Yesterday I learned how to age a horse with teeth. I went into vet school knowing how to age a horse using that groove on the side of the teeth, but unless the horse is somewhere around 15 years up to about 30 years, I was out of luck. I’m really confident now with horses of all ages - especially younger ones, which is a great little party trick. Unless I actually become a horse vet and then it might actually be useful….
It got me thinking what else “useful” I’ve learned in vet school. Not “cool” in the scientific sense or a “gee whiz” fact - but an actual skill that I could apply to a real life situation - even if there are tons of people better at it than me.
After a year of vet school, here’s the grand tally.
1. I know how to draw blood from all sorts of animals besides a sheep.
2. I can age a horse by teeth.
3. I can feel a dog’s kidneys. Or at least, one of them.
4. I can give IM injections to small animals
5. I can give a subcutaneous injection some where other than the back of the neck of a small animal.
6. I can look at a blood smear and probably tell you whether it’s normal.
7. I have the directions close at hand, I can stain/fix a blood smear.
8. I no longer think acupuncture in animals is complete voodoo
9. I know that neoplasia is always a differential for everything (boo!…)
10. I can tell you what the literature says on how to treat food aggression in dogs.
11. Small groups are the bomb! In a good way. And they will save your ass. And utilized correctly the whole IS greater than its parts.
And…..I think that’s it.
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I think we have hooves again
5 years ago
As of yesterday I can add something else to the list - I can now ultrasound a dog and probably find all of the 5 five internal organs in the abdomen, and probably ID some other structures along the way. VERY COOL!
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