Hello there again!
Today I thought I'd give a quick update on the recent vet related events I have attended and my experiences of them!
Firstly, I'd like to mention the Vet-medlink conference I attended in April 2012 over my Easter holidays. Initially I had been quite apprehensive about meeting new people, in a totally strange environment at the University of Nottingham however this soon faded away as within the first couple of lectures I had already managed to find a lovely group of like minded individuals with just as much enthusiasm for the subject of veterinary medicine as myself, just proving how sociable those interested in this career can be!
The first couple of lectures were upon the topic of Pathology and Parisitology, presented by a number of guest speakers, which really opened my eyes to the number of possible avenues a vet can end up working in! In fact despite the late hours the lectures went on to (often until around 10pm) the talks were so interesting that I was happily scrawling down notes on everything from the job of a pathologist to zoonotic diseases and parasites without even noticing how late it was getting!
The next couple of days of the conference continued to encourage my desire to become a vet with lectures on a wide range of species from the conservation of exotic animals in zoos, the complications of bovine pregnancy, tackling equine surgery, digital imaging, feline behavior and even a talk on camelids such as llamas and alpacas! However it wasn't all just work, work, work! As many of the lecturers pointed out vet students like to work hard and party hard so in the evenings we were allowed to socialise in the on campus bar "The Mix" and in the common rooms. This was a great opportunity to learn more about those also hoping to apply for vet medicine this year, compare work experience placements and generally just relax after a rather tiring day!
I am happy to say that the notes I made over this conference have been kept in folder for reference in preparation for interview and I look back upon my memories of vet-medlink fondly as an experience that not only helped me to learn more about the profession, but also allowed me to start getting excited over the prospect of going to university and being a step closer to achieving my ultimate dream.
Tuesday, 29 May 2012
Monday, 28 May 2012
Current Issue #1 - Schmallenberg Virus
Hello again!
I thought I'd update my blog with a recent issue affecting livestock in the UK currently known as the Schmallenberg virus as part of my aim to gain a wider understanding of issues of prominence in farming in the hope that I will be an informed potential vet applicant after seeing about it on the Telegraph website.
According to them 209 farms have reported cases of the virus, believed currently to be transmitted through three different species of midge which acts as a vector for the virus, and these species of midge are in fact found in the UK as well as in other countries such as Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands which have also have cases reported. The idea that these midges could potentially lead to more cases of the Schmallenberg virus has naturally got the farming community worried, especially as many fear the virus may have survived over the winter in dormant insects.
The impact of the Schmallenberg virus is that it can cause calves and lambs to be stillborn or even extremely deformed with problems such as fused limbs or necks twisted at unusual angles which leads to the animals eventual death. Adult livestock seem to be able to survive the disease however only showing symptoms such as a reduced milk yield in cattle and a fever.
The implications of this particular disease for farmers is the loss of the their livestock also means a loss of profit since farms are primarily businesses with each lamb being sold at market for roughly around £100 it is evident the damage this virus could cause a farmer financially if an outbreak were to occur on their farm.
Currently, there is no vaccine against the virus and as with most potentially new vaccines the development could take two years or more. DEFRA an AHLA are keeping regular updates upon the virus upon their website of the location of reported cases in both cattle and sheep.
Thus concludes this installment upon a current issue I happened to find interesting in veterinary science for this week, however I'll probably be updating again very soon, I'm really getting into this blogging!
If you're interested in finding out more or want to know where I found about this issue, here are some useful websites that acted as my sources:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/animal-diseases/a-z/schmallenberg-virus/
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/agriculture/farming/9164468/Schmallenberg-virus-alert-over-midges-as-weather-warms.
http://vla.defra.gov.uk/science/sci_schmallenberg.htm
I thought I'd update my blog with a recent issue affecting livestock in the UK currently known as the Schmallenberg virus as part of my aim to gain a wider understanding of issues of prominence in farming in the hope that I will be an informed potential vet applicant after seeing about it on the Telegraph website.
According to them 209 farms have reported cases of the virus, believed currently to be transmitted through three different species of midge which acts as a vector for the virus, and these species of midge are in fact found in the UK as well as in other countries such as Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands which have also have cases reported. The idea that these midges could potentially lead to more cases of the Schmallenberg virus has naturally got the farming community worried, especially as many fear the virus may have survived over the winter in dormant insects.
The impact of the Schmallenberg virus is that it can cause calves and lambs to be stillborn or even extremely deformed with problems such as fused limbs or necks twisted at unusual angles which leads to the animals eventual death. Adult livestock seem to be able to survive the disease however only showing symptoms such as a reduced milk yield in cattle and a fever.
The implications of this particular disease for farmers is the loss of the their livestock also means a loss of profit since farms are primarily businesses with each lamb being sold at market for roughly around £100 it is evident the damage this virus could cause a farmer financially if an outbreak were to occur on their farm.
Currently, there is no vaccine against the virus and as with most potentially new vaccines the development could take two years or more. DEFRA an AHLA are keeping regular updates upon the virus upon their website of the location of reported cases in both cattle and sheep.
Thus concludes this installment upon a current issue I happened to find interesting in veterinary science for this week, however I'll probably be updating again very soon, I'm really getting into this blogging!
If you're interested in finding out more or want to know where I found about this issue, here are some useful websites that acted as my sources:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/animal-diseases/a-z/schmallenberg-virus/
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/agriculture/farming/9164468/Schmallenberg-virus-alert-over-midges-as-weather-warms.
http://vla.defra.gov.uk/science/sci_schmallenberg.htm
Monday, 7 May 2012
Welcome!
Hello and welcome to my vet blog!
First of all I should probably introduce myself! My name is Charlotte Romans, like many people who say they want to be a vet, my interest was fueled from a young age, inspired by my great love for animals (and at the age of six especially sheep, mainly due to the fact I was often dragged along on walks by my parents through fields where there would be nothing but sheep!) and was later reinforced when I began to get more practically involved with horses by becoming a member of the Pony Club which often involved learning details about the anatomy of the horse, daily care routines, dentistry and shoeing. It is quite fair to say that this helped to spark my enthusiasm for all things veterinary which to this day still remains as strong as ever!
From that point of my life onward, I decided I would make it my mission to try and win a place at vet school and over the years I have tried to learn as much as I can about animals and their health both as companions and as livestock. From completing work experience placements in small animal clinics, at the local stables, helping out for a day of lambing at a farm to undertaking milking of a dairy herd, I am hoping that with this coming summer I can even fit in some more valuable work experience which I thoroughly enjoy the diversity of! Even through keeping my own pets, I have learnt the importance of regularly treating for fleas and worms, checking the teeth and skin of both my rabbits and cats, and dealt with the challenge of trying to trim a very wriggly rabbits' claws!
A current area of interest for myself is work regarding stem cells and their possible use as a regenerative veterinary medicine, and I recently wrote my Biology coursework, combining my love of science and animals, upon how mesenchymal stem cells were used to regenerate the superficial digital flexor tendon in race horses, which lead to me reading some really intriguing journals upon research that had been carried out and allowed me to analyse the benefits, risks and ethical issues surrounding this treatment and other complimentary therapies that may work alongside it. However I will post more about this topic later on this blog as I will begin researching stem cells again as part of a Pathology project later this year!
So there you have it, a hopefully not too long introduction to myself, my interests and how it came to be that I decided veterinary would be a good career choice!
Until the next time, goodbye!
First of all I should probably introduce myself! My name is Charlotte Romans, like many people who say they want to be a vet, my interest was fueled from a young age, inspired by my great love for animals (and at the age of six especially sheep, mainly due to the fact I was often dragged along on walks by my parents through fields where there would be nothing but sheep!) and was later reinforced when I began to get more practically involved with horses by becoming a member of the Pony Club which often involved learning details about the anatomy of the horse, daily care routines, dentistry and shoeing. It is quite fair to say that this helped to spark my enthusiasm for all things veterinary which to this day still remains as strong as ever!
From that point of my life onward, I decided I would make it my mission to try and win a place at vet school and over the years I have tried to learn as much as I can about animals and their health both as companions and as livestock. From completing work experience placements in small animal clinics, at the local stables, helping out for a day of lambing at a farm to undertaking milking of a dairy herd, I am hoping that with this coming summer I can even fit in some more valuable work experience which I thoroughly enjoy the diversity of! Even through keeping my own pets, I have learnt the importance of regularly treating for fleas and worms, checking the teeth and skin of both my rabbits and cats, and dealt with the challenge of trying to trim a very wriggly rabbits' claws!
A current area of interest for myself is work regarding stem cells and their possible use as a regenerative veterinary medicine, and I recently wrote my Biology coursework, combining my love of science and animals, upon how mesenchymal stem cells were used to regenerate the superficial digital flexor tendon in race horses, which lead to me reading some really intriguing journals upon research that had been carried out and allowed me to analyse the benefits, risks and ethical issues surrounding this treatment and other complimentary therapies that may work alongside it. However I will post more about this topic later on this blog as I will begin researching stem cells again as part of a Pathology project later this year!
So there you have it, a hopefully not too long introduction to myself, my interests and how it came to be that I decided veterinary would be a good career choice!
Until the next time, goodbye!
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