Littleton Equine Medical Center Week 1

This has been an incredible first week which met and then exceeded any expectations I had. Littleton is an incredibly busy multi-doctor practice and there seems to be a doctor and a case (or a few) to match any equine medical interests! Below is a short description of some of the cases I saw this week and some of my duties here. Thanks for reading!
I spent my first morning in Monday morning meeting, learning about blood transfusions in horses. We learned about why we need them, the different kinds, and what scenario prompts needing each type of transfusion (plasma vs. whole blood vs washed RBC, etc). Each week there is Monday morning meeting, which is a lecture on a given subject by a clinician. Then journal club meets on Turesday mornings before grand rounds. One of the first cases I saw was a laceration repair. Dr. Duff used a simple interrupted pattern on the chest, placing the first suture in the middle of the laceration to avoid running out of skin and "dog-earing" the wound.

I then went to find Dr. Mullen, she was scoping the upper airways of a horse who has problems with tossing his head when he’s being ridden, so she was trying to figure out why he was so bothered and tense in his poll region. She didn’t find anything but she showed me the dorsal pharyngeal diverticulum, which is where nasogastric tubes can get stuck if you pass them wrong. I caught up with Dr. Hill and got to watch her do a periosteal stripping. This particular foal had an angular limb deformity called “valgus” so his feet were turned out. I got to give that foal K-Pen, which is potassium and penicillin. Because of the potassium, we have to give it really slow or the horses can cramp up really bad and get diarrhea. 

The next case I got to help with was with a splint adjustment on a foal. He was born a twin and premature. He’s got a plethora of problems: patent urachus, incomplete ossification of his carpal and tarsal bones, diarrhea, skin lesions... He’s a spunky little guy though. 

I've spent a fair amount of time cleaning ICU stalls and one isolation stall. It's quite the process! It's of utmost importance that it's done well for biosecurity reasons. On Wednesday a stallion came in who had impaled himself on a fence trying to get to the neighboring mare. He's had his wound flushed several times and is on systemic antibiotics and stall rest. The wound did not penetrate into the abdomen, so the doctors and technicians are taking steps to promote healing and prevent infection and potentially further damage.
While I am scheduled to work Monday through Friday, I live on site and have the opportunity to help around the clinic, observe, and learn anytime. Saturday I was able to attend a horse show with Dr. Sauder. Unfortunately, and also thankfully for the horses, we weren't needed besides Dr. Sauder dispensing medication, so I left around 12 and spent the rest of the day exploring. So far this has proven itself to be an excellent learning and networking opportunity! I'm excited to see what this week brings as I shift from an 8-5 schedule to a 3-12 schedule. I'm also excited to explore the area! While the altitude adjustment has proven difficult at times, the area is beautiful and there are tons of things to do in Denver.