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An Hour of My Day
It’s at Saturday and a mere hour until we close our doors and officially switch over to out of hours. Saturdays are always a nightmare so I’m virtually counting the minutes until the building will be mine alone. My nurse is monitoring a patient as they recover from anaesthetic while I stare at X-rays trying desperately to work out why the cat on the table is so painful it wouldn’t let me examine it conscious. X-rays are one of these things that you can stare at blindly until the pieces miraculously fall into place and everything suddenly becomes clear. Like one of those magic eye puzzles, sometimes you just have…
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Amazing Camouflage
A couple of years ago I stumbled across an article that detailed how chameleons adjust the amount of energy they expend on their camouflage depending on the sensory abilities of any predator they detect in the area. Contrary to popular belief, chameleons spend a relatively small amount of time in camouflage and will only change colour if in immediate danger. Camouflage requires a surprising amount of energy so if they know that the predator has poor eyesight they will conserve energy by using as little as possible in their camouflage. Now, it might be just me, but I thought that this was incredible!There are many animals that are coloured to…
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A Time of Change
The last couple of weeks have been weird. That’s the only word for it. WEIRD! I am now free and clear until I start final year in August so what am I doing until then? Well, actually, I’m going to Texas for 5 months. Random I know but when these opportunities come knocking, you have to grab them with both hands. Unfortunately I’m not really able to tell you much about it other than the fact I am VERY excited! (Hint: Note the addition of ‘occasional production assistant’ to my twitter bio) The whole thing is a bit surreal but it has brought forward something I’ve been dreading for months.…
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A Month on the Mountains Edge
When I first applied I’ll admit I didn’t actually give it much thought. I’m a strong believer in making the most of every opportunity presented to you so I was never going to say no to a month in Colorado, you’d have to be mad right?! Well, this particular opportunity was presented to me in December 2013 so has been on the boil for a while but I must admit that the reality of what I was doing didn’t actually dawn on me until a fortnight before take-off. I’m giving the impression that this was something epic, something akin with the adventures I have been lucky enough to embark on…
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A Journey Through Namibia
I’ve been lucky! I’ve had the opportunity to see some extraordinary parts of the world and experience the animals and cultures that originate from them. In 2007 I was lucky enough to travel to Africa for the first time and headed to Namibia. Being only 17 I wasn’t prepared for the impact that this would have on my life. A year before this I had travelled to the Yukon to follow in the footsteps of the gold prospectors, an experience that had changed my life unimaginably and yet, only a year later I was in a situation where my view of the world would be tested again – in more…
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Ophiocordyceps Unilateralis and its Zombie Ants
Not the catchiest title I’ve ever written I appreciate! Many of you will remember my long held appreciation for the life and work of Alfred Russel Wallace and this post is actually going to be dedicated to a discovery of his – the fungus Ophiocordyceps Unilateralis. Cordyceps are a group of parasitic fungi containing over 400 described species. Their hosts are usually insects and each variant often has a particular insect species that it targets. The host of choice for this variant is the Camponotus leonardi ant, otherwise known as the Carpenter Ant, which is found in many forested areas around the world and the two coincide in the tropical forests…
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Vet School Interviews
It’s getting colder outside and with the decreasing temperatures comes interview season. Being more stressful than Christmas but with none of the presents it’s no wonder that for the majority of vet applicants it is the most dreaded part of the application process. But there’s no need to panic! A lot of the fear comes from the unknown so hopefully I can help with this. If you ever need veterinarian assistance for one of your pets while you are studying, then consider contacting this pet boarding service. Here are some basic tips that apply to all vet school interviews: Know what’s going on in the vet world at the moment.…
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Surrey Vet School
As you will probably all know, this year there is going to be another vet school joining the mix with Surrey opening their doors to vet students in September 2014. Understandably, there has been A LOT of talk about this in recent months with both the BVA (British Veterinary Association) and AVS (Association of Veterinary Students) voicing their concerns. To say that the news wasn’t taken well would be an understatement and, to be totally honest, I can understand their concerns. OK, all this may make absolutely no difference to whether to apply to them but I do think that if Surrey is on your list of unis then you…
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My Personal Statement
It is the complex interactions between animals, their owners and the vet that makes me want to study veterinary medicine. In my first few weeks of volunteering at Battleflatts Veterinary Clinic a woman, whose guide dog had injured its leg, came in. I was struck by how much that woman’s quality of life depended on her dog. This realisation cemented my determination to become a vet and since then I have organised a breadth of work experience from small to large animal surgery, and from lambing, calving and farrowing to kennels and stables. I have learnt that a balance of compassion and realism is important for a vet as both…
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Personal Statement Faux Pas
For the last few years I have wanted to post my personal statement on here to give you all an idea of what is expected. I was pretty successful with mine so it is frustrating that so far I have been unable to locate it on the labyrinth that is my hard drive. At some point I will have to stop looking and finally accept that it is gone forever, lost to that place where half of my socks seem to hide and where my car keys seem to vacation. This acceptance may have to wait a while though as I refuse to give up so easily, especially when the…
