Week one at Saginaw Valley Equine Clinic

Monday morning was my first official day at Saginaw Valley Equine Clinic.  Although myself and the other fellow at SVEC went in at 9 am for orientation, we were told as we arrived that we would be going on a farm call to relieve a choke on a mammoth donkey instead.  Of course I was excited to start off my first day with a case, and this was just a sampling of the things to follow that week.  The most striking thing for me this week was how different equine medicine is from small animal medicine.  I worked as a veterinary assistant in a small animal practice throughout my undergraduate education, and what we saw in the clinic was generally routine vaccinations, toe nail trims, spays and neuters, and the occasional diagnostic.  This week was dominated by embryo transfers, stallion collections, artificial inseminations, pregnant mare ultrasounds, pre-purchase exams, lameness diagnostics, chiropractic and acupuncture visits, and foal care, with a few surgeries and other diagnostic procedures sprinkled in.  It was a week filled with new experiences and I really enjoyed seeing half a semester of veterinary physiology applied during five minutes of a case involving a dummy foal with kidney failure.   I can’t wait to see what next week brings!