Third Year Life Update

First real round of exams coming up next week. Avian Med/Renal (why they put those two subjects in one class together I don't know), Anesthesiology/Fluids, and Toxicology. We already took one CAM (Companion Animal Med) exam and I did decent on it (studied for a total of one day or so and KJ and I were dying of colds at the same time) so I'm not too worried about avian/renal. Tox will be a difficult one just because I don't love straight up memorization. I made a really scary excel chart comparing all the toxins so I only need to memorize 20 pages of size 10 font. No big deal.

Finger is doing decent. Okay, actually it really sucks not to be able to bend my finger like I used to, but therapy is going all right and they tell me it is slowly improving. We started large animal palpation two weeks ago (equine and bovine) so I get to palpate with my right hand instead of my left but its not a huge inconvenience. I enjoy palpation - I can honestly say I have never been up to my shoulder in the rectum of anything before, nor have I been projectile urinated/defecated on - truly a humbling experience - but I like it! Its a like a puzzle inside the rectum of an animal - trying to find cervix, uterine horns, ovaries, follicles, caruncles, etc. Oh the world of therio - it is a nice way to end my week. I'll probably be complaining when the weather turns and I am layered up under my bibs trying to stay warm, but hey - no one ever called veterinary medicine glamorous!

Here is an update on the fur kids:Benjamin at the farm (note KJ in the background).

Quoddy being helpful... and throwing my highlighters on the floor.

My dogs that believe they are cats by sitting on the back of the sofa.

I call Marley (the fish) Pacino-TV. He just discovered the fish that has been there for over a year.

The loves of my life. I need to take some better pictures of them! Wish me luck on the exams. I'll probably be posting more, seeing as it is exam time and I need ways to avoid studying. Cheers!

So I'm a third year... now what?

Third year has started - which means we have no more big breaks between now and graduation. We still have the standard Thanksgiving and Spring Breaks, but Winter Break is cut down to two weeks and summers off are now just a memory. May 2012, are you here yet?

The classes so far have been MUCH more interesting than the last two years. I am loving intro to surgery and actually doing something with my hands other than typing, highlighting, and writing notes. It is hard to keep our schedule straight - since it can vary from week to week depending on lab schedules and what not - but I enjoy the labs a lot. We have theriogenology this semester - so we get to palpate and preg check and ultrasound and all sorts of good stuff - most of which I'll never do again on production animals, but some of it should correlate to dogs and cats. It has been little tough with all the hands on work since I broke my finger in July. Broke my finger you ask? Doesn't sound so bad!... until you see the x-rays. I fractured my proximal phalanx on my left middle finger. "Fractured" meaning I broke it into 3 or 4 pieces (a nasty spiral fracture accompanied by a large piece of bone no where near where it was supposed to be) that had to be put back together surgically with a metal plate and four screws. Needless to say, my dexterity has decreased significantly and its really obnoxious to deal with. I actually fractured my index finger as well on that hand - but the surgeon said not to worry about it, and it has healed quite nicely. I'm in the process of doing rehab on the middle finger... stay tuned...

Anyway, our class is drama as always. Choosing seats in a lecture hall shouldn't be a cause for confrontation and ridiculous behavior. That being said, I do like my seat. Last row... *cough, caudal club, cough*... but I'm not going to fight someone over it and if I get to class late and someone else is chilling in my seat, I'll go sit somewhere else. No big deal.

Lastly, KJ and I have been engaged for a year today! We had date night at our favorite sushi restaurant in town and we dressed up and looked adorable and had a fabulous time eating sushi and drinking expensive drinks :)

Typical Morning Shenanigans...and a Lesson in Pet Care

I may be the electronic notes representative for our class, but I just learned how to post pictures to my blog. You can start judging me... now.

These are the furry children from the left on a typical morning: Pacino, Quoddy, Jasmine, Ben (and KJ's face)

Ben sleeps like a little person...

They get super cuddly when its cold out and the fleece sheets are on the bed!

True puppy love.

I love these guys like no other. They make us smile and are constantly entertaining us. I know not everyone is as lucky as we are to have two dogs and two cats that genuinely enjoy each other's company - I know that we are lucky. When I have a tough day at school and open the door to see them all cuddling on the couch, it reminds me why I do what I do.

Veterinary medicine is very challenging, yet so rewarding. This summer has been a good lesson in trials and tribulations that go along with a high volume clinic, but I never doubt how much these doctors care about their patients and the lengths that they go to to help the animals and their owners. This afternoon I had a rude awakening that not all owners see their dogs as part of their family. We had an incredibly adorable and young cocker spaniel in for grooming who was a very nervous nellie and marked "careful". She bit one of the kennel girls and looked so pitifully scared while sitting in her kennel. When the owner came to pick her up, I got her out of her kennel (bite-free!) and brought her to the front while sweet talking her the entire time. She took one look at the owner and tried to run back to the kennel. I handed him the leash and he proceeded to grab her and shove her into a cat carrier that was never meant to hold anything larger than a 10 pound cat. This sweet 25-30 pound cocker spaniel couldn't stand up, turn around, or MOVE at all inside that small space. Poor baby. No wonder she acts the way she does. It really bothered me the rest of the day and although this isn't a huge problem - I just wonder how she gets treated at home...

Shared Holiday

Happy Father's day!  and Happy birthday to me!  I can't believe I am 26 years old.  Last night at my cousin's graduation party, someone asked if I was one of my cousin's friends.  My cousin is 17 and just graduated from high school.  Yikes!  Which makes me wonder - Am I going to be taken seriously as a doctor when I graduate?  Or will the clients ask for the "real doctor"?  But I was then told that it is a good thing that I look younger than my age and I will appreciate it one day :)

Interesting case presented on Thursday.  A MN three year old corgi presented with ataxia, difficulty walking/standing on his own, and couldn't keep his head up right (it kept rolling to either side).  The dog look neurologic, with no nystagmus present.  Ran bloodwork - unremarkable other then hypokalemia (value was 2.9).  Rads were fine as well.  Owner insisted there was no way the dog could have gotten into anything (typical).  Ended up recommending that they go to the teaching hospital (where I go to school - about 15 minutes away).  Apparently the owner dropped off the dog and returned home to search the house for anything the dog may have gotten into.  She then discovered that a 1/2 loaf of rye bread dough was missing that she had thrown away.  The dog had eaten it and the dough was fermenting - meaning the dog was essentially drunk!  The dog is doing fine and is home again after a nasty hangover the next morning.  

Which is how I feel right now - graduation party for six hours is a lot of time to drink a lot of beer.  I'm not really looking forward to my 8 mile run this morning... may have to trim that down a bit :)

I'm still a bad blogger.

I love reading other blogs - I check for updates daily. For whatever reason, I've been really bad at keeping up with my own blog, which is weird since I have written diaries/journals for the majority of my life! I am going to make a conscious effort to write and to let you in to the realities of veterinary school and the daily life of a veterinary student - as well as talking about the loves of life (my fiance - KJ, the animals, running, etc).

Anywho - summer is here! What a long and twisty road this past year was! I ended up with pretty great grades considering how difficult spring semester was. The funny thing is that for most of the classes, I had the lowest percentage possible to achieve the letter grade I wanted - but hey, I still did it!

This summer, I am working in the diagnostic lab at school (my regular school year job) and working at my fiance's mom's animal hospital just east of where we live and go to school. It was a large adjustment going from a sedentary student lifestyle to being on our feet all day at work but I'm getting in the groove now and really starting to enjoy it. There have been a number of interesting cases (rodenticide toxicity, possible Blasto case, and many moore) and KJ and I have been getting to "play doctor" and doing a lot of the pre-op bloodwork along anything else they let us do.

I'm starting marathon training in a couple weeks - it is a 16 week program and the goal is the Indianapolis marathon on October 16th. Side goal is to lose about 10 pounds before vacation in August :) KJ and I have been lifting/running in the mornings before work and its going pretty well so far, so I really hope that continues.

The animals are great as always. Still keeping an eye out for any lumps or bumps on Ben (our pti bull). He had a low grade 2 mast cell tumor removed from his scrotum late last year, so he doesn't have that lovely "flap" anymore!

That is life for right now. The dogs are whining at me so I guess its time for dinner!

Spring Break!

The week from hell is over! I should probably say weeks, but lets be honest - the exams are the worst part. We had our first Pathology of organ systems exam, Dermatology, Pharm, and a Clin Path quiz (which are worth 10% of the grade, so they shouldn't be blown off!). Good news - scored a B on the organ path exam and 10/10 on the clin path quiz. Brilliant (not really) - but I'm really happy about those grades. Unfortunately, I'm fairly certain that the other two exams didn't go nearly as well, but they may make us wait until break is over the release the exam scores. I hate when they do that! It is so hard to believe that there is only a month and a half left of second year. It feels like we haven't learned much in the time we've been here, but sometimes I surprise myself by what I've retained so far.

Today, fiancee and I have a wedding to go to and I'm treating myself to a hair cut/style for the wedding. It's been a long time since I dressed up and looked pretty, so I'm excited to relax and not worry about school! I need to get a short run in before the hair cut (I'm falling behind in half-marathon training) so I'm going to take the pups on this pretty day :) Happy Saturday!

Wasting Time

One rule: Bold the items that you have done in your life.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightening storm
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Received flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been a passenger on a motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Got a tattoo
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

I'd love to do more of these, although there a few that (God willing) will not happen for years - *cough, having a baby, cough* I'd better be at least 30 before that biological clock begins ticking! I see friends having babies and while that is all well and good for them and I'm sure they are happy - that is the very last thing I want at this point in my life. I am more than content living in the zoo that is our house. I love when we come home and see all the animals in the living room cuddled together (yes, both cats and both dogs). I even think its hilarious when I don't get up right away to feed the animals and the cats have "kitty royal rumble" around the bedroom and the hallway. I believe that has to be some kind of lingering biological predator trait. I love sitting in our backyard, dreaming about the farm that we'll move into when we graduate and about the horses that we'll buy. I tell the dogs they are going to be "farm dogs" - but they only have to hear the word "farm" to get all excited anyways.

The life of a vet student is harder than most people can imagine. Eventually, I'll be able to do any and all of those things on that list if I choose to (I'd even like to go hunting) - but until then, I'm really happy in our little house with our little zoo (dog, dog, cat, cat, fish, fiancee) just making it one day at a time.