At the vets today a dog was scanned, with a possible mass detected on the spleen. The prognosis was to open up the dog and have a look at the possible mass, removing if necessary. When the vet reached the spleen a tumor was present which had clearly been bleeding.
By clamping the blood vessels and tying then off with catgut, the particular blood vessel was able to be cut. After all the vessels linking the spleen had been removed the spleen was taken out.
The vet then checked to ensure that other organs were functioning normally and effectively before closing up the wound. It was at this point that I noticed that there were strange foreign bodies in the stomach which were pushed up against the stomach wall.
The vet cut into the stomach and removed a number of large sharp sticks which were stuck in the stomach. The stomach was then carefully stitched back up, however before the wound was closed up completely, I was told to heat up IV fluid, to the body temperature of the dog. This is important, as the animal cannot regulate its temperature when under anaesthetic, and so it must be as near to its own internal temperature as possible. The fluid was used to clean out the dogs insides from any blood which may have leaked from the spleen's blood vessels during the operation. The vet had told me that as well as helping to clean out the insides, it can also help to rehydrate the animal, which is very important after anaesthetic procedures.
The wound was then stitched up and the oxygen was turned off, to allow the animal to come round. However the dog was having difficulty in breathing and so I helped to administer extra oxygen from a mask.
Having done this, my job was to heat a hot water bottle and blankets for the kennel, to ensure that the dog was warm and comfortable as it came round fully, and preventing a significant drop in body temperature.
From this experience, I have learnt that an accurate diagnosis is essential to allow the operation to proceed without problem. On top of this I realised that care during the operation, such as regularly checking breathing rate and heart rate is essential for the animals well being, but also the after care of the patient is equally important to ensure that the animal is not suffering from the operation.
Finally during this operation, but also throughout the veterinary profession, I have realised that it is essential to have good communication between a vet and the nurses, who are an indispensable part of the team, without them the vets job would be so much harder.

Two young cats came into the practise yesterday, which had suspected posioning from car antifreeze. The vet told me that this is a common problem at this time of the year and that only 4ml can kill a cat.
Both cats were from the same household, but one was more seriously affected. While I was present the vet attemted giving the most badly affected cat a low dose of morphine to make it sick, but this was uneffective.
The vet decided to give ethanol to the cats to counter the poison, but there was not any at the practise. As I left the vets they were awaiting a delivery from the nearby vet practise of this important chemical, with the hope that this cats could be cured.

My first day at Fairmoor Veterinary practice was my best experience to date.
Having been at the practice for only a few minutes, I observed a consult with the vet with a bull terrier who was pregnant.

On further ultra sound scans it was clear that the bitch was heavily pregnant, and the vet advised that if nothing had happened within a few hours to readmit her.

Sure enough later in the afternoon the owner brought the dog back in and, after coming to the conclusion that the bitch was not pushing a caesarian was advised and carried out.

After making the incision, and getting the uterus into a position which would enable the puppies to be removed easily, the vet was startled to find that there were two sets of puppies from two different matings. With one set a lot younger and so therefore premature.

The vets and nurses allowed me to get involved and within seconds I was gently rubbing a pup with a towl, attempting to stimulate its breathing and trying to clear the lungs, by gently shaking it downwards towards the floor.

The relief that you feel when the pup you are given starts to breath and squeal is amazing and I really felt part of a team that worked really well together. Everyone gave encouragement and supported each other and this made me realise that a real team spirit is needed in a veterinary career, and was a experience which i will never forget.

This page simply highlights some of my favourite moments that I have had in my veterinary work experience so far.

Feel free to comment and ask any questions.