From Monday the 31st of July until Wednesday the 2nd of August I visited Eastcott Vets for some work experience! I witnessed lots of procedures during the days and found it extremely interesting to observe the vets and their practices. I loved the experience and I am now determined to study veterinary medicine at university and pursue my dream career. Below is a photo of me in my scrubs for the day as I went into surgery in order to make sure the conditions were sterile.
I observed a session of dog physio which involved massaging muscles and some laser treatment after detecting some mobility issues in the hip area and back of the spinal cord. He had an injury around 12 months ago and is a senior dog so required some assistance from the physio.
I also went into theatre and watched two lap spays which involved cutting the ovaries and making incisions in the stomach area. The dogs are put to sleep and numbed around the incision area to ensure a smooth procedure. Both took around 1.5 - 2 hours to complete and both were successful.
I also visited minor procedures and watched the removal of three grass seeds from a cockapoo's hind feet. Grass seeds can be very dangerous as they are shaped like arrowheads and once they are inside the foot they can't travel backwards. Grass seeds infiltrate skin whilst dogs are running around in thick, high sections of grass. They are more common on long and curly-haired dogs as they can't fall out of the hair easily so get pushed into the skin. The vet and nurse removed a total of three grass seeds which is an incredibly large amount! The vet made small incisions around swelled areas and pulled out some very large grass seeds on both hind paws. Unfortunately a different dog was not as lucky as the cockapoo and had a grass seed lodged inside his lungs which had ripped some tissue and caused the lungs to collapse. He was being assisted breathing by a machine in the intensive unit. Grass seeds can be very severe so it's important to take your dog to the groomers regularly and checking their paws and ears for swelling or redness.
