Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Neruo Article Summary 2


Title: The “Neuro” in Neurogenetics
Authors: Story Landis and Thomas R. Insel
Summary: In an effort to find a link between genomics and behavior, scientists began looking on the molecular level in the brain. Complex behaviors are starting to have an explanation in molecular biology, and in genetics. Behavioral adaption seems to be linked to genomic variation, which could give us greater insight into how we make complex decisions such as picking a mate. The scientists involved in this project are attempting to find how genes influence behavior.  They are finding that it may be linked to how the genes are expressed. Changing something as small as where the protein a gene codes for is received in the brain can have a huge change in function. But first scientist must find how this influences neural circuitry to find out how it can create changes in the behaviors produced by the brain. But once the answer is found it could have a large impact on neurological disorders. It could provide the answer for how they change the brain’s structure and function, and even one day prevent or undo the changes made by these diseases. The larger dream of this endeavor is to explain complex disorders, such as autism. Until then, much is to be learned about the brain.
Purpose: This article strived to dip its toe in a complicated and on-going field of research in epigenomics. It has big dreams of understanding complex behavioral phenotypes and even neurological disorders. Scientists are striving to find a link between the proteins genes code for, where they are received in the brain, and how changing the amount, location or type can influence behavior. The larger hope is to gain a deeper understanding of very complicated diseases that affect the brain, and perhaps lead to an eventual cure.
Conclusion: The article is inconclusive, as the field is most likely going to be researched for the next century! It’s an interesting train of thought, and a small expose into this very complex study that is still in its infancy. It was interesting to read how they were approaching behavior from a more genetic point of view, rather than environmental. I hope they find their research fruitful, and will be sure to follow the study. 
Personal Insight: I once wrote a research paper on the recent “fad” of banning entire dog breeds. Most communities have labeled certain breeds of dogs, such as pitbulls, as dangerous and temperamental. Behavior and propensity towards aggression, I found, are not purely influenced by genes. In fact, there has never been a “violent” gene found that I am aware of. This article challenges what I wrote by suggesting that perhaps proteins coded by genes have been influencing the behavior of these dogs, and there is a link between how one acts and their genomic coding. A part of me hopes this isn’t true, but if it is perhaps it can bred out of these dogs.  

Neuro Article Summary


Neuroscience Study
Article: Contemporary Neuroscience in the Media
Written By: Eric Racine, Sarah Waldman, Jarett Rosenberg, Judy Illes
Summary: Intrigued by the sudden innovations in technology allowing more in-depth analysis of the brain and the general public’s interest in neuroscience on the rise, several scientists began looking through popular revenues to examine how exactly the science was being depicted. Using special functions available on LexisNexis Academic database, they scanned “headlines, lead paragraphs, and body terms” to better understand what the populace was reading about in neuroscience. They then broke down the articles retrieved to find the different fields in neuroscience, and found technological based neuro-studies seemed the most optimistic. However, most articles did not fully explain their research methods or specific details on their work. They then go on to describe the affect this type of reporting is having on the neuroscience fields.
In-Depth: Advancements in technology, such as the functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging or deep brain stimulation, have created a renewed interest in the public in neuroscience. Mental and behavioral health is being renovated every day, and through national awareness movements, people are becoming more and more hopeful that neuroscience will cure brain-related diseases and other problems, such as drug addiction. The fear, however, is the new view of man this deep understanding of the brain will bring. Ethics, culture, and society in general are at risk for a large overall. Psychiatry has already changed its approach based on advancements in neuroscience. But the enthusiasm for neuroscience remains unbridled, but the accuracy of articles going out to the public need to be more closely reviewed. But the drive behind public opinion on neurotechnology is generally positive and helps shape how enthusiastically we evolve the future of neurosciences’ respective fields. However, the sciences need to heed the media, for incorrect data or assumptions made by the public can hinder any progress.  

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Range Ecology

A journal I kept during Range Ecology
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Master The Seven Keys To Effective Communication
 April 25, 2010
Part 1:  What will the seven keys to communication include? How can I change how I communicate to be more effective? How can I recognize what others are communicating to me?
Part 2:  This article covers some basics of being a good listener and communication. It discusses important life skills such as knowing when to and not to speak and working with a client to build a basic and good relationship. I think one of the most important ideas talked about in this article is that 70% of our communication is non-verbal. Body language and facial expressions can affect the message we are trying to convey. We read the smallest degrees of muscle change in other people’s faces and interpret them as a message about how they are feeling, and how they feel about us. Another aspect I’ve learned has taught me to stop formulating answers in my head while another person is talking. I’m very guilty of this, and will try and limit it from now on.

The Fifth Discipline
April 28, 2010
Part 1: How can I become a more effective worker in a company? Do I have a “learning disability”?
Part 2: I have learned that extraordinary organizations are ones that engage people’s commitment and capacity to learn at all levels in the organization, will recognize that the only truly sustainable competitive advantage is the rate at which organizations learn, and that nothing compares to the exhilaration that comes from working within learning organizations. The Disciplines of the learning organization are:
          Systems Thinking
          Personal Mastery
          Mental Models
          Shared Vision
          Team Learning

The Fifth Discipline
May 03, 2010
Part 1: Why does behavior grow worse before better? In what ways is slower actually faster? How does dividing an elephant relate to our topic?
Part 2: I really related with a lot of the topic in this chapter, especially the portion on the harder you push, the harder the system pushes back. This was one of the basic concepts of animal handling, and I think it can be true of anything. As survivors our instinct is to resist pressure, for our own good, and while it can make situations worse, in the long run it used to work out. But in today’s age, working in a business together we can’t be pushing back against want needs to be done. It’s counterintuitive. 

A Shift of Mind
May 10, 2010
Part 1: What is a feedback loop? How can systems thinking improve our work? Why does working with the now almost never help the future?
Part 2: Senge defends his position in this chapter about his broader viewpoint on systems thinking, and explains how in systems thinking it is an axiom that every influence is both cause and effect. Almost nothing is ever influenced in just one direction. The complex systems we have today need to shift to thinking about the long-term result in order to ensure a working business for many years. The main focus is seeing interrelationships rather than linear cause-effect chains, and seeing processes of change (patterns) rather than snapshots (isolated events).

Holistic Management
Chapters 2-7
May 19, 2010
Part 1: What is the “power of paradigms?” Why is the “whole” not the “sum of its parts”? What is the connection between predator and prey? How can I use the holistic management model to my advantage?
Part 2: In these chapters Savory talks about the importance of holistic perspective in any management. This is because of the holistic viewpoint’s tendency to focus on wholes, and not individual parts. He then expands on types of environments and the importance of handling each accordingly, and that no environment has a single method for maintaining it. Some of the more different environments he covers are brittle and non-brittle. Like the Abe Lincoln photo it is made clear why we must see things as a whole, and not just as parts.

Rangeland Physical Characteristics
June 02, 2010
Part 1: What is the most fertile type of land? How does wind affect plant yield? What is aspect?
Part 2: In this chapter we cover many different attributes to the type of land you can be working with. From what produces better results for certain management types, to how to handle different soils, this chapter eventually links up all the topics discussed to describe the entire land type. I learned a lot from this chapter, such as water retention in soil and the affect of the sun on sloped landscapes. 

Range Plant Physiology
June 07, 2010
Part 1: How does root placement affect a plant? What are carbohydrate reserves? What are C3 and C4 plants?
Part 2: In this chapter it is discussed on how the removal of a large number of plants destroys their capability to photosynthesize and will eventually destroy the plant. However is left alone the excessive amount of plant tissue will yield the same results. This leads to the need to manage the land without allowing overgrowth of plants or plant tissue. Vegetation residue on the soil also plays a key roll in protecting the plan crown and soil. 

Potato Research

For my Plant Science class!
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1. "A potato battery is an electrochemical battery, otherwise known as an electrochemical cell. An electrochemical cell is a cell in which chemical energy is converted to electric energy by a spontaneous electron transfer. In the case of the potato, the zinc in the nail reacts with the copper wire. The potato acts as a sort of buffer between the zinc ions and the copper ions. The zinc and copper ions would still react if they touched within the potato but they would only generate heat. Since the potato keeps them apart, the electron transfer has to take place over the copper wires of the circuit, which channels the energy into the clock."
2. Potato contains a lot of starch as well...this can be used to make paper and plastic alternatives
3. It also can be fermented, like barley, to make alcoholic beverages or even fuel.
Source:  
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_some_uses_for_potatoes_other_than_for_food
4. Potatoes consist of about 80 percent water, 20 percent solid matter, and have a high nutritional value. Starch makes up about 85 percent of this solid mass and the rest is protein.
Source:
http://42explore.com/potato.htm
5.  Potatoes also provide vitamins including niacin, riboflavin, thiamin, and vitamin C. They also contain minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and sulfur.
Source: http://42explore.com/potato.htm
6. Vitamin B6 is also necessary for the breakdown of glycogen, the form in which sugar is stored in our muscle cells and liver, so this vitamin is a key player in athletic performance and endurance.
Source:
http://whatscookingmexico.com/2008/08/06/13-facts-about-potatoes/
7. Other carbohydrates in the potato are the so-called pectose bodies, the substances which cause fruit jellies to stiffen, and when the tubers are large and pulpy pectoses may make up 4 per cent. of the tuber, though they usually occur in much smaller quantities. They are believed to have about the same food value as starch.
Source:
http://chestofbooks.com/food/ingredients/Potato-Compilation/Botany-Physical-And-Chemical-Composition-Potato-Part-2.html
8. From these ingredients, through the agency of the protoplasm of the cell and the 'chloroplasts' acting in the presence of sunlight, starch is manufactured. This starch is temporarily stored in the leaf, but at night, when starch formation no longer is going on, the starch is, through the action of a ferment, converted into soluble form and is transmitted from the leaf through the stem to the underground stems, which become gorged with the material thus received.
Source:
http://chestofbooks.com/food/ingredients/Potato-Compilation/Botany-Physical-And-Chemical-Composition-Potato-Part-3.html
9. As a genus, Solanum is not easily separated from other genera, but some of its most desig-native characters are as follows: Leaves alternate: inflorescence mostly sympodial and therefore superaxillary or opposite the leaves: corolla gamope-talous and rotate or shallow-campanulate; plaited in the bud, the limb angled or shallow lobed; stamens usually 5, inserted on the throat of the corolla, the anthers narrower or elongated and connivent and mostly opening by an apical pore or slit: ovary usually 2-loculed, ripening into a berry which is sometimes enclosed in the persistent calyx.
Source:
http://chestofbooks.com/food/ingredients/Potato-Compilation/Chapter-XLII-Botany-Physical-And-Chemical-Composition-Of-T.html
10. As in all other plant forms, the framework of the tuber is made up of cellulose, a carbohydrate or group of carbohydrates familiar in many forms, as, for instance, the fibre of cotton or linen or the bran of wheat. In food and feeding stuff analyses it is usually designated crude fibre. Cellulose forms the walls of a network of cells, which in turn form the body of the tuber. These cells vary in shape and size in different sections of the tuber according to the part they play in its life. In the flesh they serve mainly for storage, and in them lie the starch grains.
Source:
http://chestofbooks.com/food/ingredients/Potato-Compilation/Chapter-XLII-Botany-Physical-And-Chemical-Composition-Of-T.html

Kenya Livestock



Intro to Livestock
September 30, 2010
Livestock Production in Kenya
In Kenya the livestock market is ruled by small producers due to its still developing state. Agriculture is the main trade in Kenya, and livestock is most heavily concentrated in arid and semi arid lands due to its vast size over Kenya – almost 75% percent of the land is dry. Over ninety percent of employment and income results from Kenya’s livestock production.
Values expressed in 1,000
Species
Year
Annual Growth Rate %
1980
1990
2000
2002
1980-1990
1990-2002
Cattle
10,000
13,793
11,706
11,500
3.3
-1.6
Sheep/Goat
13,000
19,236
17,944
18,660
4.0
-0.7
Pigs
74
128
311
332
5.6
9.3
Poultry
16,400
25,228
26,291
27,902
4.4
0.4
Total LUs
6,479
9,098
7,973
7,961
3.5
-1.3
LU: Livestock Unit; conversion factors: cattle (0.50), sheep and goats (0.10), pigs (0.20), and poultry (0.01)
Kenya’s largest production lies in their cattle. In 1980 Kenya went from 1,925,000 metric tonnes of beef production to 2,950,000 metric tonnes in 2002. This largely outweighs their egg production, which was a mere 197,000 in 1980, and 607,000 in 2002. Beef is nearly 75% of all of Kenya’s total meat production market. On average Kenya’s cattle would weigh in159.1 kg in 2002, and 16.1% were slaughtered. The milk yield from Kenya’s cattle in the year of 2002 was 672 kg, and only 34.8% were milked.
The main feed for Kenya’s livestock is Brans (with 3,065,000 metric tonnes in 2002), followed by maize (80,000 metric tonnes), sorghum (72,000 metric tonnes) and finally millet (36,000 metric tonnes). Data on other types of feed is not available.
However, milk has been the fastest growing trends in annual per capita. Milk went well over 100 kg per capita per year in 1990, however it has come down to 90 kg since 2002. The per capita livestock production and productivity have been at stalemate in recent years due to several causes.
“1) Per capita governance in key agricultural institutions, particularly the cooperative sector, and lack of comprehensive legal framework to guide formulation of consistent polices; 2) lack of capacity by the private sector to take over functions previously performed by the state, incomplete markets and weak marketing systems; 3) poor of insecure access to land and to farm credit, high cost of farm inputs, and heavy taxation of farmers through local authority taxes and other levies; 4) high prevalence of HIV/AIDS affecting agricultural productivity; 5) low level of public funding and inefficient use of public resources resulting in inadequate and inefficient rural infrastructure; 6) inappropriate technology and inadequate funding for research and extension services.”
Kenya does require health clearance certificates for the trade of all animals. Animals intended for exports are held for 21 days and are routinely checked by veterinarians from the country the animal is to be shipped to, and sometimes a Kenyan veterinarian.
Overall Kenya is quickly growing agriculturally and is finding a good market in their cattle production. Because of Kenya’s still developing state, they lack several conveniences that developed worlds may harbor.

Internship

This is my personal review of my internship at an animal hospital.
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Ten Goals:
1.     Experience a vet office atmosphere, including but not limited to customer/patient interaction, office organization, animal handling methods, and interpersonal experiences.
2.     Watch new surgical methods that I have not previously viewed at Brigham Young University – Idaho.
3.     Learn through hand-on processes animal handling techniques, including how to manage a variety of species.
4.     Aid in the euthanasia of pets, including its processes and disposal.
5.     Create new friends and references within the veterinary community.
6.     Expand and deepen my pharmaceutical knowledge.
7.     Ask the licensed Veterinarians about graduate school experiences and their opinions on the best method for approaching veterinary school.
8.     Explore the different job duties available in a veterinary office.
9.     Learn how to draw blood from small animals from various veins.
10.  Maintain personal ethics when handling all animals, and interacting with customers and coworkers.


Goal #1
Experience a vet office atmosphere, including but not limited to customer/patient interaction, office organization, animal handling methods, and interpersonal experiences.

                During my internship at Gentle Doctor Animal Hospital I had the wonderful opportunity to work with one of St. Charles county’s top veterinary hospitals and its staff. I was able to observe and participate in daily interactions with our patients and their owners, humane society workers, and even veterinarians from other hospitals.
            I learned the basic “lay of the land” as to how a veterinary hospital is run. From our reception area, to our examination rooms, to the back kennels, pharmacy and doctors’ office, and finally to the surgery rooms and the storage areas – I became intimately acquainted with how all these rooms became a working hospital through the combined efforts of the team inside. 
            Everyone had respective duties, and worked seamlessly with each other to keep patients constantly flowing through the hospital and keeping their owners happy. Once a week, on Mondays, the staff would meet and discuss how we could improve and discuss business points. It was an excellent set-up, and I truly enjoyed getting to know everybody and how the hospital operated!



Goal #2
Watch new surgical methods that I have not previously viewed at Brigham Young University – Idaho.

            I was pleased to have the opportunity to witness various surgical methods and procedures I had not seen before at Brigham Young University – Idaho in my animal science classes. I was able to observe a surgical laser being employed, many spays of cats, gastrointestinal tract explorations, and other surgeries to just name a few.
            When puzzled with a method, approach, or entirely new procedure I was sure to question the doctors or veterinary technicians so I would fully understand why what was being done was practical. My experiences were invaluable, and I learned a large amount about surgical procedures!



Goal #3
Learn through hand-on processes animal handling techniques, including how to manage a variety of species.

            I had the wonderful opportunity to work with a variety of people and animals during my internship at Gentle Doctor Animal Hospital. We had mostly cats and dogs in to our veterinary office, and even a few rats and rabbits. Because of my fearless nature, all “problem” animals that were difficult to handle for the technicians were passed on to me. This included large dogs that were aggressive, fearful, or energetic and cats that were vicious. I even was in charge of a sick rat because the girls did not like handling it!
            I learned the proper way to restrain and handle these animals, and even how to properly lift and place unconscious pets. It was a great experience that will always be useful to me!



Goal #4
Aid in the euthanasia of pets, including its processes and disposal.

            One of the largest hurdles I had yet to overcome was being able to aid in the euthanasia of an animal. Because that is a large part of what veterinarians do, I wanted to make sure I was emotionally capable of handling the death of these pets and strays. It wasn’t long into the internship I began helping bagging and freezing the corpses of euthanized pets. It wasn’t until a geriatric cat, however, that I was able to be there while they intentionally overdosed the animal on anesthetics to humanely euthanize him. I was surprised how well I handled the situation. While I was sad to see the cat pass, I knew it was for the best, and I did not become emotional at all.
            There were several instances over the internship that tugged at my heart strings. One in particular was of a stray dog we affectionately named “Mama” that we had to euthanize not long after her puppies were born. Of the four puppies, one still survives, and for that I know the entire ordeal was worth the emotional strain.



Goal #5
Create new friends and references within the veterinary community.


            All the time I worked for Gentle Doctor, I became good friends with the staff. The receptionists were kind and helpful when I had computer or scheduling questions, the technicians guided me in everything I learned to do, the doctors answered all of my difficult questions and the manager became dependent on me aiding around the office.
            About halfway through my internship it became clear the doctors trusted and respected me, and even helped push me to expand my knowledge. The technicians depended on me to handle certain animal cases – and to keep the back running smoothly and stay clean during busy times. When I finished my internship the manager let me know how greatly I would be missed, and offered to be a reference any time I would need. It was a wonderful time becoming such good friends with the staff, and I still miss them today!



Goal #6
Expand and deepen my pharmaceutical knowledge.

            While working at Gentle Doctor I was introduced to the wide range of pharmaceuticals. I spent a large portion of my time learning about the pharmaceuticals available in the clinic. We had many of the same medicines we use at the Livestock Center at Brigham Young University – Idaho for large animals, and even more medicines I’d never heard of. Medicines such as Dermavet is used for ears, and Flagyl to cure diarrhea, Prednisone to boost immunity, Deramaxx to aid with arthritis, and many many more.  
Although I wasn’t able to learn about everything, by the end of my internship I was trusted to package and fill prescriptions for patients – a privilege, I learned, that was not available to almost all interns because of its delicacy. I was proud to be trusted with such a fragile task.


Goal #7
Ask the licensed Veterinarians about graduate school experiences and their opinions on the best method for approaching veterinary school.

            I feel I become good friends with our four doctors available at Gentle Doctor. They helped push me to expand my knowledge, and in return I asked them questions that gave their DVM degree’s a run for their money. I also got the wonderful opportunity to ask them how they got into veterinary school, what the process was like, and if they could do it over what they would change.
            I received a variety of responses between the four doctors, but learned some things to keep in mind if I decide to pursue a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine. I was glad to have the opportunity to pick their minds, and their advice will always stay with me no matter what I decide.




Goal #8
Explore the different job duties available in a veterinary office.

            Part of my interests lie in understanding each job available and the duties it entailed at the veterinary office. We have the usual staff such as the receptionist, which answers calls, makes appointments and checks out patients to list a few of their duties. And then there are the vet techs, which handle most of the owner interactions, fill prescriptions and do the “dirty work” when it comes to handling the animals. The Doctors answer owner’s questions, tell them findings, perform surgeries and detailed exams, and much more! And the manager keeps the entire store running smoothly.
            But then there are the behind the scenes workers. While they do not work at the hospital, we depend on them fully. Our repairman, the humane society employees, and even the local university that runs our lab analysis which we do not have the equipment for are all deeply involved in the work. Everyone plays an important part in making the hospital a fully operational business!




Goal #9
Learn how to draw blood from small animals from various veins.

            I’ve had limited experience drawing blood from animals, and because my expertise lied with drawing from livestock I decided I would learn to be adequate at drawing small animal’s blood as well. And so I met with Dr. Rachel at the local humane society. She was busy spaying about two hundred cats seized from a hoarding situation, and after aiding her in surgery for a while she allowed me to practice drawing blood on the unconscious cats.
            I drew from various locations, including the forearm, the back leg and the jugular. I was able to drawing blood most the time, but sometimes I would miss. With regular practice I believe I can become very proficient in drawing a large range of animal’s blood!


Goal #10
Maintain personal ethics when handling all animals, and interacting with customers and coworkers.

            During my experience at Gentle Doctor’s, it became clear that some of the other employees were not as calm or gentle with the animals as I was. They would sometimes lose patience and yell at frightened or aggressive animals to sit still, and were often more rough with some animals than was necessary. However other techs were like me, and were patient with the animals and made sure to write down the best handling method for that specific pet in their chart to minimize the trouble caused. Often we found that with many animals, “less is more”. Large, frightening dogs would complacently sit by as you poked them as long as they weren’t being held down.
            I decided I wanted to maintain my personal ethics when it came to animal handling. I never got short with the animal, raised my voice, or did anything to cause him or her harm. I felt a better and more secure person when I was able to walk away from my internship knowing I had taught those girls that sometimes the pet just needs a moment to calm down. I know I had made a bit of difference in how pets were treated there.



                Overall I learned a great deal during my internship. I meant many wonderful and friendly people, made great friends and references, and got to experience a large part of the veterinarian world. My experience was an invaluable one that taught me more than I could have hoped for. It met and exceeded all of my goals I had set, and that was worth the work by itself.
            I felt the workers at Gentle Doctor went above and beyond their responsibilities when teaching me how work was done at their hospital. It was the same sort of customer service that kept patients coming and recommending us to others in the area. It was the atmosphere and dedication to their work that made Gentle Doctor Animal Hospital one of the leading veterinary offices in St. Charles, and it was a huge honor to work alongside the staff.
            I know every single person in that office left a positive impression on me, and I can only hope I brought them as much joy and was able to exceed their expectations in what an intern was like.
            In any case, I know who all my pets will see from now on!


Daily Description:
December 20th: Began work at Gentle Doctor Animal Hospital. Shelly showed me around the vet office and introduced me to the veterinarians and vet technicians. The clinic has seven patient rooms, one of which is reserved purely for euthanasia’s. Each room is heavily cleaned after each patient to ensure safety for all animals. The clinic has two microscope, one for normal observations and a second for ear cytology’s.  They have two surgery rooms, and use a laser for all their operations  - which I am excited to observe. Finally there is an x-ray room, which I am told animals are not sedated for, which is exciting news for me. I worked from 2pm to 8pm.
December 21st: Today I mostly followed the technicians around and learned the methods for all of their processes. I learned how to set up a fecal matter for observation. Fecalsol and the fecal matter are mixed and left to set for fifteen minutes with a slip cover set on top on the tube. The slip is then placed on a slide and searched for signs of parasite eggs. Aided in animal restraint and mostly kept the clinic clean (for it was the quickest thing I could learn to do, and it was a busy day for the hospital). I worked from 2pm to 8pm.
December 24th: It is Christmas Eve, and I was surprised how many animals had appointments. Mostly vaccinations. I was placed in charge of two dogs with kennel cough, a disease often found in shelters. We would do treatments called “NEB”, which involved placing the dogs in separate confined boxes and filling the chamber with vapor to ease their breathing. They received three of these treatments each day for fifteen minutes each. I continued other duties I’d been doing until this day, including walking animals, cleaning the clinic, setting up and checking fecal matter and restraining animals. I worked from 7:30am until 2pm (the hospital closed 2 hours early due to the holiday).
Week 1 Hours: 18.5 (short due to holiday hours)
*Set hours for remainder of internship: Monday 2-8, Wednesday 2-8, and Saturdays 7:30-4


December 26th: This week I was introduced to more of the staff at Gentle Doctor’s, and continued caring for the puppies with kennel cough. I brought up concerns with some technicians and my manager about bringing home any infectious diseases or parasites to my own pets at home. They instructed me on how to wash my scrubs, and what to shower with to reduce the likelihood of becoming a carrier for health problems. I was shown how to set up ear cytology’s. Ear cytology’s are set up by using an ear swab to retrieve matter from an animal’s ear, and then rubbed on a slide. It is heat fixed and stained. Finally the slide is viewed under an oil immersion lense.
December 28th: Today was an interesting day. The appointments are starting to pick up after the Christmas season, and more animals requiring urgent care have been arriving. One such animal was a dog that had snagged its toenail on something and had ripped out most of the nail. We were forced to remove what remained of the toenail, including its qwik. The toenail will most likely not grow back. We advised to owner to keep the rest of the dog’s toe trimmed short to prevent this situation from happening again.
December 31st: It’s the end of the year and I’m already feeling great about the year to come. Today was rather slow. I spent my time learning more about the pharmaceuticals available in the clinic. We have many of the same medicines we use at the Livestock Center for large animals, and many more medicines I’ve never heard of. Dermavet is used for ears, Flagyl to cure diarrhea, Prednisone to boost immunity, Deramaxx to aid with arthritis, and many many more. I also learned how our rabies tags worked – we have different shapes for different counties and different colors for fixed verses unfixed animals.
Week 2 Hours: 21.5


January 2nd: Today was rather exciting for me, my first parasite was found in the fecal matter I’d been checking. After checking with Dr. Julie, it was confirmed to be tapeworm eggs. They look like a cluster of bubbles under the microscope. I was thrilled to have successfully spotted this parasite, as I was worried I might have been overlooking things in the debris I normally saw in past fecal samples. I was more assured in what I was looking for when it came to checking the fecal matter. The rest of the day went fairly typically.
January 4th: Today I aided in an x-ray. I helped hold the dog in place and learned how our x-ray machine worked, and then was shown how to develop the film. The dark room reminded me of my days in photography class during high school. The film is removed from the casing and placed in the machine to feed through and develop. New, blank film is placed in the casing. It was quite important to wait for the developing film to be far into the machine before opening the door to x-ray (and to double check the blank films were safely covered).
January 7th: I learned more about certain applications of tools in the hospital. When we trim a dog’s nails too closely and it bleeds we’d rub the end of what seemed to be a long match stick to the toe with silver nitrate on the end. I was familiar with this, for my mother once worked at a veterinary clinic, however I wasn’t sure how the silver nitrate was stopping the bleeding. I asked a Dr. Amy who informed me it was a clotting agent. Today the last of the two puppies with kennel cough went home.
Week 3 Hours: 21.5


January 9th: While we’ve had a few euthanasia’s while I’ve worked here, my first was me standing with a technician as we put down a cat in the back for the owner did not wish to be with it, today was the first day I personally had to place the animal in the bag and bring it to the freezer in the back. We have the humane society pick up the animals to be disposed of when the freezer is full. Animals in purple bags are normal disposals, but animals in black bags are ash returns. We have a dedicated room for euth’s, a softly lit room with a couch, large dog bed and plenty of tissues. Once the owners have left we collect the body. However this particular dog was an emergency euth, and was not in our specially set up room. It was somewhat heart wrenching to have to gather the dog into a bag, but I held it together while aiding Shelly in placing the body in the freezer.
January 11th: My great grandmother passed away last weekend, and today was the funeral in Illinois. I was unable to work at the vet office.
January 14th: Today I found my second parasite in fecal matter, roundworms. There were more difficult to identify as they tend to look similar to normal bubbles present in the fecal solution. But the “ring” around the egg was fairly obvious. Not to mention this particular case was very infested with the parasite. The rest of the day was spend holding animals for exams, and at one point I asked a Dr. Melissa to show me what she was seeing on an x-ray of a dog’s stomach.
Week 4 Hours: 15.5


January 16: Today was very fast-paced and I was unfortunately only trying to keep up with mostly fecal, and cleaning rooms and doing the laundry. I’d help hold animals when possible, and take care of the animals staying with us at the clinic. At the end of the day the technicians told the doctors and manager how helpful I was – and the only reason we left on time was because how on top of things I was. I was proud that I could be helpful during such a busy schedule.
January 18: I was taught how to set up a urine analysis today. We collect the urine from the animal in a plastic dish, draw some up in a syringe and check the balance. We then place a drop of urine on a stick that analyzes the pH, glucose, white blood cells count, and more. Finally we spin the urine in the centrifuge and place a drop on a slide, place a drop of dye in the urine and another drop of the urine/dye mixture on another slide. The doctor then checks the urine for any cells.
January 21: Today I brought my own dog, Bodi, in to the vet clinic. I wanted to confirm his arthritis – but because of his age my normal vet refused x-rays as he normally sedated animals for it. Our clinic did not typically sedate their animals for x-rays, and was generous enough to let me bring in my dog for some x-rays at a discounted rate. Bodi has advanced arthritis in his hips, and we put him on Deramaxx to aid with the pain.
Week 5 Hours: 21.5


January 23: One of our technicians brought in her dogs to have some bite wounds checked after a dog fight they’d gotten in the night before. It was discovered on both of them they had small lumps. The Dr. Julie took a syringe and drew some cells from one and found it was only a fatty deposit. However on the second dog the lump raised concerns and Tara (the technician) was asked to bring her dog back to remove the small lump. The rest of the day I continued all the duties I have learned to this point.
January 25: Tonight was my first emergency I was fully involved in! We had a foreign body emergency surgery to remove a pacifier a dog had ingested. It was found to be lodged just before the duodenum in the dog’s intestines. The binky had stretched the dog’s G.I. to its maximum. After removing the foreign body we found the sucker portion further down the tract. Dr. Melissa then searched the entirety of the tract to check the dog had not eaten anything else, and then we sewed him up. I was the assisting vet during the procedure, and was aided by another technician when I needed help.
January 28: Today was another busy day full of anal gland suppressing, toe nail trimming, vaccinations and fecal checks. I brought Bodi in once more to check his blood and determine if his liver was handling the new medication well. Because our blood machine was brand new our manager discounted the analysis as training, which I thanked her for profusely. Bodi was found to be in normal ranch of everything – which put my mind at ease. I picked up more Deramaxx – the last bit I could before we were out. The manufacturer had shut down the factory due to complications with the FDA. 
Week 6 Hours: 22.5


January 30: It’s the end of another month, and I feel I’m really getting the hang of things at the vet clinic. I do all I can, but avoid the computers and the clients for legal reasons. Each Monday we have a staff meeting about how the hospital is doing, and raise any concerns we may have. I’ve been learning about how we operate and what sorts of issues are tackled during these meetings. Anything from procedures, updates on the pharmacy, coupons, to things needing to be repaired in the building. Employees are also rewarded if they are mentioned in a positive way on the surveys our clients receive after they visit. I’ve also learned through these meeting that Gentle Doctor is one of the best veterinary hospitals in St. Charles counties. 
February 1: Today I learned more about how our x-ray machine works. We measure the animal’s torso as if they were a box then set the major and minor settings according to a chart on the wall. Depending on the type of x-rays we generally take pictures of the animal on its side and back. Other than that the day has been fairly uneventful, with me continuing my duties I’ve learned thus far.
February 4: Today we had an extremely emaciated pit bull/hound mix brought to us by the humane society. Her mammary glands were swollen, and everyone kept asking if they found any puppies with her (there were not). After the clinic calmed down from appointments we took her to be x-rayed. She was pregnant with four puppies and was due within a week. All the puppies appeared healthy and developed on the x-ray, much to our surprise. We dubbed the dog “Mama”. I ended up being placed in charge of her. It took a lot of effort but I force fed her, and we gave her lots of medicine to calm the diarrhea and rid her of the internal parasites she had.
Week 7 Hours: 21.5


February 6: Today another humane society dog joined us. This was an American Bulldog that had been dragged behind a vehicle. His entire underside was scraped and torn – every single one of his toenails was completely gone and his paw pads were raw. The worst damage however was to his back left knee, which had a hole almost to the bone. He was emaciated and lethargic, but very friendly with people. I took on caring for this big boy, which we affectionately called “Hoss”, alongside my duties with Mama.  
February 8: Mama had her puppies Monday night! Three of the four survived, and are looking well. We still are having troubles feeding Mama, and I fear she may not be medically able to eat.  Hoss is looking better, and we found he has no broken bones. He lays in his kennel each day, but has many admirers already fawning over him. I’ve started giving on of our in-house cats, Ichabod, Benadryl each time he gets into any food he’s allergic to (which is often). All other duties have continued.
February 11: Today I continued caring for Mama and Hoss. Hoss is becoming more energetic, and the puppies are getting to be much larger. We had another dog with a tendon injury in, which required extensive surgery. I also filmed Dr. Bob, the owner, performing a declaw on a cat. We have a laser to perform the surgery with, which I am a big fan of. The recovery time is longer, but the damage is less. I’ve continued checking fecal, cleaning, caring for other animals in the hospital and watching our doctors and techs to learn all I can from them!
Week 8 Hours: 21.5


February 13: Today I came in to discover Mama was no longer at the clinic. When I asked, they confirmed that she had to be euthanized. Her intestines were dangerously inflamed, and one of the puppies had already passed away. The remaining two went to a foster home.
February 15: I continued caring for Hoss and completing all my other daily duties. We’ve had many interesting cases in these weeks I’ve worked, and everything is becoming easier to understand. Today we had another foreign body emergency in, however this time it was a cat. Instead of performing surgery however, we used a scope with a small claw on the end to fish out the nine hair ties the cat had ingested. Dr. Melissa allowed me to take a look in the scope. It was difficult to discern what I was seeing until the scope moved and I could distinguish the walls of the intestines. The cat went home a few hours after the procedure.
February 18: We had two different emergencies today. One had a fever that peaked at 108 F. We pulled that dog out onto the cold tiles, packed icepacks around her, and placed a box fan pointing at her. I took her temperature periodically, and watched it drop down to 104.6 F before she was picked up by her owner to be rushed to the emergency clinic. The other emergency was a heart failure dog. The owner wished to prolong the dog’s life until her husband came home. We kept the dog on oxygen all day, and used diuretics to reduce the fluid in the lungs. However halfway through the day the dog had a seizure, with her limbs completely locking. The owner came in and made the final call to euthanize her. After the owner left one of the techs picked up the dog’s body and fluid ran freely from her mouth and nose. This was the fluid that had been filling her lungs.
Week 9 Hours: 21.5


February 20: Today I came in to work to find Tiffany, one of the technicians, was setting up a dog to have a dental done. I asked to observe, and one of the other technicians suggested I do the dental myself. Tiffany instructed me on how to use the scaler to knock loose plaque on both the inside and outsides of all the teeth. If any teeth are loose a doctor is called in to make the call on whether an extraction is required or not. After that all the teeth are polished. All the while vitals are monitored and ISO is changed according to the dog’s needs.
February 22: I met Dr. Rachel at the local humane society today and aided her in spaying a large number of cats that were rescued from a hoarding situation. We had to euthanize only one that had very advanced cancer. While there I spoke to a volunteer at the shelter about the puppies of Mama’s. Only one has survived, and one of our technicians at the veterinary hospital wants to adopt him. I hope the young puppy will pull through, as I know that tech will be an excellent owner for him!
February 25: Hoss was picked up Friday. I was glad he was finally able to be cared for outside of our veterinary office, but everyone is sad to see him go. I enjoyed seeing his progress in our care, and how much he’s improved. He went from a lethargic torn up mess to an energetic, happy and steadily weight-gaining dog. Only the hole in his leg was cause for caution, but the rest of his wounds were finally just minor scrapes and bruises. Hoss had some behavioral problems with other animals, and I hope he can one day find another home
Week 10 Hours: 21.5


February 27: Today was fairly uneventful compared to last week and the many different things I was able to do. We had inspections today so I cleaned the entire hospital, which took most the day. Most of the technicians have switched from drawing blood from veins in the leg, to doing a “jug stick” in the vein in animals’ necks. I practiced all types of blood draws on the animals in the humane society we were spaying (they were all female cats), but at the veterinary hospital – because the animals are owned – I normally hold for the technicians and they draw the blood. Then I check a drop for heartworms, and place the marble top in a centrifuge for the blood to be later reviewed at another location (we store the spun blood in the refrigerator).
February 29: Today we had a dog in that had been in and out of the clinic for the past month. The dog had been chewing his back left foot obsessively, and had eaten through most of the flesh. Despite deterrents, and us ruling out all possible medical conditions, we could not cure this dog of his foot chewing. So today we amputated the dog’s entire leg (which is less painful and easier on the dog to learn how to walk). Even with his leg gone however, that dog was still energetic and moved quite fast! I even had to chase him down when he got loose inside the building.
March 3: The humane society dropped off an emergency for us. Apparently Thursday we had a second amputation that had been picked up the day of the surgery by an irresponsible humane society worker. Today, after 2-3 days with no antibiotics nor fluids, the Jack Russell Terrier (which we later dubbed “JRT”) was crashing and stank of dying flesh and infection. The technicians were enraged the humane society would let something of this magnitude to occur without questioning it, even when one of our tech’s had pushed when JRT was picked up “Don’t we keep amputees for 24 hours?” and the H.S. worker brushed it off. JRT was completely limp in my arms as I carried him to and from our surgery room to insert a catheter and be examined by various doctors at the clinic. We aren’t sure if he’ll survive the night.
Week 11 Hours: 21.5


March 5: Today we had a bloodhound in with an infected uterus – an unfortunate risk of not spaying a dog. The dog’s uterine horns were inflamed to the size of my forearm, and a complete hysterectomy was required. She was placed in my care. JRT almost passed away Saturday night, but somehow survived through today. He is awake, but quite unaware of his surroundings. He’s on plenty of fluids and antibiotics however, and I have a small bit of hope he’ll pull through this alright. Today we were met with a representative of some tick, flea and heartworm preventative medicines – which hasn’t been distributing or making the medicine for some weeks now due to a discrepancy with the FDA and the human side of their drug production. Luckily we had gotten out hands on another vet clinic’s Sentinnel that they had decided not to carry anymore and we were able to provide for our patients.  
March 7: Today was rather slow, with a lot of cleaning and restocking in the hospital and fairly routine appointments. I spent the better part of the day caring for JRT, who is looking much better today. He’s making eye contact with us, and will stand when set of his feet. The flesh around his amputation site is sloughing off, and smells quite awful. There’s talk they may remove the dying and dead flesh soon. JRT is also willing to eat his dry food, which is very positive for his outcome.
March 10: This is my last Saturday, and it was quite the day! We were nonstop with work. We had a Dachshund that required a dew claw toenail to be removed (a doctor simply used a hemostat to rip it off like a bandaid). We had a stray dog that was hit by a car come in. He had a fractured fibula, but was very sweet and patient with all the people flitting around him. He let me carry him to and from his kennel quite a few times (which was no easy task, he was a forty or fifty pound dog!). I helped hold some dogs for anal glands (with the exception of a pit bull that was too strong and was too scared to sit still). We also x-rayed a possible foreign body dog, but were unable to find what exactly was causing the dog’s distress. There were other, smaller events that kept me on my feet all day long as well. All in all it was great surmise and test of just about everything I’ve learned while working at this vet clinic.
Week 12 Hours: 21.5
Total Hours: 250