One More Day!

Tomorrow is graduation, hard to believe that it is that time already!  This Sunday was senior banquet.  I enjoyed socializing with my classmates and of course stuffing my face.  

BMac and I at senior banquet:

Monday morning brought a meeting about graduation, followed by lunch supplied by the Dean's office.  Then from 1-5pm we enjoyed accreditation training which was really boring.  Since Monday afternoon though I've been off, trying to get packed up, spending time with classmates, playing basketball, and even tried my hand at a driving range for the first time ever.  Let's just say that if I ever wanted to become a professional golfer I have a long road ahead of me! 

Yesterday I stopped by the Brittanys' apartment to bid adios to their other roommate Haley who I have gotten to know quite well.  Then it was off to grab our graduation garb and then we took some pictures in our garb as yesterday was the last sunny day before graduation.  

Haley and I

Now it's just waiting 'til graduation tomorrow (and continuing to pack of course).  I'm looking forward to a lot of family coming down for graduation!

Last Week!

This is the last week!  This morning I had a meeting about graduation.  Now I'm sitting in an extremely boring accreditation training session that is taking all afternoon.  I'm getting super antsy for sure!  After today I have no school things at all until graduation Friday evening so will be packing, and getting ready for graduation and subsequent activities.

One More Week!

Today marks the first day of my last week of clinics.  Last week and this week I am on small animal internal medicine.  I have been enjoying it although today is a little long 'cuz I don't have a patient.  Once next Monday hits I will be done with clinics forever, hallelujah! 

4/28

The rest of last week went pretty uneventfully.  I left for Eureka Friday night and went to check out an apartment Saturday as well as checked out the new clinic that the place I am going to be working for will be moving into in July.  Sunday I was in Peoria, then headed back to Champaign.  

This week I began my last clinical rotation of school.  I am on small animal internal medicine.  Yesterday I had two appointments, a King Charles Cavalier Spaniel with enlarged lymph nodes and then a cocker spaniel who wasn't eating and had a fainting episode on Sunday.  Now today I have nothing.  Hard to believe I'm on my last rotation already!

Last Tuesday night I believe it was, I went over to the Brittanys' apartment to say good-bye to Brigitte, their roommate who I've gotten to know quite well over the last three years. She left this past weekend and will be gone for a month so I won't be seeing her anymore.  BMac took a picture of us since we didn't have any pictures together:

Catch Up

Wow, it's been awhile since I've wrote here.  Amazing how fast the time goes.  Last week I was on diagnostics so I was doing lots of necropsies and looking at slides of tissues under the microscope.  This week I'm on advanced dermatology so it's all things skin again.  I even had a german shepherd who was my patient two months ago when I was on my regular dermatology rotation.  I find dermatology interesting so it's nice to be on again.  Three weeks and two days 'til graduation!

4/11

This past week was semi-slow on critical care.  I currently have a cat who's urethra was blocked with either a stone or sludge, hard to tell.  He is scheduled to have a perineal urethrostomy done on Monday where they essentially make the urethra come out higher up, closer to his butt thus eliminating the tip of his urethra which is the smallest in diameter.  He is okay if you are just petting him but has a tendency to freak out and get aggressive when you start messing with him.  He has already bitten one of my classmates.  Monday morning I will hand him off to a different student as I will switch from critical care to diagnostic medicine (necropsies and looking at tissues under the microscope).

Went apartment shopping yesterday.  Checked out six places, was pretty burnt out by the time we got done.  Andrea wasn't burnt out but that's probably because she has built up a much higher shopping endurance level than I have ;)  Haven't settled on one yet but was nice to take a peek at a few.

Only one month and four days 'til graduation, can't believe it's so close!

Update

This past Saturday I was at school from 645AM til 230PM.  I had an 11 month old weimaraner who unfortunately was going to be euthanized Saturday evening.  Sunday I didn't have a transfer so was able to leave school earlier and head to Tremont for Easter.  Monday I had a dog that got into rodenticide and was able to send it home yesterday afternoon as it was doing well.  This morning I had a cat who had a string removed from its stomach and intestines transferred to me.  It will be going home tomorrow.  I've enjoyed critical care, had a good amount of varying cases between myself and my classmate Kelly. 

This Friday I am taking off of school and going to go apartment shopping, I'm sure it will be a blast!

Critical Care

This past week was my first week of two on critical care.  It was quite busy.  I had only one patient the whole week.  How does one patient keep me busy for a week? Well here's how:
15 year old dog
kidney disease
diabetes
bladder stones
head tremors
jerky head and front limb movements
minimally responsive at times
mentally dull
unable to use hind limbs
cataracts in both eyes
not eating at all
diarrhea

He was doing better near the beginning of the week but later on in the week he just seemed to go downhill.  It was too bad to see him get worse but when you're an old dog with failing kidneys and diabetes that isn't controlled it's just not a good deal.  I took over his case on Monday and I sent him home last evening with a tube going directly in the side of his neck into his esophagus so that he could be fed. 

While I kept this one case all week and didn't have another patient, my classmate who is on critical care with me had five animals.  Everytime she would get a patient it would either die or go home the next day so she was always available to take a transfer from the ER in the mornings.  So, while she changed patients a lot, I just kept chugging.  My guy was a ton of work though with his many medications and all the lines and tubes hooked up to him so I don't think I was slacking.

Today I had a young dog who has had some health problems and unfortunately will end up being euthanized tonight by another veterinarian.  So, if there are any transfers to critical care tomorrow morning I will be up first to take the new patient. 

Official Rotations Are Finished!

Yesterday was my last day on my official clinical rotations.  This coming week I begin my 6 weeks of professional development which really are more clinical rotations.  I really enjoyed my time on my WEAMS rotation.  Yesterday I had a snake and a cockatoo for patients.  Tuesday and Thursday I was at different zoos so got to see and help with a number of different animals including rabbits, goats, chinchillas, a snake, a degu, a turkey vulture, a wallaroo, a baby otter, a meerkat, zebras, an owl, a tree frog, a cockatoo, and probably a few more that I'm forgetting.  It was really interesting trying to learn about all these different animals that I don't know a ton about.  

This coming week I will be on my first professional development rotation, small animal critical care.  It is a two week rotation so will go until mid-April.  Beginning on Monday, the third years start their clinical rotations so it will be interesting to look in the rearview mirror and see what we looked like when we first started our rotations.  

In honor of our last official day on rotations, us students and doctors on WEAMS all wore bowties, it was fun to see the reactions of the other staff and students at the hospital and of the clients when they would see a bunch of us wearing bowties.  

Dr Watson, Andy, Dr Mitchell, Sarah, Andrew, me.  There was another girl Steph on our rotation but she was off yesterday.

Job

Last Friday, I had one appointment but the owner forgot about it so I ended up with no appointments on Friday.

Saturday morning I accepted a job position at All Pets Veterinary Hospital in Peoria, IL.  There is one full time and one part time vet.  They see small animals and exotics so dogs, cats, hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, chinchillas, rabbits, ferrets, birds, mini pigs, and pretty much anything else. 

Today is the first day of my last week on WEAMS.  I had a lovebird that had a lump on its head.  It turned out to just be some debris that had dried up and stuck to the feathers.  Then, this afternoon I had a ferret who has adrenal disease and an insulinoma, a tumor of the pancreas that causes low blood glucose.  We are rechecking the glucose and will adjust medications as we see fit based on the results of the bloodwork.  I have really enjoyed the WEAMS rotation.  I am going to a zoo tomorrow and Thursday so that should be fun.

WEAMS Day 4

Tuesday I ended up only having a blue-fronted Amazon parrot and not the two parakeets as my parrot was pretty involved.  We ended up taking radiographs of the parrot and then putting it under anesthesia to take a liver biopsy.  It was the first surgery on a bird I've ever seen but I did get to intubate it and that was the first time I've ever intubated a bird.  So I can check that off my bucket list.  Yesterday we went to a place near Peoria, IL to look at a bear.  Unfortunately, the bear laughed at all the drugs we tried giving it via darts or in honey and eggs and we ended up leaving without touching the bear as no one wanted to get killed.  While it was disappointing, it was still kind of neat.  Today we've had a macaw, an African grey parrot, and a ferret and we have a cockatiel and a chinchilla (my patient) coming in still this afternoon.  I have to say the wide variety of animals I'm seeing as well as my lack of knowledge regarding most of these animals makes for a very interesting, and informative rotation!

WEAMS

Last week I was on imaging, it was slow and tremendously boring.  That's all I have to say about that.  This past weekend I made it to the Beutel Spring Fling, I had a great time and was able to spend some time with my grandparents as well which was nice.  I was in Tremont church Sunday and then headed back to Champaign Sunday evening. 

This week I started what is my last "official" clinical rotation.  I am on WEAMS (wildlife and exotic animal medicine and surgery) for this week and next week.  The first thing we did yesterday was extract a tooth from a pet rat.  My personal patient yesterday was a Quaker parakeet.  Today I have a parrot and two parakeets coming.  I have to say I'm a little out of my comfort zone in all this but that I'm also learning a decent amount too. 

Catching Up

Time continues to move on.  Last week I was on anesthesia which is not my favorite rotation however I enjoyed last week more than I did the full two week rotation of it.  This week now I am on imaging.  It tends to be sort of a slow, semi-boring rotation so hopefully it will move on by.  This weekend I hope to make it to the Beutel spring fling in Tremont and spend some time with my grandparents. 

2/26

This week has been moving right on by.  We have been busier on my dermatology rotation although today is a little slower.  Derm has interesting cases, I have enjoyed it.  This weekend I intend to be in Eureka with my cousins then I start my split block next week meaning the first week I'm on anesthesia, the second week I'm on imaging.  Just 10 more weeks of school after this week!

Here's the picture Dad took of me and the Brittany's after going out to lunch this past Saturday:

Weekend

Had a great weekend. Mom and Dad flew in on Friday night, just barely beating the snow.  Saturday we went out for lunch with the Brittanys, my study buddies.  Based on everyone's comments, a good time was had by all and my parents finally got to meet the Brittanys!  Saturday night was Parent Appreciation, there was a very good crowd that showed up.  Yesterday Gramp and Gram B, U Dan, Heather, Andrea, U Mark, A Colleen, Anna, Aden, Noah, Neil, and Jerry and Kathy all came down to Champaign.  It was a party, lots of people! 

This week is my second week of dermatology.  I'm hoping it will be a little bit busier this week but we shall see.

Chuggin' Along

Time continues to move on.  I finished up oncology last week.  I really enjoyed it but I wished that we were a little busier.  The oncology department is kind of like a family, all the doctors and technicians get along and are a lot of fun.  

Valentines day was a pretty big deal for me, I did pretty much nothing.  I did, however, go out to lunch with Brittany M.  We don't see each other near as much now that we have been on rotations so we get together every once in awhile to catch up.  While there, she took a "selfie" of us so here's a picture for you:

 

This past weekend I was able to get away to Tremont and see some family.  Kasi and Amy were down from Michigan and a group of us went out to dinner which was fun.  As Kasi says, the trip didn't happen unless her and I have our picture taken:

Today is my second day on my dermatology rotation.  It's kind of slow with only two appointments yesterday and two today but today the first appointment is mine so hopefully I will be a little busier!  This weekend I am looking forward to having Mom and Dad in Champaign and having some of my Illinois family in Champaign for church on Sunday.

2/11

This past weekend I was in Wisconsin right near the Wisconsin/Illinois state line.  I was with a first cousin of my grandmother who is a large animal veterinarian.  Joy, my second cousin who is in the vet tech program down here in Champaign, myself, and Joy's parents drove up Friday evening and stayed at Art (the vet) and Marlene's house for two nights.  Saturday Joy and I went out with Art.  We did a surgery on a cow, took blood from 20 boars, helped a pig who was having a hard time giving birth, and banded some lamb's tails and scrotums.  We also got to see a couple of the clinics that Art is part owner of.  It was a lot of fun and both Joy and I really enjoyed it.  Sunday after the morning service I went out with Art to see a couple beef calves who were having diarrhea.  Then after church we left and drove back to Champaign.  It was a great weekend.

This week has been a little slow on oncology.  However, I do enjoy it which is nice.  I've just been chugging along, hard to believe that in just 3 months and 4 days I will be graduating!

Oncology

Last week finished up without a hitch.  I am now finished with my dentistry rotation.  While I enjoyed it when I had stuff to do, it was just too slow of a rotation, too much sitting around twiddling my thumbs.  This past weekend I enjoyed seeing a lot of people I know in Champaign for Seth's testimony and baptism.  It was a real nice weekend.  Even went sledding Sunday after church for the first time in years! 

On Monday I started my oncology rotation.  Oncology is all things cancer.  It has been pretty good so far.  A little slow but not like dentistry and the doctors and technicians are awesome.  I had a cat yesterday that had a huge mass measuring 9.8cm by 7cm by 8.8cm on its head.  Unfortunately, it turned out to be cancerous which does not bode well for the cat. 

This weekend I am going to Belvidere with some family of mine to spend some time with Art, a veterinarian up in that area.  I am looking forward to getting away from school and spending some time with Art and my cousin Joy as we go out on calls with Art.

Boards Results

I passed my board exam. Found that out last night, such a relief to know that I won't need to spend the next three months studying like crazy. 

My dentistry rotation has been quite slow.  I have my second patient today and it will just be a dental cleaning, hopefully no extractions. 

I intend to be in Champaign this weekend for a baptism.  First time in Champaign on a weekend for quite awhile!

Dentistry

Had a great time in Connecticut visiting family and friends.  Now it's back to school as I begin the 17 week trek towards graduation.  This week and next week I am on dentistry.  We see two appointments in the morning and then the dental procedures of those two patients begin mid-morning.  My first case is today, a cat who can't open its mouth very wide and has inflamed gums.  Due to it not being able to open its mouth much we can't extract its teeth like it really needs so we will have to see what we end up doing today.  Because there are only two cases a day, it does make for a decent amount of down time. 

Mexico

I got back to Connecticut from Mexico on Friday.  I had an amazing time in Mexico, I just love going down there, helping those in need while forming new and strengthening already existing friendships.  Here are the photos I took.  I will post some others that other folks took as they become available:

The vet workshop

New banner announcing our presence!

 

Apparently Charlotte was really wanting to do some gardening ;)

This donkey had severe club foot which is when the hoof doesn't have the angle like it's supposed to

This guy came along and was singing to some of us

Club-footed donkey pulling his cart, felt pretty bad for the donkey

The official vet crew: Justin, myself, Joy

Haley giving an intra-muscular injection

 

This guy was passed out

This year we were working right next to the dump rather than in the middle of it

The full vet crew: Orel, Ian, Derek, Priscila, me, Joy, Haley, Justin, Debbie

The drunk guy insisted that Justin listen to the horse's leg with his stethoscope

My friend Vanessa who I met last year.  She pretended to be super shy around me the whole time

Haley learning to clean horse hooves

Haley giving an IV injection, this was her first time doing it, we were trying to get her to become a veterinarian instead of a medical doctor but I'm not sure we succeeded

At one point, the medication started going outside the vein so I had to take over and finish the injection

Priscila, my dear grandaughter.  After finding out how old we all were, she decided to call me Grandpa as I was the oldest member of the group (at a whopping 26).  So, for the rest of the week she always called me Grandpa :)

While I was sad to leave Mexico, it has been very nice being in CT with my family for a bit!

Off With His Head!

This occurred last night:

Client stops in wanting to visit their pet in the ICU at 1:15AM. After checking with the ICU technician who informs me that they cannot stop in unscheduled in the middle of the night to visit I go back to break the news to the client:
Me: I have bad news, unfortunately we do not allow non-scheduled visits in to visit pets in the middle of the night
Client: Oh, well the doctor told us that when we were back in town we could visit our pet. He doesn't do well if he doesn't see us. If he ends up in the dump..... what's your name (she is now pointing her finger at me).... Dave? Well, if he ends up in the dump, I'm going to have your head on a stick in our yard.

Me (throwing my hands in the air): Hey, I'm just the bearer of the bad news.
Client (turns to leave and waves her finger at me): Oh no Dave, oh no!
And with those encouraging words she exits the hospital and heads off into the night.

As of right now my head is still attached to my shoulders and not swinging in the wind on a stick but who knows what the future holds!?