

I took a turn into the big exhibit hall full of vendors, promotors, recruiters and was pleasantly overwhelmed with an influx of information. I stopped at the Hills table and was fascinated as they discussed the release of liquid diets for sick animals. My mind flashed back to countless hours of mashing up food and blending it with water into a soupy consistency and hand feeding sick patients and thought of how helpful and amazing this would be to have in hospitals. They also allowed us to practice placing a nasogastric tube on a model which was really neat as I had never done it before. I continued walking around learning about joint supplements, working with exotics opportunities, veterinarians in the army and about AVMA PLIT. As we stopped at the Zoetis booth, I stood in awe as they had a huge board announcing scholarship recipients and there under the RUSVM column was my name. I had no idea they announced the winners at symposium, so it was incredible and special to have been there when I won the scholarship.

I was also able to attend lectures given by veterinarians and it was an inspiring experience as for the first time in my vet journey, I was able to follow along with cases and examples and actually understand the information coming across. It was very encouraging to see the progress I am making as well as expanding my current knowledge base. One example was an oncology lecture given where the presenter discussed cases on osteosarcoma and hemangiosarcoma. Being able to follow along the cases from presenting complaint to treatments to consequences, it gave me the motivation and encouragement to keep working hard being able to experience how it is paying off. I was able to pull my clinical pathology knowledge out and answer questions about what we would expect to see in patients with these conditions and it was satisfying to feel like I can begin to think and communicate like a veterinarian.

Another day, I attended a dental wet lab. I was interested to learn more about topics that we do not go very in depth in at school, so I chose dentistry, not knowing what I was getting into it. At first, it was extremely intimidating and scary to watch the doctors show us what we have to do. I felt like we were on a construction site instead of in a lab with all of the drilling and hammering. I could never have imagined how hard it actually is pulling teeth, but although it was a challenge and I have never felt my arms so sore, I was still ecstatic that I chose this lab and got to practice extracting a whole set of teeth. It is not something I would have gotten to do at school. Not only did I walk out of that lab with a new appreciation for dentistry, but I definitely increased my muscle mass.

Aside from the wealth of veterinary knowledge I left with, I also learned a very valuable lesson; our education is not limited to the classroom and it’s our responsibility to take advantage of opportunities presented to us. Experiences are just as important as our studies. I am so happy I decided to take the trip to SAVMA symposium and I am grateful for the immense impact it has had on my journey as a DVM candidate.

Mission Impossible: Fighting Zoonotic Infections in Nicaragua

Brandon Woods, Iowa State University

Honorable Mention, Experiences  

A Dangerous Paradise 

From jungles with jaguars to crystal blue lakes with freshwater sharks, Nicaragua is one of the most beautiful and dangerous countries in Central America. The brilliant biodiversity attracts millions of tourists each year and the looming volcanoes that pepper the landscape can be an exciting yet unsettling sight. However, in reality much of the danger in Nicaragua comes from the risk of infectious diseases. For example, if you’re planning to travel to this tropical paradise anytime soon, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) states that international travelers are at risk of contracting Typhoid fever, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, Leishmaniasis, malaria, dengue, rabies, and more! As a dual degree veterinary medicaland public health student, I am fascinated by these infectious diseases and want to learn how they interact with the environment, people and animals. Many of the diseases that the CDC listed are called zoonotic diseases, or diseases that are transmissible between animals and humans. Whether you own a pet, like to travel, or simply enjoy spending time outdoors, you are at risk of infection because these zoonotic diseases are increasingly emerging worldwide and are becoming a serious public health threat. During the spring break of my first year of veterinary school, I traveled to Nicaragua on a mission trip and got first-hand experiences of some frightening infectious diseases. 

Bed Nets and Bug Spray 

Planning for this trip was time-intensive and reminded me of planning for my semester study abroad adventure to Tasmania, Australia. However, unlike my semester Down Under, this trip was coordinated through the national non-profit Christian (CVM) whose goal has been to help veterinarians serve others and live out their Christian faith for more than 30 years. Out of all the fundraising and logistics meetings we had, the meeting that stands out the most was when the Iowa State University travel nurse described the laundry list of potential pathogens we could encounter. Our team of 8 veterinary students, 3 veterinarians, and 1 pharmacist would be treating animals in a remote village called Espavel in the jungles of eastern Nicaragua. When I saw that my destination was in the middle of the red zone for malaria on the CDC map, my eyebrows escalated and my stomach dropped. 

I was going to fly to an unstable, earthquake-prone country of approximately 5.7 million Spanish-speaking people where malaria was endemic. My Spanish was scarce, but my drive to serve was strong. After I heard that malaria was essentially eliminated from Nicaragua, my blood pressure dropped a few millimeters of mercury. Approximately 84% of the Nicaraguan population is at risk of contracting malaria, according to a UCLA study. However, Nicaragua has experienced a 97% decrease in reported malaria cases between 2000 and 2010. This significant decrease in prevalence was a result of Nicaragua partnering with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in 2006 which heavily implemented stronger surveillance, prevention, vector control, and treatment. Despite this progress, I learned from my undergraduate Lyme disease Honors project that there are always numerous challenges to completely eliminate vector-borne diseases like malaria. For instance, controlling mosquito breeding populations is particularly vexing due to the complex ecology of the parasite life-cycle. In addition, you may have heard about the controversy surrounding toxic pesticides like DDT. My colleagues and I were fortunate for our DEET bug spray and Permethrin treated clothes and bed nets that we brought after skyping our host-country missionaries. I was also relieved that our trip in March 2013 was during the dry season and not during the September-to-January rainy season, when disease transmission is highest. 

Rambunctious Rabies 

Escaping the endless hours in the frigid, formaldehyde laden anatomy lab and flying to a third-world tropical country to practice preventative medicine was slightly shocking, but totally worth it. On our first day, we drove through the littered streets of Catarina to an outdoor shelter where we set up a temporary clinic. The local children brought their pet dogs and we treated them with Ivermectin and other anti-parasitic medication. Many animals were very thin and infested with fleas and ticks. However, it was rewarding to interact with the children and walk them through a brochure that described healthy animal care. Then suddenly one of my colleagues was bitten by a dog! He was trying to give a rambunctious mixed-breed a pill to protect against heartworm disease and the next thing he knew, the dog bit him in the hand. He quickly washed the wound with soap and water and bandaged it. Fortunately, everyone on our veterinary team was already vaccinated for rabies prior to the trip because it’s a requirement to enter veterinary school. He also followed up with post-exposure rabies prophylaxis when he returned home. 

 Rabies is one of the deadliest and most notorious zoonotic diseases in the world. Rabies is endemic to Nicaragua, often occurs in poor rural communities, and the most common source of transmission is when a dog bites a human and delivers the fatal RNA virus. According to the World Health Organization, potentially any mammal can contract rabies, and common reservoirs in the USA include skunks, foxes, raccoons, and bats. Although rabies cases can be successfully treated, it still persists worldwide killing more than 55, 000 people each year. The Center for Food Security and Public Health (CFSPH) at Iowa State University is an excellent resource that provides more information on rabies and preventing zoonotic diseases. 

Tasting Iguana and Tackling Typhoid 

It’s a good thing I like rice and beans, because that was the bread and butter of most of my meals every day. Hiking to farms builds an appetite and one day we had to traverse across a narrow blank that stretched precariously over a ravine. After we arrived, we vaccinated over 100 head of cattle for clostridium, anthrax, and Dectomax. Dectomax is an injectable drug used to control parasites like hookworms, round worms, grubs and mites. When we returned to the main village and got out of the blazing 90+ degree sun, the crispy, plantain chips with a glass of freshly squeezed tamarind juice was an irresistible snack. However, the most memorable meal of all was the morning the villagers surprised us with two 5 foot long iguanas! A few hours later, I was savoring some delicious iguana meat seasoned with local spices and vegetables. Cooking wild reptiles is foreign to us in the developed world; likewise, the way many Nicaraguans prepare their food is also different. 

Sayings like, “Don’t drink the water,” or ‘Boil it, cook it, peel it or forget it,” come to mind when traveling abroad, and they couldn’t ring more true for my experience. Food-borne illnesses are another great example of how veterinary medicine and public health overlap. I’m enrolled in the dual DVM-MPH degree program at the University of Iowa’s College of Public Health and learned that food-borne epidemics are a major focus of research in epidemiology. From mild cases of spoiled potato salad on romantic picnics to church dinner outbreaks from contaminated home-made ice cream, food-borne illnesses can range in their severity depending on your pre-existing health and the dose and type of microorganism ingested. One of the Nicaraguan diseases that I was vaccinated for before my trip was a food-borne illness known as Typhoid fever. Thankfully I avoided this illness; however, I couldn’t escape the wrath of Montezuma's revenge, or traveler’s diarrhea, most commonly caused by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli. 

Typhoid fever is transmitted through contaminated food or water and is unique among food-borne pathogens because it only affects humans. In fact, some individuals can unwittingly become carriers of the bacterium and transmit the disease to others through improperly prepared food, like the infamous Typhoid Mary. This disease is caused by the bacterium Salmonella typhi, which is one of over 2,300 serotypes of Salmonella and can be treated with antibiotics, according to the USDA. Other Salmonella species are also common among household, cold-blooded critters like turtles, frogs, iguanas, and snakes, so it’s important to always wash your hands after handling these pets. Like malaria and rabies, Typhoid fever presents challenges for eradication in developing countries where poverty limits accessibility to clean water, pasteurization, and proper sanitation and hygiene. For example, I had never taken a well-water bucket shower before, and although the murky water felt refreshing after a long days’ work, I came to more deeply appreciate the luxuries of everyday plumbing and electricity.