Done with class!!!

I am officially DONE FOR THE TERM!!!! All that stands in the way of official Christmas holiday is a mock exam today at 1, then we are free!! This has been the longest term of my life and I'm just glad its finally over!

It's monsoon season!

Tonight we are going to see seattle's premiere narcoleptic Jewish drag queen Jinkx Monsoon! So stoked! We also have the class Christmas dinner tonight so it should be fun times! Its been really cold here, so winter is pretty much here, and its starting to rain quite a bit, though I hear there is a fair amount of rain in CA at the moment. Other than that only 1 week left until Christmas break!!! Can't wait!

2 more weeks!

Soon it'll be Christmas! But for now only 2 more weeks of this term and it can not end soon enough! Looking forward to a bit of a break, though with the amount of work I still need to do unsure of how much of a break it'll actually be, but oh well! It's also starting to get cold, so I'm going to need to start wearing more layers soon!

Back to real life

We got back from Berlin yesterday and I basically slept all way, which was glorious! Then today back to school! Our afternoon lecture got cancelled so an old one that the prof failed to show up for took its place so we were actually done early so that was nice! Then there was a talk on BVD I went to, which was really interesting and then we got some pizza, so not too shabby! Can't believe that theres only 2 and a half weeks till Christmas!

Last day in Berlin!

Today was our last day in Berlin! We started the day going to brunch in a part of town we hadn't been to before. It was a vegan buffet and super noms! Then we went over to checkpoint Charlie and walked around the museum, which was really interesting. Then we went to a topography of terror museum about the SS which was really interesting and saw the part of the wall that is still standing. It's crazy to think that when I was born it was still standing. Then we shopped around a bit and then went to this super posh Christmas market which was delightful! It was so amazingly Christmassy it was fab!! Then we went to this crazy chocolatier called fassbender and Rausch and had the most amazing hot chocolate and it was amazing! Then we went back to the Christmas market from yesterday and got some more of the really good mushrooms from yesterday. Then we rushed back to the hostel to recharge some batteries and headed back out to the capital building to see it. It was so pretty at night and really fun to see it, though still freezing!! It's seriously been so cold. Then we wandered around for a bit and then headed back to the hostel since our flight is bright and early tomorrow! Well not bright since we'll be up before the sun. But it's been a really fun trip and I seriously need to come back here and explore more!

Gluwine and Christmas markets!

Today was our first full day in berlin! We got up fairly early and then had breakfast at the hostel, which was surprisingly nice! Then we walked towards one of the main squares to explore some of the city. There we grabbed a hop on hop off bus tour. We got off at the city gates and looked at all of the memorials that are around there and then rode the rest of the tour. Then we wandered around the Christmas market and had so much mulled wine and really good food! Then we met up with the rest of the group and walked around trying to find somewhere warm since it's freezing here! We ended up at the holiday inn to use their bar for warmth, but it was pretty nice. Then we took the subway back to the hostel to regroup. Then we went to get burritos for dinner, which were really good. On our way back to the hostel we stopped at this little German pub place and got flaming mulled wine which was amazing! It's been a long but fun day and super cold! Looking forward to another fun day!

Berlin!

Today we leave for Berlin! We had class till 1 and then got a cab to the airport together, stopped in Amsterdam and then another quick flight and we're here! After a quick can ride were in the hostel and it's really nice! Looking forward to a fun weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! We're doing a friendsgiving tonight, so that should be fun! Then off to Berlin tomorrow! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Its getting cold!

I think winter is trying to happen now! Its getting pretty chilly here. Last night we had our 2nd movie night and we raised over 90 pounds, which was pretty good, especially since 3rd years all have exams coming up, so that's going well! Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and we're having people over so a little dinner thing and then we go to Berlin! Really just been prepping for that, packing, cleaning, etc. School is busy as ever, though I'm trying to catch up its looking like Xmas break will be full of work, oh the joys! Other than that pretty boring here! Also i got my hair cut today.

on the mend

I think I'm finally feeling normal again, more or less. Still a little snotty, but I can breathe out of my nose and I think I've finally stopped coughing! Couldn't come soon enough! Yesterday we went Christmas sweater shopping and then went to lunch at Stereo and hung out there for a while. Then we get some of the Williams Bros new Christmas beer and watched movies all night. No work was done, but it was a nice Sat! Now doing work all day, trying to get caught up before Berlin! I had my mentor meeting on Fri and everything is going pretty well so far as I can gather, though people keep reminding me how close we all are to being done which is terrifying! Also Friday we had our cardio lab and I diagnosed and heart murmur and read some ECGs correctly, so maybe there's hope for me yet!

counting sheep

Today we had 4 hours of sheep lectures today, which surprisingly weren't that bad, even though about 1/2 the class didn't show up because of Dick Day. Then we had small animal data interpretation lab which was fun, but terrifying. Its been a long day BUT I think I'm getting my sense of smell back! I also cleaned my room finally, since being in my sick bed things have piled up a bit.

FTD!

I haven't blogged in a while, but long story short 4th year is hard, and I've been sick, so I've sort of lost track of time lately! Since I last blogged we had our 2nd Trusty Paws clinic and 4 people came! It was really exciting and now when we fund raise its for actual people and animals and not just those whole 'might' come, so that was exciting! School is going none stop and its just totally nuts! If I make it out alive it'll be a miracle. I have another placement of EMS booked in CA, just waiting for them to email me back with all the details so thats good, ticking them off one week at a time! Today was Dick Day! Unfortunately I couldn't play since I;m hacking up some pretty great mucus, but I made it to cheer on the girls and we won! And we won all of Dick Day so that was exciting! Last night I went to the Jack White concert and it was amazing, still the best musician I've ever seen live hands down. It'll be nice this weekend to have some time to do work, and then next weekend is Germany! I can't really think of much else that's happened, just busy busy!

And the pics are up from the concert! So great and so gland we got to see him again!

Halloween Movie Night!

Tonight was our first Trusty Paws fundraiser and it was a huge success! It was the first event that me and my co-chair ran and it's a relief that it went so well! We raised £107, which is crazy! I was hoping we would just break even at least, but lots of people came and it was really fun. We had popcorn and candy and drinks and watched Hocus Pocus and it was great fun! Other than that I had Galloway today, so got to examine some cows and a sheep, one of the cows was really confusing, so I'm glad shes not the case that we have to present, but it was fun getting in there. The 5th years were helpful and so was the teacher walking around, so it was a good time. Now just trying to do some work, 4th year is killing me slowly.

Day off!

Today I had the whole day off! So I did work all day, BUT I got to go to the gym and have a nice lie in, so that was lovely! Also out flat is getting re-inspected for HMO certification so there have been people in and out the flat all week looking at and fixing things. So today some guys came in a fixed the crack in my window (that has been there since we moved in, and didn't really bother me) but now I have a new window! Tonight I'm going to a rugby social night thing, so there is a mac and cheese in the over for that, and tomorrow back to class and then my friends are having a Halloween party. And Sat I have an appointment to get new glasses and contacts, so that'll be fun. Other than that nothing particularly interesting happening!

Calf rearing

Today we had a talk by some of the vets that I saw EMS with this summer, wo that was pretty fun! Plus we got free pizza so that was pretty sweet. Then me and the other fundraising chair went to the store to get supplies for our first trust paws even next week. This week looks pretty light, we actually dont have class at all Thurs!! So I can get a fair bit of work done. Other than that nothing particularly interesting here. I downloaded the new iOS which was a HUGE mistake, so my phone is running even slower than it was, hopefully it sorts itself out soon!

Bad Blogger

Sorry I've been the typical bad blogger, but there really hasn't been much happening worth blogging about. Lots of class, lots of labs. I went to a concert with a friend of mine last weekend, which was actually really fun! I'd never heard the band before, but we had a great time. I had my first PM room lab this week and it was nice getting back in there and palpating some organs! I wasn't as rusty as I thought I would be, though I definitely need to go over some of that parasites and their lifecycles again and who gets what, etc. Other than that 4th years is going by way too fast, its practically November! I'm spending the weekend locked in the flat and studying because that needs to happen. I think without the pressure of a Christmas exam we've all not bee quite as diligent as we have in the past, and a lot of what we are learning is review of the past 3 years compiled into a clinical setting so nothing really seems 'new.' But having said that, I definitely need to keep up with it, I think the harder stuff is coming up and its a lot of volume. Other than that nothing much, the weather has been lovely so these first years dont really know what its like living in Scotland yet, we just keep waiting for the rain to come and never end!

First Clinic!

Today was the first Trusty Paws Clinic! It's exciting that things are starting to get moving and we are getting going! No one showed up, but we sort of expected that since we need to get the word out there and get more people involved, but at least the dry run is done. We are planning some fundraising stuff for this month and looking into some other ideas, so thats good, hopefully we raise some money! Other than that its pretty routine now. Rugby is getting started in earnest, I'm a forward as of now. School is still being gentle, most of our lectures have been about speys/castration so its pretty standard stuff, but I suspect once the easy stuff is out of the way its going to get crazy! But going well thus far at least.

First week down

Its the end of the first week and its been pretty chill so far. They keep telling us that we don't really learn a whole lot of new information, we just take our existing knowledge and put it in a clinical setting with clinical reasoning, so with any luck this year wont be so bad! Here's hoping! Now that we're all back it really feels like we never left so its really just back in the swing of things. We're in a lecture theatre that doesn't totally suck, except the AC is on all the time so its freezing but at least its better than the one from last year. We appear to have a schedule that is correct, only 5 emails of wrong ones later, so that seems promising! Friday we had a day of role playing which was actually pretty fun, as lots of our comm stuff can sometimes feel a little tedious. First we had a crashing dog that we had to get from a car into the hospital with a crazy owner yelling at us, and then later we had to rescue unlucky the horse from a ditch, which was surprisingly fun. Then I had my first rugby practice! Yes, I'm playing rugby this year, so we'll see how that goes, fingers crossed for no catastrophes! Tonight a bunch of our friends came over and we played some games and had a bunch of crazy good food! It was fun to all hang out, since I suspect that, for fear of failing like previous years, once this year really gets started in earnest we wont be seeing much of each other. Other than that not much happening really, its going to get pretty boring on this blog pretty soon after such a fun summer, but thats school!

A picture of our smorgasbord! And that wasn't even all of it in the end.

Back to school!

Today was the first day back! Its been a great summer, but it is good to be back. This year is going to be crazy from what I can tell, but it'll be exciting for sure! I can't wait to see what's in store for this year, though I may have to remind myself why I'm doing this to myself while I'm crying the corner from the vast amount of lectures! Let the last year of lectures begin!

Huskies and the Golden Circle!

Today was our last day in Iceland so we have to go out with a bang! It was anther early start, but at least te breakfast room was less crowded. We waited for quite a

While outside for the shuttle to come and pick us up and when it arrived we found out that it was going to be just us today! So we drove off to the kennels to meet he huskies! They were already suited up by the time we got there avs they were super cute!! We hopped in the cart and off we went! We ride around by the kennel and around some fields surrounding the start and it was so fun! Those dogs are amazing, they make it look easy. While we were riding the musher was telling us about the dogs and their names and some information about them. They were super cute and there were Greenland huskies, a few siberians and a cross husky with a hunting dog just bred to run. It was really interesting and we met a dog that had been in Walter Mitty! So a real celebrity! Then we got to hang out with the dogs and meet the other ones in the kennel that hadn't been out with us and then got back into the van and headed off to the next place.

First we went to a mini waterfall that was just a quick stop before heading to Gullfoss which is a huge waterfall and so pretty! At the waterfall we ate at the cafe there and, on the request of our guide, I had a traditional lamb stew thing. It was alright, but certainly warmed me up! Then we hiked around the fall and then met the driver and left again. We then went to the hot springs and saw the geyser, called gyser. It went of about every 5-10 min so pretty regularly and we got to home around there as well. Then we went on to a national park where we hiked around. It was really interesting because in this park you can see the North American tectonic plate, so it was really cool to see that! So we crossed from euro-Asian plate to the North American plate which was neat! It was a really fun day and we did a ton!Best day in Iceland by far! I'm already planning my next trip!

Whale watching!

Today we got up bright and early to catch the shuttle to take us whale watchig. Well before we did anything we checked on the outcome of the referendum, looks like I'll be heading back to a united UK.  We went downstairs to have some breakfast, which was mostly cold cuts and cheese and lots of different brown breads. It was pretty good, and free! The we caught the shuttle and stopped at a few other hotels and got to the wharf. The boat is prett nice and because it's raining we got to wear very stylish full body fowlies! Pretty hot! Actually they were totally worth it since it was quite cold with the rain. We set out and didn't see much at first, some birds and a bunch of jelly fish, and I was starting to think it might be a bit of.l a bust, but then we spotted a Minki whale! So we watched it for a bit and then suddenly it surfaces literally right next to the boat! It was so cool and then kept surfacing near us as it swam away. Pretty neat! Then we went to where some porpoises had been spotted and saw a bunch of white beaked dolphins  hunting, so that was pretty cool! The whale was te most exciting for sure, but it was a nice trip out on the water.

We then decided that it was time for lunch so we tried to go to this Mexican place that we saw earlier, but alas it was closed! So we wandered around and ended up going to a sandwich place called lemon that made a really good panini type thing. Very good! Then we went to Harpa, that big concert hall and went in this 360 video cube room where we watched a film about Iceland. It was kind of like soarin over California but you're not moving. Then we grabbed the hop om hop off tour so we could see a bit more of the city and had it drop us off the church of Leif erikson. It's pretty nondescript inside but upstairs there's a really great view of the whole city! Then we

Shopped around a bit more and are currently having happy hour at a little restaurant while we figure out what to do for the evening!

We then went to double check that tonight wasn't a good night to go see some northern lights, which is wasn't because it's too cloudy, and then we wandered back towards the hotel and went to a restaurant inside a place called kex hostel that was really good! Craft beers and interesting food inside probably the most hipster place in Iceland! So we hung out there for a while before heading back to the hotel after a very long day!

Icand money is odd

Iceland!!

Today we officially leave for Iceland! Also pre-apologies for the disjointedness of these posts as to keep up with them I'm just writing them as I go. So anywho, we woke up at 5am, packed, and had breakfast at the hotel before walking over to the airport. Now that I've been inside Luton I feel like I've been here before but I can't remember why, I'll have to investigate further. Security was uneventful and we headed to the gate before getting on a bus to get on the plane. It's super foggy here and I think it's raining in Iceland, but hopefully I packed appropriately!

Well there was so much fog a Luton that we were in a crazy long queue to take off. Normally it would have been really annoying but I enjoyed the 1 1/2 hour long nap. We finally took off and a quick flight later were here in Iceland! The airport is really nice, and now I finally have a Iceland stamp on my passport, last time I was here I didn't leave the airport. We decided to take a shuttle into town since it's waaaay cheaper than a

Taxi, and we got the round trip tickets so were all sorted for when we come back AND for barely much more the shuttle takes us to our hotel! Pretty neat!

After we got everything sorted we wales down to city centre and boped around trying to find somewhere to eat. We ended up having pizza for lunch and it was really good! Then we wandered around downtown, went to a museum, and did some shopping. Then we passed by this place and in the window they had siracha, so we went in for their happy hour which was really good! Then we went to go see if tonight was a good night to possibly go try and see some aurora, but it's oo cloudy alas. So we headed home, but first stopped at this concert hall that is really cool and walked around the inside. Then headed back to the hotel to chill since it has been a long day and we have to be up early again tomorrow!

Iceland bound!

Today we leave for Iceland!! Currently I'm at the airport having dinner before our flight out to Luton and then we leave for Iceland in the morning! I'll try to post pics and such depending on the wifi situation. Hopefully everything goes smoothly, and well see if we come back to the UK or a newly independent Scotland! 

We made it to Luton without any problems AND got to check our bags at the gate, which is one of my favourite things that can happen while traveling! Now time to chill and sleep before tomorrow! Also I collected another airport! Holla!

And DONE With EMS For The Summer!

Yesterday was my last day of EMS for the summer! I can't believe that its almost over, it has gone by so quickly! I've gone so many places and done so much this summer, I could say that this has been one of the best summers yet, but I think I'm looking forward to starting school again and seeing everyone. Only one more week and a quick trip to Iceland is left and summer will officially be over!

C-section

Today there wasn't a bunch in, but we still had a full day, In the morning a bitch came in that was questionably a week overdue with her pups, but the owners weren't sure exactly when a stray dog came into the yard (even though they may have watched it?) So we gave her some oxytocin, but that wasn't having any effect, so we went ahead and did a Caesarian. The first pup was born alive, but with all its organs outside of its body. The next one was pretty similar but with a cleft palate and deformed front legs, and the third was normal. Hopefully the pup can work out feeding and the dog can work out mothering once she heals up a bit better. Another dog came in that had been attacked by another dog and had some broken toes. Another dog came in later that had also been attacked by a dog but just had a cut on its ear and I got to stitch it up! Other than that some vaccinations and regular consults, pretty standard.

Cat castrate!

Thete weren't that many ops on today so I figured that it would be pretty slow. But I got to do a full cat castration today, so that was pretty cool! I sat in on some consults and this dog came in with cray bad skin and demodex, plus a bunch of choke chains, cropped ears and a docked tail which is such a shame. He also seems to have some sort of digestion problems, so he was a bit of a mess. Mostly I've been looking down the microscope today and there were a few dentals, but nothing particularly exciting. I'm mostly their lab slave, but it's great to put all that I learned last year into practice!

Week 2!

This is the start of the last week of my smalls placement and my last placement of the summer! Today I got to ligate and then close a bitch spay! So I've essentially done a spay now, complete with intradermal sutures (which are a pain let me say). Also I did a full skin work up complete with  punch biopsies. The vet here is also leaving me in the room by myself to do clinical exams which is pretty cool! Its nice doing it without the vet watching because there's less pressure of them watching over me, but they still come in at the end and wrap up everything nicely. Hopefully I can swing working here again, it would be a great way to practice all that I'm going to learn next year! I also (finally) placed a damn IV catheter that was able to stay! So certainly making improvements.

Long hard days, but so worth it!

Its been some pretty long days doing small animal med so far, and my feet are killing me! We have absolutely been slammed with ops and appointments but its been amazing! Today I got to do a fill lumpectomy by myself! From incision to suturing the whole shebang! They're also letting me do most of the consults and have even left me alone with some of the clients to do exams and take histories. Its really great. I'm also doing lots of slide readings for them and my radiograph interpretation is improving. I think the biggest hurdle is learning all of the drugs, but I think a lot of that will come after 4th year since we really only know classes, not brand names. They seem to like me helping them and its been so busy I like to think I'm not much of a bother, especially when they just leave me to do some ops while they sort out paper work. I'm excited for the rest of the week and next to hopefully get to do more!

I really hate blogging about small animal medicine

But I do it for my legions of fans (Sue), without whom this blog would not exist! So I've started my last placement for the rest of the summer in a small animal hospital near Glasgow thats a short train ride away. I admit that every day I wake up at 6 I regret booking this, however it has been amazing! They let me do tons of stuff and actually speak to me like I'm a real vet! I think it's one of the best placements I've had and I think I'll try to come back for sure! Its been really busy and long days (typical) but seriously great so far. Today I got to suture up a wound on my own, as in the vet just left me there. I've been drawing blood, attempted to put in a catheter, and failed, but to be fair the vet had a hard time with that vein too. They leave me to do consults and its really great! I think I'll be in surgery a bit tomorrow so that should be good!

Last day in Ripon!

Today was my last day of my last farm animal placement of the summer! It started off a bit slow because I got home so late last night I wasn't really able to get a hold of a vet to go with in the morning. But I ended up getting grabbed to go to the farm where we bandaged the calfs' leg to see about that cow that had the dead calf in her. After a lot of huffing and puffing from the vet, an eye hook and lots and lots of lube we weren't making any progress so they decided that she was just going to be sent up the road. It was pretty minging, and I pretty much smelled like death the rest of the day. Then we went to a call about a sheep with bloat which turned out to be a massive belly full of fluid. We ended up putting her to sleep, not really something you do much with sheep, but she was really ill. At the same place we also sort of saw an alpaca with a skin condition  but he was being a dick so we couldn't really do much. I think I definitely could go the rest of my life without having to deal with those things again. Then we went back to the practice where I saw a few more game bird PMs. Then we went to go see a LDA. Then I came back to the practice and was done! This summer has gone by so fast it's nuts! 

And Where is the Lung Field on a Pig?

Today was a really busy day! I started out going on a routine visit which was pretty standard, a good amount of the cows were in calf so that was good! Then we had a bit of a break before a bunch of tups came in for fertility testing. We were ticking away at them when the newest vet, who just graduated, grabbed me to help her go and splint its leg. He was super cute and had a deviation of his carpus so we splinted it to help it grow straight. Then the farmer came over and said while we were there could we look at this cow that had a dead calf that had been treated to induce parturition the previous day. The vet had a hand in but her cervix was still not terribly dilated and with a dead calf its hard to get them straight and out, so we called for reinforcements. When the other vet arrived he had a hand in a decided that it hadn't been long enough for the drugs to work and that we ought to give her some more time, sort of anticlimactic but best for the cow. Then when I got back we went right back out again to PD 4 cows and look at a bull with pneumonia. That call then turned into us getting another call to go and see about a pig! It was basically a backyard pig at this super swanky restaurant that is Michelin starred and they grow all their own produce! It was a really cool place, I'm sure super expensive though! And it was certainly something different to attempt to examine a pig. It clearly had respiratory issues but I couldn't hear anything, let alone even be confident where its lung field even was! Then we got another call on the way back from that place that there was a dead calf that neeeded calving at another farm. This one we just gave some drugs and then the vet is going to look at her in the morning to see how best to proceed because we didn't want to give her anything with a significant withdrawal period in case he wants to send her down the road if we can't get this calf out. Then finally we got back to the practice at 8! It was certainly my longest day, but I got to see a lot of new stuff so that was good, though I'm quite tired!

Do I Fell Sheepish?

Today started off being pretty slow but actually turned into a pretty interesting day! I started the day chilling upstairs for kind of a while, but I needed to finish up some EMS stuff and work on my CV so I was kept fairly occupied. Then one of the vets came and said that she had a job for me to do, so I followed her downstairs. Turns out it was to do a faecal egg count, so I spent the morning playing with poop. Still it was something to do, plus its always nice to practice things like that. Afterwards we did some PMs on game pheasants because 25 of them had just dropped dead. So we went in search of what was killing them. Though the vet killed one right there, which was not the most pleasant thing to see, but thats pretty common. We took some samples and there was coccidia, but not much else. We were hoping to see Hexamita, a protozoan parasite, but alas there was none. Then I went with one of the nurses to a farm that I was at last week to do some tup testing. Those poor boys didn't know what hit them, literally. They were a little worse for wear when we were finished with them, but to be fair they only have 1 job and if they aren't up to task then there's little point in keeping them around. Then we went to another farm just down the road to fertility test a bull. Much easier than the tups for sure! By the time we were back it was 6, so that was me for the day! So it turned into a fairly full day and got to see some stuff I hadn't seen yet, pretty cool!

Those Eggos Are Prego!

Today was a fairly busy day and I got to see some cool stuff! First we went to do a routine visit where the farmer had 100% fertility! So not much for me to do, but good for the farmer! Then we went to go and harvest some eggs from some cows that are then going to be fertilized and then implanted into some heifers that are there. It was so cool! Thats definitely something I've never seen before and it was really cool! I also got to run the flush machine! And then I got to see an oocyte under the scope! So that was pretty cool! Then I went to go and PD some heifers and I was right about them being pregnant, woot! Though I legit smell like cow right now, even post shower.

Officially going to NZ 5th year!!!

I'm going to NZ to do dairy work in October of 5th year! So stoked! Thats pretty much all thats exciting here at the moment. It was a bank holiday weekend so I just hung around, so not much going on at the moment.

Sunny Days!

This has been my weekend off here in Ripon! Yesterday I didn't do much, mostly slept in and did a little work on some homework assignments and looked at EMS stuff, etc. Today I walked around the town of Ripon which was really fun! I had a toastie for lunch with some fresh made lemonade and then walked to the Cathedral here which was lovely. Then I had a little ice cream, which was amazing, and walked down the canal for a while. On the water they were doing rubber duck races! So I stopped and watched that for a bit. Then I went grocery shopping while I was in town, and did a little regular shopping for myself, and heading back to the practice. I dropped off my groceries and then headed to this abby that is around here and through a deer park. It was absolutely lovely! I kind of wish that I had spent the whole day there because it was so nice to just walk around this massive park and I barely scratched the surface of it! But after walking around all day I was quite tired, and now pretty much getting ready for bed! Tomorrow is a bank holiday so I have the day off. I might try to go on call, but I also want to read over some notes and finish up some of the problems that they have given us, so I'll see how the day progresses!

Quiet day

Today was a pretty quiet day, though it started out with me being waken up by mothra buzzing in my ear at 5am. Not cool moth. Then it proceeded to bang against my window loudly trying to get out, but I wasn't sure if the windows were set to the alarm or not so I couldn't let him out. Very annoying. Then I went out with a different vet toady for another routine visit. It was pretty standard, and I got to do all the injections and feel some cows, and on the way home we were talking about the farm and I didn't feel like such an idiot answering his questions, so that was good! Then I chilled upstairs for the rest of the day, working on some exercises that they gave us and reading old notes to refresh my memory.

Early, EARLY start!

Today I had a very early start, but it was well worth it! Up at 5 and out of the practice at 6:20, so quite early! Then we headed to a farm about 30 minutes away for a routine visit. The farm had 1000 cows, so it was a pretty big dairy. I followed the vet and palpated after he was done scanning and I did a bunch of fresh checks on my own for them and did all of the bloods for them! So it was cool to sort of be left on my own doing stuff to be helpful instead of being helpful by staying out of the way! Then we went to go look at some lame cows and do their feet. We also did a claw amputation! So that was pretty neat and hopefully we helped that cow out. A bunch of pus came out of her joint so hopefully it'll drain out well and she'll feel better soon. By the time we were done and back to the surgery it was 2:30! After that it was pretty slow, I made everyone tea and chilled in the practice since it was slow, though I'm not really complaining since it was such a long morning. So so far the placement is going well and hopefully the rest of the week goes well too!

Back on the road

Today was my first day at this placement in Ripon and so far its pretty good. They have a pretty extensive client base and everyone seems really nice! Its also super convenient to live above the flat I must say. Today we left bright and early to go do a bunch of PDs and all that comes along with it. I mostly watched at this place, and got in a little bit of trouble (though not really) for giving my opinion to the farmer, but he's sort of the type that takes things and running with it. Its just getting used to how this practice works and it was fine. Then we did some TB tests, which I've never really seen before so that was pretty cool. Then we went to another farm down the road and did some more TB testing. By the time we got back to the practice it was 2:30! So so far its like being back in Lanark where we barely went to the practice! There I met the other girl who's seeing practice here. Shes a 4th year Dick vet and seems nice enough. She certainly made me glad that I booked this placement early because I have the flat above the practice and she's at a B&B thats like 20 min down the road and pretty pricey. Then I went out with another vet to go take bloods off a cow thats a possible Johnes. So far everyone seems nice and they are really good at letting you know whats on and to plan what to do tomorrow today. So tomorrow I have a 6:20 AM start, if you can believe it! But people were saying that this is a good place to go so hopefully I'll improve on my palpation skills and who knows what else. Hopefully the early start is worth it!

Heading to Ripon!

Today I'm heading to my last farm placement for the summer, which also means it's my last placement that I'm not in Glasgow for. I went to brunch in the morning, then got to the station and got my tickets and on the train with plenty of time. Then right after we left the station we stopped for quite some time because there was something wrong with the train. We lost a lot of time, but they gave us free coffee so that was something. 

Since we started late I missed my connection, but the guy who took my ticket told me to keep on to a different station where I could take a different train to Leeds, so I did. Then I found the bus station and took a bus to ripon. Once I got here I was a little early for when the person who emailed said for me to be here so I gave her a call to see if I should mull about town or start to head towards the surgery. She very kindly offered to come and get me! So she picked me up and now I'm chilling at the surgery after 6 hours of travel! But the room is nice and the bed is super comfy so I'm gonna chill for the rest of the night 

Last few days in Mauchline!

Today was my last day here! It was kind of slow, but fairly eventful still. First I went out to see a sick cow, who ended up having pneumonia. Then I went out with another vet to see another sick cow (sensing a theme here) and I correctly diagnosed and LDA! The vet was like so what do you think? So I said LDA? And he was like oh really? Hang on, and then found it and called the other vet to come assist! So that was pretty cool, plus then I got to watch the surgery again. Later we went to go see an emergency slaughter. It was a bull that we thought that couldnt get up, though it turns out he could. The long and the short is that he was shot and bled out in the field so he could go for slaughter, so that was something you don't see every day for sure. Then we went out to PD a bunch of cows, and the vet was quizzing me about CLs and cystic ovaries and I was getting them all right! Then on the same farm we looked at some more sick cows and I was right about what they had as well. So I'm certainly improving on my clinical exams and PDing which is good! Then the vet showed us around the farm since this one had some interesting gadgets that they used. And now I'm finished here so I'm heading back to Glasgow for the weekend. Its been a really fun 2 weeks and I've learned a lot, they are really great with students here and work with us for more than just whatever happens to come in.

Slacking off of posting

Sorry I've been slacking in the post department, I just keep forgeting to and remembering too late. Anywho it's been relatively busy and I've gotten to see some new things! Yesterday we vasectomized 6 tups which was pretty cool. I should have taken pictures of them in the holder they were in, they looked a bit ridiculous and some were fairly sedated so they were a little out of it. I also got to go on a special fertility visit with one of the partners yesterday so that was fun! It wasn't special in that it was unusual but the vet stopped by the flat the day before to tell me about it so that was nice of him to let me tag along! We also did a bull fertility exam which I haven't done in a while. We did a bunch of dehorning the other day and I got to inject the local since the vet was busy trying to restrain them, though either they were crazy, we didn't put in enough local, or I messed them up or some combination of all of that because they were pretty fractious and now I have a fair amount of bruises! But it doesn't really help that the crush is too big for them, and calves are insane. We saw a colicing horse last night, and I've done some bloods off of calves and did an IV injection. Nothing much else to report!

I'm running out of blog post titles

Today was a pretty chill day. I went out in the morning and listened to some cows and did 2 PDs, and I was right! The vet said I seemed pretty comfortable with doing them and the farmer said I could come back any time! Then we went and took bloods off some calves. I've never done bloods on calves, but since its basically the same as sheep but better behaved I picked it up pretty quickly! Then we came back to the practice for a while. Then we went out and did some more PDs and I cleaned out a freshly calved coos uterus, which was pretty gross but it was something new! Then later we went to go see some sick cows and I got the correct diagnosis! The days have been going by so quickly its crazy that its almost friday! I'm really bummed I cant be at the beach this year though! Everyone better have some artichokes for me!

Also this is what a crush looks like for people who think they sound like medieval torture devices!

Let lose

Today was a pretty slow day, but it still went by fairly quickly. We mostly just sat in the office and read most of the day, but then I went with the other vet student to take some bloods of a bunch of sheep. It was really great because the vet did what my job normally is, handing us blood tubes and writing down numbers. But me and the other student took all of the bloods! And we went really fast, I'm definitely getting much better at it, despite almost getting kicked in the face. Then I went with the vet to see the coo that had had the LDA on monday. She was ketotic and ended up having pneumonia. She didn't look to poorly though, so I think she'll do well. After that on the way home we were driving and a hawk flew into the car! It was quite a surprise and we went back to make sure that it was actually dead. Certainly an interesting way to end the day!

Acting vets!

Today was a good day! First I went with the vet to do a bunch of PDs and I'm getting a lot better at my rectal pregnancy diagnosis and it was great to get my hand in some coos. Then we went to go get some special medium to grow Campylobacter because this farm has a bull that is a real pain so they are looking to cull him but after they collect his semen to sell. But the lab cultured some campylobacter form him but it died before they could speciate it, so we went back to take the sample in this stuff so hopefully they will get some answers! Then the other vet student here and I went to a farm BY OURSELVES and did a full lameness assessment on the whole herd! It was cool that we were there by ourselves doing some work, granted not very difficult work, and it did get a bit tedious so we could see why they stuck us with the job, but it was still great that they let us go off on our own. Plus while we were waiting for them to come and get us we pet some calves. Though very carefully as they were riddled with ringworm. Though there was some lag time it was still a good day!

Back to the coos!

Today was my first day of work in Ayr and it was pretty busy! I went out with a vet from Ireland, though sometimes I have a bit of trouble with the accent still.  First we went to a dairy (so nice to be back on a dairy!) and did a PD, and I was right that she was in calf! So I'm slowly getting better at it! Then we went to another dairy to get a 'pea' out of a teat. I should have taken pictures of the tools that the vet used, they looked like torture devices, but we got it out! Bascally it was a bit of milk that had clotted and wouldn't come out. Then while we were there we saw a castration that the farmer had missed with his rubber ring, so it was only 1 testicle that needed doing. Then we swung by another farm where another vet was doing a LDA, but by the time we got there she was getting stitched up so we didn't really do much. Then we went to a farm that had had 4 abortions in the last month 2 of which were yesterday, so we went to go get some samples to send off and the vet let me take the bloods! So that was cool, and it came out right away so I didn't look like a complete arse.  Then it was time for lunch back at the surgery. After lunch we went out to see a down cow and gave her a bottle of Ca. Afterwards me and the other student here went to go see a calving. The calf was dead but it was really hard to get out because its head was back. Eventually they were able to crank it out with the jack, but it took a lot of time and a LOT of lube. After that the day was pretty much finished so we headed to the co-op and then home~

Made it to Ayr!

Well it's not like it was far away! But after a night to FINALLY get to sleep in my own bed (which was glorious) I re packed all my washing and headed here. Andy was nice enough to drive me, which was great since getting here would have been a real chore with the games ending today. So it was smooth sailing and that meant I had the whole day to relax before coming. I also got the room with the eat internet apparently, woo! Hopefully I'll have some good stories to share from these upcoming two weeks!

Last day!

Today was my last day up here in Orkney. It's crazy how fast time has gone and it's been such a great experience! I waited a bit in the office for ops to finish up and then hit the road to go to a routine dairy visit where we scanned 18 coos and I followed up and rectaled them! I got to see the foetuses on the ultrasound screen too, so it was great! Plus it was nice to get back to a dairy! Then we went back to the surgery for lunch. Later I went to go see a heifer that was felling off and it seemed like she had photo sensitivity which apparently is fairly common here. Then we went to go re bandage a horse leg, which was a typical horse visit. That being said the leg was looking great! When we got back to the surgery I saw pictures of what it looked like initially and it's gotten so much better it's insane. Then we just hung around the surgery for a bit and it was time to leave! I also made them all snickerdoodles, and they were gone by the time I left, so that was good! Now I'm all packed and ready to head back to Glasgow to do some washing and finally sleep in my own bed!!!

Babies!

Today was a pretty busy day since 2 of the vets were on different islands so there was only 1 vet doing calls so we bounced around quite a bit. First we went to go see a calf that wasn't doing so well. But when we got there the calf was flat out and even the farmer seemed surprised that it had gone downhill so quickly. We tried to find a Vein to get some steroids in it and eventually fluids but before we could even get some drugs in it it started trying to die. So then we decided that we should just euthanize it but even before we could inject some euthasol it died. That was a real shame, but it had gone from running away from the farmer in the morning to lying dead so quickly there really wasn't much we could have done. It was also really cold and pale so it was most likely in shock and just crashed. Then we went to go see about a bull that was lame. He was sort of walking a bit stuff but wasn't hopping lame, so it wasn't quite time for him to go down the road, so we have him some metacam and rest. Then we got a call about a calving waaaaay at the other end of Orkney. So we drove to go see her and she was just starting to calve  but was just dilated enough to get a hand through, but that was it. So we decided to let her wait for a wee while since it was too soon to do much about it yet. Then we headed back to the surgery for lunch. Then we got a call about some heifer coos that weren't thriving even though their calves were doing well. So we went to take bloods and faecal samples from them to test for any vitamin/mieral deficiencies, johnes, and worms. So we'll see how that pans out. It was a bit unusual. Then finally we got the call we had been waiting for and went back to calve that coo and we pulled a lovely healthy little heifer calf from her! So all in all it was a good day! And tomorrow is my last day here, so crazy that it's almost

Over!

Small Animal Day

Today was another mostly small animal day, but it was kid of windy outside today so maybe that wasn't such a terrible thing! I saw a bitch spay, a rabbit neuter, helped take some radiographs and then saw a cat spay. Pretty standard, though I had never seen a rabbit castrate before so that was interesting. After lunch a call came in that there was a coo that had tried to jump a fence and had cut her test so we went to go stitch it up which was cool! Other than that it was a pretty slow day, but trying to see some stuff before I leave since I only have a few days left here!

Slow day

Today was a pretty slow day. In the morning we went and took bloods from some sheep and then went to go look at a lame bull. The poor bull was 4/5 lame, and had been that way for 2 weeks, so we decided that he needed to be euthanized. Fortunately he was insured, so we called the insurance people to make sure that if we euthanized him the insurance would still pay, but they said try would, so that was good. Then we stayed at the surgery for most of the day. A lamb came in that the farmer thought had cerebral cortical necrosis, but it looked like more that he has some sort of brain abscess so with euthanized him as well. And then a kitten came in that someone found and we euthanized him as well. So when it rains it pours I guess. Then I sat in on part of a dental, but mostly read some books. Then at 5:25 (phones are off at 6) we got a call about toxic mastitis. So I went with the vet to that. I learned about how to give fluids to cows, so that was pretty cool! So even though it was late it was interesting, plus I got to see a dairy coo, which I haven't seen since being here! 

Cow tipping!

Today turned into a pretty full day which was nice! I started it out by doing some herd health plans, pretty standard, but they are always nice to hear. Then we came back to the practice for lunch and then I hopped on board with one of the vets to go see a bull. Before that we stopped at a farm and vaccinated a pony, but just a vaccine turned into look at my horse look at this thing and we ended up having to stay there for a while. Then we went to a farm to go look at a lame bull. We took the cow tipper with us, which is basically a crush that turns sideways so you can access all of the cows feet. It was pretty amazing and it seems like the easiest way to do it. We didn't really find anything, but it was good to look at foot trimming since I haven't seen that in a while. Then we stopped at a house to euthanize an old cat, which was sad, but he was pretty far gone at that point so it was a good thing. By the time we were done with everything it was 6! So it turned into quite a day!

Scapa scuba!

Today I faced my fears and went scuba diving!! Whej I saw it was something that I could do while I was here I thought that this seemed like a great opportunity to so something that I'm pretty terrified of. I got picked up at the cathedral and 9:30 and we headed out to the little bay where we were going. In true Orkney style it's in a sheep paddock, so a few times the sheep were a bit cheeky and came to see what was going on. When we got there we signed our lives away and started with our intro stuff. I was so nervous during the introduction I almost started crying, as much as I hate to admit it, so I wasn't holding out much hope that it was going to go smoothly. But when I came to be my turn I got suited up! So because we are so far north the water is obviously cold. So I was in a dry suit, something I also have never done. It was really weird getting into this full body with feet rubber suite thing with lube to get my hands out and it was like being born getting my head out of that thing. Basically i was stuck with my arms straight out in this thing, it was crazy. Then I hobbled down close to the water to put on my hood, gloves, weights, and tank. So dry suit diving is very different then being in a normal wet suit. It inflates and so does your backpack that has your tank also inflates so you float at the top and then need to be deflated for you to sink. Then I got my mask and went into the water to meet the instructor. He

Put my find on and then we did a little training session so make sure I knew how everything worked and everything was good. The only thing that I had a problem with was my mask so I got really good and clearing out the water from my mask since I think I have a weird face because masks never work on me. But ther than that it was really fun! I was able to equalize and I saw some sunken ship bits, crabs, a flat fish and little schools of fish! It turned into a really great day! There was sun, great people, I had a good time, sheep came out and it was really fun! They told me a few places off the west that have good diving so it's something I may try again! I'm really glad that I did it, though I did get a bit burned. Afterwards they dropped me back at the cathedral and I had lunch in town before heading back to the hostel to just chill. I'm totally knackered as it was a looong day, but great!

Herd health

Today was the most gorgeous day! It was so sunny and lovely it was amazing! It was a pretty slow day, we spent it going from farm to farm doing herd health plans, which can be a bit boring, it's basically paperwork, but I think they're interesting since I get to lean about common problems on the farms and various things that the farmers and the vets are looking for and keeping an eye on. Plus we usually get invited for tea and buscuits, so can't complain! It actually was kind of nice that we didn't need to put our water proofs on since it was so warm, and basically I got to drive around the countryside on a glorious day!

Then I decided that sitting around the hostel is getting quite boring, so I signed up for the gym across the street. It's actually quite nice, probably nicer than Glasgow! So that'll give me something to do after work from now on!

Crazy day!

Today was a busy day! It started out a little uneventful and there were so many people at the hostel I was ready to leave, so it started out a bit annoying. And then the only case that came through the other vet student pounced on, so I was a little bored sitting at the surgery. So I decided to make it a small animal day instead and bug all those vets. It was not the most interesting cases coming through, but not every case is. Then I got to head out to one of the coolest cases yet! So the car is a bit funny. This farm has been here for ages, and around 5 years ago they started having problems with scouring cows, but older cows not calves. Some of these cows die and some of them don't but never really get back to weight again, so they're effected for life basically. They've run every test and nothing has come back with a definite answer so they had someone from the lab come and do a PM had took samples of the whole cow and that still came back with nothing. The vet has done another PM and still nothing. They have Johnes on the farm but it doesn't really fit with the clinical picture since the coos scoring higher on the test aren't those that are having problems. So we got to the farm after picking up the woman from the lab from the ferry and we saw the coo in question. She was flat out and I thought she was dead. Well she wasn't and the vet took out his shotgun and shot her, so that was certainly somethig new. Then we proceeded so cut we up and sample pretty much everything. But still it was weird there wasn't anything glaringly obvious in there. Her abomasum was a little leathery and there was minor ulceration, so they were thinking maybe ostertagia, but really there wasn't anything glaringly obvious, so the plot thickens. I mostly helped with sampling stuff, and now my hands smell like cow poo. Then there was most small animal stuff, not much worth writing about particularly, but all in all it turned into a busy day! Now just chilling and watching the common wealth games!

Getting the hang of things!

Today I got to do a fair amount of stuff, so even though it's slow I'm getting to see some interesting stuff! First we want out and did some scans on some coos to see if they were in calf. Then we dis-budded with the torch. I don't think I've ever seen them done so young, and the vet even let me inject the lidocaine! And the calf didn't feel it so it worked! Then we went to another farm and took bloods off a few ewes. After we went back I the surgery and had lunch. After we went out and took bloods off a bunch of ewes and I even got to do a few! I'm getting better at it, I was slightly less covered in blood and got it on the first time a few times! Then we went to another farm to see if some coos were in calf and I got to watch the scans on a screen which makes it a lot easier to see what's going on in there. Also I got to rectal then after each scan to see what was going in and get some practice. There were only 3 coos and the farmer was really nice, and only 1 was in calf so it was relatively quick. After that that was us done for the day! It's crazy how fast the day goes when you're having fun and driving to each place after another. Fun times!

Sun!

Today there was a bit more to do, but mostly it was herd health plans. First we

Went to a farm and took bloods on 40 sheep to test for enzootic abortion. After a while the vet let me do it! There were some where I got the sample right away, and some where I basically got blood all over my hands. But it was still fun and it takes practice to get blood off a sheep trying quite hard to get away from you. Then we went to a few farms and did herd health plans and we took bloods off some yearling cows, who also were not too keep on it. I tried on 1 cow, and again most of it went on my hands, so some day I'll be able to take blood without it getting everywhere! But I suppose practice makes perfect! Also it was just a beautiful day, so it was do nice  outside today! So being up on the farms in the sun with the sheep over the ocean was really just spectacular!

Tourist day

Today was my first full day in Orkney. I woke up fairy early because the hop on hop off tour leaves at 10, so I had to get over there in time. I had my breakfast, got dressed, and headed out! I've also. Ow discovered it only takes 6 min to get to the vets so that's good, and the "long walk" it took to get to my hostel was really only like 10 min, nothing is too far away around here. 

So I hopped on the bus and for £8 I'm getting a pretty extensive toyr of the island, so pretty great actually! It's foggy unfortunately, so there were a few times where we stopped to "look" at things but they were too foggy to see. However, there are a spectacular amount or cows and sheep here, so I'm fine with this whole drive around and look at cows, sort of a preview for next week! After we

Stopped to pick up some people in stromness and the stopped at scara brae, a Neolithic town that was uncovered by a storm in the 70s. It was actually really impressive. The pictures that I had seen online were kind of meh looking but it was really nice. It's right on a lovely beach that I also went on it they re-created one of the rooms. They lived all underground like hobbits and their beds a dressers were still intact. It was really cool! I went down to the beach for a bit and looked at some tide pools, which were unfortunately empty, and then wandered back up. There is a large house attached that is apparently where the fellow how discovered it lived but I didn't have enough time to see it not was I particularly interested since I wanted to go to the gift shop and get a coffee before I missed the bus. 

The bus ended up leaving late anyway, we were waitin for some others in our group, so I guess this really is more of a tour and less hop on and off, but that's good that no one will get stranded since all these places are in the middle of nowhere! We then went to the ring of brodger which is basically Scotland's Stonehenge. We didn't stop for too long but there also isn't that much to do but take pictures, but it was quite scenic with all the wild flowers and they smelled really nice. It's also cool that you can get close to them.

Then we drove back into town and I wandered around trying to figure out what to do. I decided to walk up to the distillery but unfortunately all the tours were closed, so I had to walk back into town again. Then I went to a pub to get out of the rain and ended up meeting some other tourists and chatting for quite a while. When I got home I was surprised to find that my empty room was now full. So I felt bad waking them up but no one told me they were coming so I didn't know to be quiet. 

Back to work

Today was my first day at the vets! It's good so far, everyone's really nice and so far it's been good. We went to see a prolapsed cow which was really cool! The poor cows uterus was really swollen, but the vet managed to get it back in so that was good! Then I went with another vet to go give a new puppy vaccines and she was super cute. Then we went and saw some cows that had been frothy and breathing heavily. It was so great to get out in the paddock with the cows as they were all so friendly! So far it's been good, they seek like they're going to let me do stuff which is good, so hopefully it's a productive 2 weeks!

Back to work

Today was my first day at the vets! It's good so far, everyone's really nice and so far it's been good. We went to see a prolapsed cow which was really cool! The poor cows uterus was really swollen, but the vet managed to get it back in so that was good! Then I went with another vet to go give a new puppy vaccines and she was super cute. Then we went and saw some cows that had been frothy and breathing heavily. It was so great to get out in the paddock with the cows as they were all so friendly! So far it's been good, they seek like they're going to let me do stuff which is good, so hopefully it's a productive 2 weeks!

Back to work

Today was my first day at the vets! It's good so far, everyone's really nice and so far it's been good. We went to see a prolapsed cow which was really cool! The poor cows uterus was really swollen, but the vet managed to get it back in so that was good! Then I went with another vet to go give a new puppy vaccines and she was super cute. Then we went and saw some cows that had been frothy and breathing heavily. It was so great to get out in the paddock with the cows as they were all so friendly! So far it's been good, they seek like they're going to let me do stuff which is good, so hopefully it's a productive 2 weeks!

Off to Orkney!

Today I head to Orkney finally! It's been a fairly uneentful week, but I got to clean the flat and see some people and just relax a bit before I go straight for the next 9 weeks and then school starts! Andy drove me to the airport so I didn't have to get a cab (yay!) and then I breezed through security and had some coffee before I went to the gate. This plane is so tiny! We were all taking pictures, so I was glad that I wasn't the only one taken aback for a minute by how small it was! It was a quick flight and I landed! It's really pretty here, all farm land and greens hills, very lovely. I went into the airport and collected my bag and inquired about getting a taxi. They woman, who was very nice and helpful, said IF there's one it would be right outside, otherwise the bus is coming soon and I could then take a taxi from the city, saving me money. Well there was no taxi, so bus it was! For only £1.40 I hopped on the bus, but with no 3G I was more or less winging it as to were I was going. At the terminal (I just got off when a bunch of other people did) the fellow at the visitor centre told me where I could get a taxi, easy! But then I got there and there was a taxi, but no people, so that was a bust. Fortunately the guy gave me a map and shower me where my hostel was before sending me on a wild taxi chase, so I figured I'd try to find this place with my map. Luckily for once in my life I made it there without having to turn around 50 times! I collected my keys and (so far) it looks like I may have the room to myself, at least

For the time being. Then I headed out to explore a bit, do some sight seeing, get some food, etc. I went to a place called skippers and had garlic mushrooms and this crazy good cheese sandwich thing. I figured is try it since they're big into local produce here and the menu said it was and it was so good! That and a pint really hit the spot after traveling. Then as I went outside to walk around it started to rain, so I took shelter In a tea shop and had a coffee and a coffee cake (also amazing) and waited out the storm and read a bit. There was a craft fair on in town so I wandered around there for a bit, and went into the cathedral that's pretty much the big attraction here. After I wandered around the cemetery attached which was really lovely and met a cat! Across the street was a museum so I went in there for a bit and then went to the 2 old castles that are across the street from the cathedral. The older of the 2 had really nice views. Then I meandered around for a little since it was too late to really go anywhere else so I just explored a little more, at which point it started to rain, again. So I went into a touristy shop that had a cafe attached and got an early dinner before heading back towards the hostel. On the way I stopped at tesco for some groceries and finally got back to the hostel. The fellow who owns it was back and fixing up my room, and so far it looks like I have the room to myself! At least for now. I'm pretty tired from today so I think tonight I'm mostly going to read and sleep, it's also pretty ugly outside so there's no real draw to going anywhere at the moment! 

Cleaning cleaning cleaning!

Well its my week off, and I'm already bored out of my mind! Good thing I only booked myself 1 week off, or I'd go nuts! Really I'm just deep cleaning everything so its nice and clean for when I get back and basically starts school, so just getting everything sorted more or less. I'm also trying to figure out what to do while I'm in Orkney. Apparently you can scuba dive these old wrecks off the coast, which sounds cool but absolutely terrifying, so I'm contemplating that. My concerns are 1 that I'm terrified of sunken ships for no reason, though that almost makes me want to do it, but also last time I tried to scuba I couldn't equalize so I don't want to have that problem again, so we shall see. Other than that, its pretty boring here, only 3 more days though!!

Last night shift!

Last night was my last night shift! It was pretty uneventful, an emergency came in that was collapsed, and it was really weird because it was basically brain dead but still had a heart beat and was breathing but had no pupil reflexes and looked pretty poorly. Eventually it almost stopped breathing so we were ventilating it and we couldn't really figure out what was wrong with it, so we ended up having to euthanize. A dog came in that the police found wandering around the streets and the owner ended up coming in a claiming him! So that was great. It was a pretty slow night, and I found out that one of the vets was one of my professors wife! Small world! But I'm done now with that shift so yay! Today we went shopping in Edinburgh and got some waterproofs and stuff to wear during my future EMS placements. Then we went downtown and I got some more stuff, and I think FINALLY I'm more or less sorted for my upcoming placements. I'm REALLY excited for these ones coming up, and its made this last week really drag, but only one more week! Then we went to a new pub called Drygate and it was great, it was so nice to see everyone I havent seen in a bit and sort of in the calm before the storm and we're all over the place again before school starts. Crazy that the summer is flying by, I can't believe the time already! So I have next week off to get my life sorted out. Then I have 2 weeks in Orkney, then 2 weeks in Ayr, then 2 weeks in Yorkshire all with large animal, then I'm home and doing 2 weeks locally where I can commute in and out of the practice. Then I have a few days, then we go to Iceland and then school starts! Its going to we a whirlwind, but I'm really excited!

RTAs for days

Tonight there were a bunch of RTAs that came in, some better looking than others. It was also a night of shite clients, and really I was pretty glad to get out of there when I was finished, on time for once! There was a super cute puppy that had been hit and had a fractured radius/ulna, she was a PDSA dog so we couldnt do rads, but we pumped her full of pain killers and splinted her leg and she was fine. Then a cat came in that had had a badly fractured hock for AT LEAST 24 hours, and this owner was saying oh well i dont want him to be suffering anymore, but I cant get to the vet until 4:30 tomorrow and its been like this since the day before yesterday, meanwhile this cats foot is basically hanging off his body. So that was a pretty irritating client, hopefully she sorted her shit out and took care of her cat, because she was very irritating. Then another RTA cat came in, but this one seemed better, she probably just got clipped and was bleeding a bit. Then another cat came in that was really sad. His nails were curved almost into his paws and he was really smelly and emaciated and when we fed him he started purring. We weren't sure if he belonged to someone or not, but unfortunately he had to be euthanised which was super sad. I really wanted to take him home and run a bunch of tests on him, but then had to remind myself that I don't really have thousands of spare pounds to put into this cat thats probably dying anyway. Other than that it really was a pretty slow night. I saw the plate that the surgeon put into the cat that had a fractured pelvis, which was really cool, and he seemed to be recovering well. Also the pup that had all those adhesions is doing well, I gave him some cuddles last night since I was bored, perks of working in an animal hospital, when you're bored you can play with puppies! Crazy that tomorrow is my last day, so hopefully I'll see some interesting things, though its the interns last day as well, so I foresee lots of cake and a pretty chill day, but who knows!

Late nights

Today I got to scrub in properly on a surgery! It was exciting to get to practice all that we've learned and put them to use. It was supposed to be a foreign body removal, but once we got in there there wasn't anything to remove! Though the pup did have some diarrhoea in his colon, which was expressed during the surgery. It was pretty bloody and the dog ended up being parvo negative, so he was put into isolation since we don;t actually know what he had. I also ran some PCVs and did cytology on bloody fluid (presumably urine from a cats abdomen) to see what was going on in there. Also a dog came in who ate concrete! Why a dog would want to eat concrete is beyond me, but it happened so there you go. His prognosis looks pretty grim based on the print out from poison control, so when I come in today we'll see what ended up happening to him. Its a shame because hes a pretty sweet dog, so we'll see how that goes. We had to euthanize a kitten which was pretty sad. Also a cat was in that had fractured his pelvis, so I got to see those radiographs. I tried to get out of there on time for once, but got caught up reading the cytology, so I still got out a midnight, but its only for a few more days then I can sleep!

Surgery day

Today I got to sit in on an ex lap on a 18 month of cocker. He had vomited a sock the previous day, so they were concerned he had a foreign body, and when we scanned his abdomen there was some fluid in his intestine so we decided to go in. Also previously this dog had had a foreign body removal because he had eaten a bunch of gravel. So we took him into the theater and they taught and then let me take the blood pressure, so new skill! When we got in there there were adhesions everywhere that had strangulated the dogs intestines to the point that they were purple, so everyone was pretty glad that we didn't wait until tomorrow to do the surgery. We ended up removing the adhesions and also did an intestinal resection of an area that was dead. So it was pretty cool to see that. The whole surgery took an hour and a half, so it took up a bunch of time. Other than that there wasn't a ton of stuff. A dog came in with hypocalcaemia from having fat puppies draining her dry, and the odd vomiting dog, but nothing really exciting. 

Working Nights!

I've started my night shift at the emergency place and FINALLY stuff is coming in! And since it was steady, but not totally slammed with actual emergencies the head night vet let me do the clinical exams, take the histories, and do my own write ups! It was great! Also I diagnosed a crazy loud heart murmur and that this dog had decompensated and had a belly full of fluid, he even let me do the ultrasound! So I got to basically do the whole thing from start to finish, which was awesome. Though its still sad to do emergency, a dog came in that he injured his back jumping and couldn't use his back legs. We ended up having to euthanize him, which was really sad, the owners were gutted, and it was tough because there wasn't anything so obviously wrong on radiograph where we could definitively say heres the problem, but the prognosis was guarded and there was no guarantee that he would be able to walk again. There was also a cat was a really bad hock fracture, I wish we could have taken radiographs, but they were a PDSA patient so we can't do much to treat them because it would be charging the charity a lot of money. There was also a blocked cat and I heard there was an abscess that came in but I didn't see that, alas. There was so much coming in I ended up staying later than the subway ran, so I ended up taking a taxi home, but it was nice to finally see some cases and grow in my confidence level! Hopefully more stuff comes in tonight! Though these nights may totally mess up my sleep schedule, I went to bed at 2 and woke up at noon! Also I booked 2 more weeks of EMS at the end of the summer to see some small animal practice about an hour away from the flat so by the end of the summer I'll have 19 weeks of clinical EMS (assuming that school counts it all) so that puts me in a pretty good place going into 5th year! I'll only need 7 weeks and I have 16 weeks blocked off to do it!

Not Much Happening

Its been a slow couple of days at the hospital. The kitten that came in the other day we took to surgery and surgically repaired her distal humeral fracture. It was a littler nerve wracking for the vet, think operating on a chicken leg, but she recovered very well, that cheeky monkey! We also used sevo on her, which I had never seen before so that was pretty cool. There haven't been a ton of cases, thats the crux of working referral, but what can you do. I came in Friday and there were a bunch of puppies and a snake came in, so that was super adorable! Then a cat came in with a large abdominal mass that we did a FNA on and they let me read it and I correctly diagnosed it! So considering that I accidentally wiped off 2 blood smears (like a total tard) it was a much better end to the day, though not for the cat. Other than that there hasn't been much going on, I might pop in over the weekend to see if there are any interesting cases, and I work out of hours next week so hopefully some cool stuff comes in! Though everyone there has been really nice and helpful, theres an intern there that when it's slow we sort of talk things through. I feel like this week has been a preview to 5th year which is both exciting and terrifying! Its getting real!

also theres my 5th year schedule

Long day

Today was a pretty long day at the hospital. It was busy, but there was just enough time in between that it dragged a bit, but I still learned a bunch! First I saw a cat that was going home that had an oesophagostomy tube that we had to take out because it had fractured its jaw. While prepping the cat to go home we pulled 210 ml of urine out of it! That was pretty crazy. Then we were supposed to do a cruciate repair, but after doing an assessment we determined that we didn't actually have to do the surgery, which was good for the dog, but a little boring for me. Then I got to sit in on an eco with a super cute chihuahua. It had a murmur that even I could hear! And it ended up having a PDA and it was really cool to see it! Then we did an eco on a massive, and I mean massive, cat. He was super cuddly, and we were investigating a murmur they found during a routine check for a pre-dental. It ended up that he had SAM, which is a systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve. Apparently its common in cats that have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, so I learned something new! Then I saw some crystals in some dog urine, very cool, and some rads of a dog with lumbosacral stenosis. We talked about some bloods with one of the vets and my path knowledge hasn't totally fallen out of my head yet, so that was all good. Then I saw a broncho-alveolar lavage, which was super cool! It's one of those procedures that are sort of thrown into our lectures as something you can do, but it seemed so difficult and dangerous it was really interesting to actually see one! Fortunately the cat is (as far as I know) recovering well, he was trying to escape from the oxygen box and looked pretty pleased in his litter box when I left. After that we had a little tutorial with the ultrasonographer who works there looking at various radiographs of different bone tumours which was really interesting and super helpful! Then at the end of the day we unfortunately had to euthanise a really super puppy who came in yesterday and just had a heap of problems. I was pretty sad that she had to be put to sleep, but she was having issues and it didn't really seem like it was going to be feasible to fix a lot of them, so I wasn't terribly surprised. After that there wasn't much to do, so I headed home for some much needed rest! Also mom and kel left this morning so now my flats a little quiet, and since Ash leaves tomorrow it's going to get even quieter! Its going to be weird!

Also I got my 5th year schedule!! Woot!