Archives for July 2016

Day 10: 6/20 – Sheep Day

This morning we visited the adorable farm of Aviana Vista, owned by an amazing couple who rents out their rooms to others to stay at. The owned a large group of sheep that they kept for no reason other them liking them, and using them as lawnmowers. Sheep are amusing and dumb animals who took a while to rally them together into the pen for us to give them shots. One by one we took turns giving each sheep dewormer, vitamins, and a shot for black leg. Black leg is a usually fatal bacterial disease caused by Clostridium chauvoel. Only a few of the sheep showed slight symptoms of black leg, but we had to give shots to the whole herd so nothing could be spread.

After taking a relaxing dip in the pool at the vista, we traveled to a field where we performed another horse castration. The rain started pouring down while we were there, so we had to wait in the van until it lightened up since we couldn’t perform the surgery in the rain. After the rain stopped I helped Dr. T do the castration, which resulted in a lot of testicle blood on my arm. The surgery had to be done fast since the horse was fighting the ketamine, but we successfully completed the procedure. It’s interesting to see how simple and fast this can be done, and how it is pretty much done the same way at farms in the states as well.

Day 11: 6/21 – Palpations

Today was an early morning, as we all woke up at 5:00 AM to go to a dairy farm. We walked into a building where cows had these sucking machines on their udders, and two were being milked at a time, with one man handling both of them manually. We each had a turn to put the machine on their udders, as well as milk them by hand. I was unsure of how to felt at first, as someone who stopped drinking milk a few years ago (though I occasionally eat ice-cream and other milk-products, I cannot stomach milk on its own). The whole industry is very unnatural and invasive to me, it makes me uncomfortable seeing first-hand how humans capitalize on mother’s milk. I still engaged in the activity though, and shook my thoughts out of my head when watching the dairy cows having free range of the land with their calves, and seeming un-phased and not bothered by their “job”.

Later, we had the opportunity to palpate cows. The farm had many cattle, including these beautiful all white ones, but only the jersey and Holstein mixed cows were used to breed and milk due to their better nature. We went over the reproductive tract of the cow and how to palpate and tell if the girl is pregnant or not. It was a messy job, but very interesting. We palpated by putting out arms into the cow’s anus, and then feeling the cavity wall for the cervix. The position of the cervix shows you if they are pregnant or not, as the cervix will “drop”, or move lower, if pregnant.

Day 12: 6/22 – Pig Day

Today we traveled to a small local pig farm at Cristo Ray. The pungent smell of the pigs was extremely strong as soon as we stepped out of the van. The smell of horse and call stalls are fine for me, however, this odor was difficult for me to handle at first. Luckily, the odor faded as time went on. Dr. T started off with castrating a few of the younger male piglets. I was at first shocked to hear that only horses and dogs receive anesthesia when being neutered, but I guess it isn’t as needed when they are young and easy to restrain, and given pain killers afterwards. We hen gave dewormer and vitamin shots to all of the piglets. Afterwards, we neutered another larger pig, who was given some drugs beforehand due to his size. We then gave more dewormer and vitamin shots to another whole coral of young pigs, where one person had to grab them by their ears and restrain them, another gave the shots, and the third person would spray the pig with a purple dye so we knew which ones had the shot and which didn’t. It was a very ear-piercing, loud, and messy morning. The first neuters were in the pouring rain, which really shows how large animal vets have to be able to stay calm and perform well in all types of weather and environments that they aren’t used to. This day definitely made me aware that I do not wish to work with pigs later in life, despite being interested in being a large animal vet. It was also interesting to see how local pig farms are here, as all of their pigs are raised for meat. The pigs, despite being in small dirty pens, were still with each other and had room to move around, and had veterinarians check them. In the U.S., the meat industry is much larger and harsher.

Day 13: 6/23 – Our Last Farm Day

Today was, sadly, the groups last day of practicals and working with animals. We drove into Barton Creek and split up into groups to work with different herds of cattle in a large Mennonite community.  Went with the second group where we corralled about 30-40 cattle and gave them all rabies shots. It had just down poured and I ended up becoming extremely muddy after being slapped with some of the cow’s tails and walking around in the mud. The Mennonites here in Belize are a very interesting and friendly group of people. I was at first worried that they would be wary of us, especially as a group of all females, and myself being a female with tattoos. However, the people were very nice to us and appreciative that we were there to vaccinate their animals. The land here was the most gorgeous scenery that I had seen so far during this whole month, and I was extremely grateful that this was our final field day and grateful of the entire experience I have had in this country.

Day 5: 6/15 – Lab Day

We were supposed to start this day off with a lecture on animal health and reproduction, however, Dr. T had gotten a farm call. Luckily, we were able to go along with him for any calls that he gets, as a big part of being a wildlife vet is to be available at all times to go to house calls and be able to perform surgeries and help with emergencies when needed. We got to see our first horse castrations, as two stallions needed to have castrations done at this one home, and learned how to perform physicals. I am glad that I have never been bothered by blood and guts before, because seeing this for the first time up close and personal was gruesome and awesome. Dr. T uses ketamine and a mix of an opiate to sedate the animal for the surgery, and then they are given shots of antibiotic, vitamins, and a pain killer after the surgery is done. Later, we visited the Belize Agricultural Health Authority (BAHA) to observe how they do blood smears and study fecal samples from different farms to detect diseases such as rabies. This was cool to see since this is a side of the animal industry that most people don’t get to see or even think about, as these are the people detecting all signs of outbreaks all over the country.

Day 6: 6/16 – Cattle Ranch

After driving to a little farm in the area of Barton Creek, we had to give dewormer and vitamins to a few different cattle. These cattle were Holsteins mixed with jerseys, so they were very cute and calm tempered. Giving them shots is easy, due to how large they are and how large the “V” part of the neck it to give the intramuscular shots in their necks. After, Dr. T. performed a spay on a mother dog, and the rest of us gave dewormer shots to her little puppies. Later, we traveled to a different area where we dewormed goats. Here we also had our first experience with a bot fly! The larvae was popped out of the goat’s neck and then was full of puss, which was disgusting but also cool to see since I have been interested in bot flies for years. We all had a fun time here working with the goats and eating the fresh oranges that Dr. T picked off of a tree there.

Day 7: 6/17 – Horse Day

This day was definitely my favorite day so far on this entire trip.  We went to a horse farm, Met Farm, which is owned by a large family who all run the place together. Here we practiced our clinical sheet skills with more horses, taking their temperatures, weights, heights, respiratory rates, and heart rates. I’m glad we get so much experience working hands on with animals, and especially horses, since they are such good-tempered and beautiful animals. After filling out our clinical sheets on these horses, the horses got saddled up for all of us to ride them. I was able to ride the horse that I had wanted to, a large white female, and we rode off into the forest up the mountain. The ride was peaceful and thrilling, and a wonderful way to view all of the different nature here compared to the Savannah forests that we were in during the last class. At the end of the ride a few of us got the chance to go fast, instead of walking back with the group. Our horses followed suit with our guide, and ran through the forest paths all the way back down to the sables. This was the fastest I have ever rode on a horse, and the experience was exhilarating. After, Dr. T spayed two of dogs at the farm, and then brought us to this gorgeous waterfall that we all swam in. The area was breathtaking and I was so happy to really take in and appreciate the beauty of the forests and natural landforms in the country.

Day 8: 6/18 – Community Clinic

This Saturday we all went with Dr. T and Reuben to work and volunteer at a local spay and neuter clinic. This clinic is free to the public, where people can either choose to only get their animals checked up and given vitamins and dewormers, or they can also get their animal spayed or neutered. This clinic was similar to the rabies one we had done during the last course, however, this was in a much bigger town and done in a nicer and larger community building. There were different stations for us to be placed at and rotated at, one where we talked to the people and got their information, one where we did the checkups and shots, another where we assisted Dr. T with the surgeries, and the last being the recovery station where we stayed with the dogs and monitored them until the drugs wore off. I finally got to assist Dr. T with a dog neuter, as so far we have only seen spays, which was interesting so see how it differed from the horse castration. This clinic was much better than the other as the people here seemed to care much more about their animals. At the last rabies clinic, people would drag their dogs in on tight chains and clearly did not view them as pets. At this clinic, is was relieving to see people loving their animals and caring for their wellbeing. Seeing this gave me hope for the animals in this country and other similar countries, where the people are starting to change their views on dogs and wildlife in general.

Day 9: 6/19 – Free day/iguanas

This Sunday was spent as another free day. Most of us relaxed for a large part of the day, some went swimming, and others (including myself) took a needed nap. Later in the day we all went to visit the Green Iguana Conservation Project. The admission price wasn’t bad and all of the profits go toward helping conserve and rehabilitate these iguanas. When we stepped inside the enclosure the iguanas were everywhere, and were all so used to attention from humans that they seemed to enjoy being touched and held by us. This was definitely the cutest encounter I’ve had with reptiles before, as my snake doesn’t show much happiness with any interaction.

Goals/Expectations:

My last course about wildlife conservation was very interesting and important to me. All my life I had wanted to work with conservation and exotic animals, so taking this course and working at the Belize zoo was a dream come true. The class, however, was not as hands on as I had expected and wanted. After hearing from other girls about this large animal veterinarian course and how hands on it was, I am extremely excited to get started. I have always watched television shows about large animal vets, and worked with dairy heifer cows at my school, but have never done hands on work with these animals or with cats and dogs. I am excited to get into it and see how the field of a large animal vet really is from a first-hand experience, as well as further experience the different culture here in Belize in a larger more populated city and seeing actual farms/businesses.

Day 1: 6/11 – First day at Midas

After an hour drive south of TEC we had arrived in San Ignacio. Seeing civilization in this small city was breath of fresh air after being secluded for two weeks off of the Western highway. Our first day here was spent by the pool, which was exhilarating and relieving after being deprived of swimming for two weeks in the dry season. Midas resort is very charming, with cute cabanas in the back of the hotel connected by paths. The cabanas are where we stay, while I believe there are also rooms inside the main building. After we spent the day relaxing we met with our program director, Cynthia, at dinner at a restaurant near the hotel. At this welcoming dinner we also met our professor, Dr. T, and his brother, Ruben, who both run Paws veterinary clinic in San Ignacio. These two work at the veterinary clinic for companion animals, as well as travel to farms around Belize for consultation and to house calls for people’s farm animals.

 

 

Day 2: 6/12 – Xunantunich

Today we started off with a tour of San Ignacio by our program director Cynthia. The city here is very interesting and charming. Luckily most places in the city are in walk-able distances from our hotel so that we don’t need to use taxis and can walk around town for lunch and dinner. After the tour we spent the rest of the day exploring the Mayan city of Xunantunich. After crossing a hand-crank ferry across a river, we met with out two tour guides and started the tour off with climbing an exhausting hill to the ruins. The temples were breathtaking, and the largest Mayan structures that I have ever seen in person. The largest building was called El Castillo and we were able to climb all the way to the top of it. The Mayan stairs are very tall, as they were built to be only for the deserving to climb. The buildings were also made for the Gods, and not necessarily for the people.

Day 3: 6/13 – Suture Practice

Our first day of class started off with lectures to introduce us to the two week long course. We went over breeds of cattle, sheep, horses, and then diseases that are typically found with these animals and within farms around Belize. The diseases included vesicular stomatitis, black leg, bovine spongiform, rabies, avian influenza, Newcastle disease, and screw worm. These diseases are very important for us to learn about to get an idea of the issues that arise with farm animals in this country and so we have background information in case we deal first hand with any animals with these diseases during our farm trips. We were also lectured on the Bovine Agricultural Health Authority (BAHA) that is located in Belize.

After lunch, we met Dr. T at his veterinary clinic to practice suturing. The group split up into two, where one half worked with Dr. T on a live dog getting spayed, and the other worked with store-bought chicken breasts and legs. I was nervous to work on the dog right away, so I stayed with the dead chickens. We practiced both outside and inside knots on the chicken skin, but sutures re usually inside knots. After the groups switched, we watched Dr. T perform a spay on a dog and I helped him suture the cut up afterwards. It was awesome to witness and made me really excited for the rest of the course. Usually, in the U.S., people don’t get that kind of hands on experience without being in vet school for two years, so this course is going to be a great opportunity. And now I can properly stitch a cut up in case any emergency occurs in the future!

Day 4: 6/14 – Whistling Ducks Farm

Today was our first day going to a farm, which was exciting! After having lecture that morning, we were all really looking forward to getting out in the field and getting our hands dirty. Our goal today was to learn how to physicals on horses and how to take information from clients on their animals.

The women had a handful of horses, and two included horses that she took in for a guy while we went away. Sadly we was killed while away, and she still takes care of these horses like her own. I made me happy how sweet she was and how much she loved her horses. There was a beautiful pinto horse with her matching foal that was too cute to handle. We filled out the clinical sheets in regards to some black spots/bites on the mother and the foal, then we split up into groups of two where we examined other horses. The horse I examined had a growth on the back of its hind hoof, so Dr. T gave the horse ketamine in order to cut it off and cauterize the cut. This was my first time seeing something like this done on a horse, and it is amazing to see how powerful they are and how much they fight the drugs, causing them to burn it off quickly and the doctors to have to work carefully and quickly.

 

 

I am departing for Rio de Janeiro, a lively city in Brazil, this coming Sunday. As I am making packing lists and preparing for the trip I am feeling overwhelmed with excitement and nerves. My travel partner, Sam, is already in Rio and I will be meeting up with her on Sunday. I have been in contact with her which has made me less nervous and even more excited. She says that landscape is quite unique and beautiful, while I have seen photos and have heard stories of the magic of the landscape, I cannot wait to experience it for myself. It is a city that communicates with both the mountains and the sea at once and living on the east coast of the United States all my life, I have never experienced such a unity of water, earth, and city.

Something that worries me is that I do not speak Portuguese. I tried to teach myself some phrases by using an app on the iPhone; the app said a word in Portuguese then repeated the same word in English. I would use this app while I was driving, sometimes with the windows down taking in all the strange looks from other drivers, or while I was at work in garden. Unfortunately I did not retain much but Sam speaks Portuguese so I should be fine. I look forward to being immersed in the language and hopefully picking some up through conversation. For now, I have written important phrases down in my sketch book.

Something that I am looking forward to is the fruit. I have never been a huge fan of fruit but I suspect that that is because it is hard to get fresh fruit in New Jersey (besides Apples). I do love Paw Paw, but Paw Paw is a fruit that is native to New Jersey. I can’t wait for the fresh fruit that grows in Brazil to, hopefully, change my opinion of fruit forever.

I also want to mention that Sam and I are traveling to Brazil to do a landscape architecture study, I will talk more about this in further post, Sam mentioned this is her first post if you want to check that out.

I can’t wait to start the study, experience the landscape and experience the culture! Check back in later for more post.

Here is a song by one of my favorite bands, Thievery Corporation, many of their song are in Portuguese.