IVSA UPenn Thailand Trip 2010

By: Steven Fernandez

Class of 2013, University of Pennsylvania

The International Veterinary Student Association (IVSA) University of Pennsylvania chapter took on the challenge this past year to organize a trip with a contact from a Thai veterinarian and practice owner of Vet4 Polyclinic in Bangkok, Thailand. Our IVSA UPenn chapter was unaware that this veterinary practice is a well-known and respected clinic in all of Thailand. Vet4 was the first clinic in Thailand to start hydrotherapy for dogs and third to do total hip replacements. Hundreds of emails later throughout the entire academic year, IVSA UPenn sent 14 veterinary students and one local veterinarian to Bangkok, Thailand to start their hands-on training 9,500 miles away.

The trip consisted of 5 clinic days where the students were able to do full spays and castrations from incision to closure at no cost to the owners. We held a series of wetlabs using cadavers weeks in advance to prepare for surgery thanks to the help of our IVSA faculty advisor and surgery residents. Throughout the year we fundraised as much as possible to reduce the cost of the trip and we received lots of donations to offer better medical care for our patients. We brought extra luggage filled with IDEXX Snap tests, injectable Metacam (courtesy of Boerhinger-Ingelheim) for pain management, sterile surgery gloves, lots of frontline (courtesy of Merial), and sterile drapes (courtesy of GEPCO). Students learned how to keep their patient under anesthesia using basic drugs that were available to us. One of the major challenges with outdoor surgery was the incredibly high temperatures dogs had while recovering. Nonetheless, animals did recover and were sent on their way once they were able to walk.

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South Africa and Wildlife

If you are interested in wildlife, natural science or just travelling this is a great opportunity. The application deadline is Oct 20. 

The International Symposium on Wildlife Utilization in South Africa (ISWU) is a biennial symposium dealing with veterinary involvement in wildlife management. It serves as a platform for leading speakers, both local and international, in the fields of Veterinary and Natural Sciences, to address veterinary students on a host of wildlife management topics and the role of the veterinarian in wildlife utilization.

http://www.symco.co.za/

Veterinary students worldwide are invited to attend this exhilarating symposium which will run from July 1-17, 2011. If you have any questions please check out the website or email dmurdy@westernu.edu.

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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Where are you headed this summer?

Why not Denmark? Join veterinary students from around the world at the 59th Annual International Veterinary Student Association's Summer Congress in Copenhagen. BUT--Registration closes at the end of this month! So, get your application in by March 30th if you want to get in on this wonderful opportunity. More information and the application can be found at: http://www.ivsadenmark.dk/

Contact SAVMA's International Exchange Officer, Deirdre Murdy for more info at SAVMAIEO@gmail.com