School is AWESOME!! I am loving the things I am doing here at school. Last semester was just a teaser, we always talked about the stuff we were going to do, but we didn't actually do very much of it. This semester we are actually doing a lot more. The funnest thing I have learned to do so far is blood-draws. (I know you guys probably think I'm weird) Cows were actually a little scary to do, because it's not like people where you can take your time and gently place your needle, then glide it right into the blood vessel. Getting them into the chute and prepped is the easy part. Finding the vein isn't even that difficult as long as the cow isn't a total nut-job. The hard part is getting past the mental block. Like I said before, you can't just glide a needle into a cow. First off because they won't just hold still and say "here, stab me!" but more importantly because their skin is much thicker and you have to do just that....stab them. I'm not talking about driving a needle clear through their neck, but you do have to use a certain amount of force to get through the skin, and let me tell you its nerve racking with your entire class watching you go first. I was shaking so bad I could hardly hit my mark, and it took me a minute to get it just right but finallly I got it! It was actually an exciting feeling and I was somewhat proud of myself that I got it on the first try. We did goats next and they were easy. They were much easier to restrain and we got to use a smaller needle. With goats you can just slide the needle in nice and easy and it takes about 20 sec. for the whole process.
Besides just having fun, I am learning a much greater appreciation for the miracle of life through my schooling. I am constantly in awe of the body and the amazing things it does, from the most intricate relationships between cells to the way it communicates with the greater environment. I am getting more and more excited as time goes on to learn all I can so that I can do my best to help these animals that have no other way to help themselves.
With this excitement has also come an anxiety because while my professors are teaching us all the ways that we can help animals, they are also making us painfully aware of all the ways we can kill them as well. The difference between life and death in a horse (or any other animal but its of particular concern in horses) is the difference between giving medication in a vein vs. an artery. Often times, especially in the neck, these two are sitting right on top of each other. We have also learned of various other mistakes that could easily happen while doing rather routine procedures. I am scared to death that one day I am going to kill something that had no cause to die. On a similar note, I know that there will come a time when I have to put an animal to sleep because I know it's the best help I can give that animal. This is something that I am prepared for, though I don't think that will make it any easier when the time actually comes. It's times like these when I wonder if I have really picked the right profession. But then I see animals like the ones we have adopted for the semester, and I see the awful state of life they came from, and how happy they are now and it makes it all worth it. We got some dogs this semester that were severly emaciated. I mean every bone was sticking out and they were depressed and had no energy. I nearly cried when I saw them for the first time. A couple of them would just sulk in their kennel and barely acknowledge our presence. They gulped their food down so fast it would make them puke. Now, less than 2 weeks later they have gotten a spark back in their eye and seem to want to live again. They have been steadily gaining weight and are eating food at a normal pace. They bark and jump at their cages when we enter the room and seem genuinely happy to see us again. (Even though we do poke and prod at them quite a bit). One of the dogs is still a little reserved but she is doing much better. It is these moments that make me 100% certain that what I am doing is the right thing. I feel such a sense of pride and joy that I was a part of making these animals' lives worth living. And that is enough to make up for everything else.
Another fun thing that I have been doing in school that I want to mention, and I actually have pictures, is the building of our new bird house! This 'bird house' is a 10x10x10 building that we built from the ground up. The pieces all came pre-cut but we put everything together it was quite the adventure!! The pictures aren't in order, and the barn isn't totally done, we still have to put in the insulation and windows...but let me tell you, I can't think of a better place for a sick bird to be than this will be by the time we're done with it :) There's a loft and everything.
The gang. It was mostly just us Vet Tech's but towards the end we had a couple male hands chipping in, it's almost done in this picture :D
That's me in the blue coat helping to nail down the roof.
Haha...I hardly think standing on a tractor follows the OSHA guidelines for safety, but sometimes it's just better to turn a blind eye
Wrapping up for the day
Corrie in front and Richelle in back trying to screw the front of the barn together.
Molly is on the left wearing her sweet hat her dad brought her from Peru I think. If you can't tell, it's a beanie with a mohawk on it. Molly and Richelle are two friends I hang out with most.
Lol...kind of a candid moment, I wasn't really expecting the picture. I'm standing in the loft.
All in all it was a fun day and Beck (our red-tailed hawk) is about ready to move into his new home. We have a chain link pen that we're going to put out front so that he can be indoors and outdoors, hopefully everything will be done by this week. Anywho, I think this post is about long enough so I will try to keep this more updated so I don't have to do big huge posts every time....but I've been saying that all along so we'll see what actually happens. 
2 comments:
Holy cow its a new post!!!! The barn looks AWESOME!!!! Thats so cool you guys built it..way to go! As for the blood draws...well...good job. :) Glad you are enjoying school. You're making me miss it. I remember having those classes where I just couldn't soak up enough of the information. It is cool to learn about the world around us and how it works. Important thing is to not let it stop with school...keep this love for learning Jac...it will take you far in life.
I just love reading about your life. And it was fun to see how passionate you are about what you are learning and doing. As you know, I do not share your same passion for animals, but I really like what you said about life. All life is sacred and precious, a gift from God; whether that be a human life, or animal, or plant, it is something not to be taken lightly. Way to be T! Hey, that's a rhyme. haha. I crack myself up. Okay, this comment is turning into a post itself. But it was good to hear your thoughts. And way sweet bird house. I want to be your bird.
Post a Comment