Josee Westrich

       

These two weeks have flown by but have come with the best of memories. Leaving Belize only feels like a reminder to come back. It has been hard being home this past week knowing that the week before I was out in the field doing what I loved with people who now feel like are my second family. My group is already making plans to meet up again and one of the girls I found out only lives 30 minutes from my home in Malvern, PA! On my flight into Belize, I remember staring at awe over the blue water that was sitting below but flying out it felt like I just could not get enough pictures of the country I knew was leaving. There is nothing that I feel that I can put down in writing that summarizes being there and how much it changes you coming back. Being at clinic and getting a chance to connect with the people there reminded me of how much I will be able to do with my education and the difference that I can make in both animals and their owner’s lives. I left with the goal in mind of becoming more impassioned about what I want to pursue and now looking back on the people I touched I feel more incentivized to reach it! I hope to come back to Belize someday (maybe even as a TA for this very same program!) but in the meantime I will buy myself a coconut, make myself some fry jacks, and keep on pretending again like a kid that I am already there! 😉

 

 

       

Before leaving for morning lecture on zoonotic diseases at PAWS clinic, we gathered together at one of the cabanas at the Midas Resort to get dressed for a birthday surprise we had been planning. Our vet tech Ruben had his birthday on the same day he had to drive us out to a goat farm so we wanted to thank him with balloons and party hats for working on his special day. It was a lot of fun because the clinic is a family run business so Ruben’s brother Dr. Tesecum (We all call him Dr. T for short) was there to celebrate with us before beginning lecture.

 

Lecture was actually really interesting because we discussed several zoonotic diseases such as rabies and how animals with them get treated. It was surprising to hear that cattle were the major carriers for rabies instead of dogs as you see them all the time running around in town off leash. Even livestock animals such as horses have a lower incidence of rabies because people are more likely to view them as pets rather than assets so they tend to give them more care and attention. Rabies was a huge topic of concern when I was making sure that my immunizations were up to date before leaving for Belize. So learning that most of the animals you would come in contact with are actually vaccinated for the viral disease came as a huge surprise.

For the afternoon, we visited a goat farm to help give subcutaneous vitamin injections and oral dewormer. Compared to the sheep, they were much easier to restrain but since they were not dehorned, you had to work quickly in order to avoid being kicked or rammed into by their horns. It was actually really funny while working with them as the smell of the barn faintly reminded me of goat cheese so it was hard not to get a little hungry.

Little did I know that later some of the farmers would cut down some of their coconuts so that we could have a chance to try the water and meat inside. It was funny to watch everybody’s first sip and look back at the expression of my face trying it for the first time. The taste is very different from what you would expect as the coconut sold in the stores in the States is often highly processed. It turns out that the coconuts in Belize, which come in both green and yellow varies, are a staple of the Belizean diet used in almost every dish and even to cure the occasional upset stomach.

Later in the week, we drove out to an Amish dairy farm where we learned about the importance of rotating pastures to break parasite life cycles and ways in which production can be improved through assessing an animal’s diet. Many of the grasses in Belize, I found out are actually imported from different regions around the world, as the protein content in the native grasses tends to be lower. It is especially important to learn ways to improve dairy cattle nutrition in Belize as Holstein cows unlike in the States do not produce as much milk since they were bred for more temperate climates. While we did not get as many hands-on experiences at this farm, we did have the opportunity to milk a cow. However, I think if I had to choose the highlight of my day it would definitely go to getting a chance to stick my arm up a cow’s rectum to palpate the cervix.

Rectal palpations are lot harder then they look but they are done either to artificially inseminate or check for pregnancy in a cow. You are basically going in blind when trying to palpate because your hand, which goes through the rectum is trying to find the cervix, which sits below in a different cavity. Sometimes you have to clear out the feces to reach the cervix and at other times your arm just being there as a foreign object causes the cow to feel the urge to defecate. Our group got really lucky though because before going to the AI farm, we had the opportunity to examine a dissection of the reproductive anatomy from a heifer that had recently just been slaughtered. It made it a lot easier to visualize where the cervix laid when actually palpating but still trying to determine whether the cow was pregnant was a bit harder since we had nothing to compare it to. It was a lot of fun though pulling on arm-length gloves with lubricant and I don’t think I could have been happier at the end of the day knowing I had my arm half way up a cow.

Because we ended at the AI farm early, we had the opportunity to go climb and explore the Mayan ruin Xunantunich (Try saying that name five times fast because I sure couldn’t even on the first try. For most of the trip, I just called it Mayan ruin ‘X’ lol 😉 We actually had made plans to go see this ruin three times before finally getting there. A bit ominous considering that it happens to be the second tallest Mayan temple in Belize. The first time we were supposed to go was the weekend we arrived but there was a mix up with dates with our tour guide so we ended up visiting a smaller Mayan temple called Cahal Pech closer in to San Ignacio. On our third try to go visit Xunantunich, the van stopped in the middle of the road on a hill and would no longer go forward despite the number of times we tried. Should we have taken this as a sign from above? Waiting for our second van to arrive in the sun for an hour should have probably made us all turn back but nonetheless we embraced what was not meant to be, eager to climb to see the view from the top not from a postcard.

Climbing to the top was a bit of a challenge as the steps are unusually high and don’t go straight through the center. I later found out the physical struggle in climbing higher steps forces your body into a position that for the Mayans would have mirrored the act of genuflecting to honor their gods. When we reached the top of Xunantunich, the view was nothing like I had seen in my life. You could actually see the border separating Belize from Guatemala once of course, it was pointed out to you. One thing that really surprised me was that borders become pretty nonexistent when you are up that high, as the landscape looks the same on either side. Guatemala and Belize continue to have border disputes to this day due to what each side claims was initially their territory before British occupation. However, being up that high without a way to distinguish the border, you begin to contemplate what really is defining about one.

Our last day of class was at a horse farm where we had the chance to run physical exams and the opportunity to go riding. I was really excited to be around horses again as I used to ride as a hunter-jumper for eight years so some part of being there felt a little like home. It was pretty lively place too as there were several dogs running around on the farm as well as a kitten that had been born a couple weeks ago. I also got the chance to see a Blue Morpho butterfly and some lizard eggs while walking around, which was pretty cool. The iguanas and geckos in Belize are analogous to the squirrels we have in the States as they are almost everywhere crawling up trees and on the ground. Other common wildlife that youwill find there include Great-tailed Grackles, Black Howler Monkeys, and Leaf-Cutter Ants, which you have to be careful to avoid while walking since their trails back to their nest tend to be very long.

We performed full body exams on the horses from head to tail checking their vitals, measuring their height/weight, and removing the occasional tick if need be. Some of the horses in the herd were rather young so they ended up coming along with us for riding, which was pretty fun. It was a very cool experience knowing that the horse that I rode up a mountain was the same one that I did a physical examination on. Knowing that the animal underneath me was healthier because of the injections I administered gave me the chance to reflect on how as a future veterinarian I will not only be acting as a physician but also a caretaker of all animals.

(Classroom that we turned into spay/neuter surgery room for clinic. Just outside the windows is where we were running physical examinations on all the animals brought in)

Clinic on Saturday was a lot of fun as it felt great to give back to the community after learning so much over the course of this week. The night before, we visited the inside of a schoolhouse to prepare it to be used for the clinic’s surgeries and with a few taped off chairs outside, we managed to recreate a reception and an examination room. Seeing afterwards how fast the clinic was put up and then taken down showed me how far-reaching the impact of our services ended up going even with limited resources. We were responsible as a group for everything from recording intake, running physical examinations, assisting in spay/neuter surgeries, and watching the animals during post-op.

(Giving dewormer/vitamin injection for physical exam and checking vitals during surgery)   

(Assisting in spay of dog and suturing up skin from incision)

It was amazing to see how many owners showed up and were concerned for their animals’ well being as many of the small animals here in Belize tend to roam freely off leash within the communities (We had about 80 or so patients and 20 of them received free spay/neuter surgeries!:). Many of the dogs and cats mistaken for strays actually are more than likely to have homes that they go back to at the end of the day. However, the problem with pet ownership in the country actually arises from this cultural practice where sometimes people do not feel fully responsible for the animal despite encouraging the

dog or cat to come back to their home through giving leftover scraps of food that they have on hand. Through free animal clinics such as the one hosted by CELA, we are able to better raise awareness for the responsibilities surrounding pet ownership thereby increasing the likelihood that animal welfare gets appreciated. It became apparent to me while working at the clinic how long a little bit of knowledge about animal care might go in reassuring owner’s concerns. Although the fast pace of the clinic was overwhelming, it forced me to realize that often times it is not actually about how much you know but more about how much you can do with what little you do know. There were times when I definitely doubted myself while doing physical examinations and suturing still was a challenge; however, as I learned you are responsible for more than just the animal as a veterinarian. I actually ended up talking to this one women who was concerned about her dachshund puppy about to be taken into surgery to be spayed and it was amazing to see the difference I could make in just helping her understand the procedure. Talking to the owners and connecting with them was actually one of the parts that I enjoyed the most at the clinic and only reaffirmed for me that this is the profession that I want to enter into.

 

On Sunday, we had a free day so we decided as a group to go to snorkeling at a small caye off the coast of the town of Placentia, which lies about three hours east of San Ignacio. One of the many things that I love about Belize is how easy it is to get around as the jungle, mountains, and ocean sit within only minutes of each other. Because we left really early in the morning, we got to see some of the fog lift from the mountainside and it was a really cool feeling being driven through it. Many people actually believe that the hillsides that make up the mountains in Belize are actually Mayan temples waiting to be uncovered—something that continued to change the way I looked at the landscape and made being driven places all the more interesting.

When we arrived at Placentia, we were taken to a local restaurant for breakfast that had probably the best mango juice (Fun Fact: Belize has more than 50 types of mango trees that all look and taste different) and fry jacks I have ever eaten. I forgot to include notes about what I had been eating while abroad but if you ever do go to Belize, you have to try their fry jacks and national dish of rice and beans. Both are rather simple dishes but since all the food in Belize is natural (Yes, even the Coca-Cola is made from pure sugar cane not processed sugar additives 😉 it tastes very wholesome and sweet. The Laughing Bird Caye where we spent the entire day was absolutely breathtaking. Clear blue water, coconut trees, and a gentle sea breeze to cool you off after a swim not to mention that there were hermit crabs all over the small island so we got to play with them too. It was actually kind of funny because I ended up picking up one of the larger hermit crabs in the wrong way and after pinching me, it would not let go. I remember joking with our tour guide afterwards that I would just have to settle for my own little scar on my pinky that would always remind me to come back to Belize. When we did eventually go snorkeling, it was a bit of a challenge for me to learn how to work the headgear and flippers, as it was my first time. They did not really take a lot of time to teach us how to use the gear but I managed it eventually after having a couple salty water experiences of it going up my nose and in my eyes. I cannot tell you though what it was like to have coral reefs and fish swimming all around you and literally at your fingertips. Because the water was so clear due to the limestone (Fun Fact: Belize is made up of about 60% limestone), you could see everything and for me, it ended up being a Finding Nemo experience that I will never forget.

When we came back to the coast of Placentia, we got the opportunity to go to a little gelato shop in town which was a lot of fun being that I am half Italian. I tried the coconut gelato topped with a scoop of Ferrero Rocher (Comes from same hazelnut candies you can get in convenience store for those who don’t know). It was really refreshing treat to have before we had to cram ourselves all back into the van to travel back to the Midas Resort. Along the way back, we ended up stopping off to see what was going on at the Mango Festival but unfortunately most places were already closing up shop since it was the end of the day. It was still fun regardless though as we ran into some of the local dogs in the area. One cool thing about Belize is that it has a ton of festivals that happen throughout the country in different places annually. Before my arrival, Chocolate Festival was going on and I was told that we would just be missing Lobster Festival when we had to go back to the States. My suggestion is that if you ever plan on going to Belize, find out when the festivals are as I heard they are a lot of fun to go to and great way to experience Belizean culture!

               

         

There is a saying in Belize that there are more caves than paved roads in the country and having driven on several of them myself in a van with thirteen other girls, I can vouch for that. We sat hip-to-hip up hills and back down them while trying to reach a small corral in the middle of a valley for class where about sixty head of beef cattle sat waiting for us. After a short anatomy lesson in the field on where the pelvic bone and spine sat, we were instructed to climb onto a raised platform to give dewormer/vitamin injections and to be honest it took some effort trying to place the needle. The beef cattle breed used in Belize has thick skin that allows them to withstand the intensity of the heat and prevalence of parasites in the region but they also are skittish making them far more unpredictable to work with. Some of the smaller cows and calves literally pushed themselves underneath one another in the stockades, which meant some of us, had to climb over them using the fence to get over to the other side. It was a bit of struggle climbing over, as there was always the possibility of falling into the stockade with the cattle below but I succeeded in getting to the other side 🙂 Normally in the States, the process is far more streamlined as there is a head-catch that prevents the cow from moving when it needs to be examined or handled so trying to inject without one was a lot harder. However, there were times when it was actually quite funny to watch as most of us not having worked with cattle before were all a little nervous when the needle would not go in initially and almost every time you could hear in the background the vet and vet tech yelling “stab him!” trying to encourage us to push the needle in a bit harder. Having been my first time to give injections let alone work with cattle made it all the more fun and I don’t think the experience would have been nearly as memorable without the sweat, heat and bumpy roads leading up to it all.

After lunch, we were given a change of scenery and chance to cool off inside of one of the BAHA (Belize Agricultural Health Authority) labs, where we had the opportunity to do a blood smear and learn more about the parasite testing done for fecal samples. Each of us was handed a white lab coat to wear which if you already read my last few blog posts, you would know by now that it did not stop myself from pretending that I was a vet for the day especially after having just given injections earlier in the morning. One of the veterinary technicians explained to us more about the McMaster test used to quantify parasite ova in feces and the other went into more detail about blood cell measurements including packed cell volume (PCV) and complete blood count (CBC). It was actually really awesome to do a blood smear as it came from the same sample that one of my peers had just learned how to draw from a cow in the field during our first session. On our way out, there was also some free fruit sitting out that the vet Dr. T handed to me to try (They are called Malay apples. Cute how small they are, right?) and it was a refreshing way to end a hot long day.

  

The following day we headed out to a sheep farm to help give dewormer/vitamin injections and assist in the castration of a few lambs. While working in pairs to restrain the sheep, I was surprised to find how critical teamwork was for ensuring that the injections were not only received but also given quickly to reduce any possible stress in the animals. It is important to take into account herd behavior when working with livestock such as sheep as it can enhance your ability to restrain them. Sheep in particular are prey species that typically run in large groups to avoid danger so by herding them together it makes it a lot easier to pick one out to examine. Performing castrations for the first time proved to be challenging, as I knew little about the reproductive anatomy to differentiate between the ligament and spermatic cords holding the testicles close to the body. It was interesting however to see how the limitations in the field such as having a sterile area to work in might change how the surgery progresses and post-operative care is maintained. In the field, our operating table was a cleared off set of wooden planks and at one point the bucket of iodine solution used for disinfecting the surgical field was knocked over by one of the lambs. Without a way to restock the iodine solution, we had to use it more sparingly and placed if not more of the antibiotic spray following each operation. Being that the antibiotic spray was purple, it almost all the time went everywhere but it was fun regardless to come back at the end of the day with my own little temporary splattered purple tattoo—a reminder of day’s hard work and my first assisted castrations.

So I have to be honest and say that pigs were my least favorite animals to work with so far out of all the large animals. The smell was a bit nauseating although the noise did not bother me too much once they started squealing in synchrony with each other (You just cannot really hear anything at that point to know the difference lol ;). We performed castrations on a few piglets early in the morning on a blue bin (instead of on wooden planks like with the lambs) and later gave intramuscular injections to some of the older ones developing to market weight. Pigs were possibly one of the hardest animals to restrain and before assisting to hold one in surgery, I was unaware of the fact that they disliked being handled and touched so got kicked a couple times in the process. While we did have a pig catcher, it was actually easier to restrain the animals manually when giving the injections but still difficult nonetheless as I fell back in one of the pens while trying to wrangle one. I also found it surprising that here in Belize there are few swine farms, which surprised me as I had been eating bacon almost daily with my morning breakfast at the Midas Resort. Who would have thought that working in the field would have given me perspective about eating my breakfast?

So, before I left for Belize, I really knew nothing about the country outside of its physical location on a map and what little I was able to read up about the culture through a travel guide I ordered about 2 months out before officially deciding to study abroad. I was prepared to discover that Mayans were the first to inhabit the region but little did I know how our own country’s history tied into that of Belize. It turns out that Belizean logwood was donated to help fund the construction of the steeple of the Old North Church (now better known as Christ Church) in Boston, Massachusetts. If you are thinking about Paul Revere right now and the beginning of a revolution that continues to kindle our spirit for freedom and independence, then you are on the right track. Many actually do postulate that without this generous donation from Belize that the Christ Church steeple would not have existed when it was needed most to signal whether the British were coming by way of sea or land. Learning about American ties to Belizean history made me realize how we are connected to people in more ways than we know possible even when we were are not fully aware of the possibility. I felt this note was important to include as it continued to frame my experience while abroad and my hope is that it encourages you to do the same while reading my posts.

          

Now, I realize that you did not come here to have me narrate to you about the history of Belize—I am not a history major after all ;)—so I will go ahead and dive into our first day of class. I won’t lie and say that it was actually a bit of a frustrating day for me as it took me almost a full hour to learn how to suture. However, it also was probably one of the parts on this trip in which I could look back on myself and feel what it was like to have a dream actualized. My imagination never has really grown quiet with getting older and it probably is one of the major reasons why I feel I have been able to stay in continued pursuit of my goals. Looking back on only a summer ago, I was just learning how to cross-stitch and while sitting on the couch with a bicycle pattern at my lap, I began to visualize myself with a different needle and thread in hand. So, it came, as no surprise while suturing for the first time that I still felt fulfilled even while erroring at every stitch along the way. I am just glad it was only chicken legs we were working on although I cannot wait to experience suturing during real surgeries at our free animal clinic this weekend!

My apologies for these late posts! I got sick on my return home and we had limited Wifi as we were out in the field most of the time working with their large farm animals. More posts will soon be coming! 🙂