Finally Friday

Well here we are at Friday of the middle of my last semester here on the island. It is downhill from here. Yesterday was another day of small animal surgery all morning with a little medicine as well, but yesterday afternoons bovine surgery was cancelled. So I fortunately got an afternoon nap that was well deserved. Today will be the same as far as lecture, but the bovine surgery is rescheduled for today along with a bovine handling lab. That is about it until Monday.


Wes

Hump Day

Well we have reached the half-way point of the week. Yesterday was just another day at the office here at SMU. 3 hours of small animal surgery in the morning plus an hour of small animal medicine and two equine castrations in the afternoon. I felt somwhat embarassed when some "intelligent" student ask what kind of pain meds we would use on the recent gelded horses. If someone can get this far in their education and still have dumb questions like that I feel somone along the way has let this student down. Just my opinion, but its my blog. Also today my wife comes back on island and gets her Valentine's Day gift. She will be pleased....I think.


Wes

New techniques

Yesterday I had the privelage of being taught the proper form for an Ehmer Sling and Robert Jones bandage. For anyone who cares always think "Ehmer for the femur". This is a sling to place on dog that has had procedure to aid in a luxating femoral head. The sling causes the limb to be abducted and cause the femoral head to stay in the acetabulum. Another first was applying a cast. Once the cast material is wetted, you have to be fast in getting the material applied due to the fact it cures (dries) very fast. Today will be our first Large animal surgery ;ab and is going to be an equine castration. I have had the opportunity to complete two of these on my own before and today should just be a refresher.

Week 7

So here we are almost at the half way point of the semester. Friday was an interesting day to say the least. As mentioned on my last entry, we had a horse handling lab on Friday and it went better than expected. Proabably due to the fact that a certain someone had little involvement in the event. I continue to realize that Large Animal medicine on the island is more like "bush medicne" due to lack of tools these practitioners have to work with. During the evening on Friday, there was a lot of alcohol flowing and some stuff said that should not have been. This week we are blessed at SMU to have Dr. Julius Liptak lecturing on small animal orthopedics in regards to surgery. Going back to yesterday, I had the pleasure of playing my first game of "Rock Band" on XBOX360. What a fun game, I realized how darn bad I am at playing the drums and trying to read the music while I play. Ohh well, I will get better with time.

Wes

Finally Friday

Hope everyone is having a great Friday. Another day (62 left) here on Grand Cayman. Unfortunately, my wife ahs to go off island for a couple days for her grandfather passing. When you are without someone that you depend on, you realize just how much that you miss them. This afternoon we have a horse handling lab that could be a disaster with the personthat is coordinating the visit. On a btter note, we will hav eone of our new profs, Dr. Lisle George, there with us today as well. He is full of great advice and stories from many years of clinical practice at UC Davis. Other than that, just have to do a little beer drinking and a little reading this weekend. Have a surgeon coming down on island from Canada this coming week and have to do a little prep.

Wes

Where to begin

For those of you out there that do not know, there are credible veterinary schools in the Caribbean. I know that it may sound like paradise, which it is sometimes, but it comes at a price. The cost of living in this part of the world (Grand Cayman) will put you in the poor house. And remember all the great things we have at our fingertips in the USA (Walmart, 24 hr groceries, 24 hr pharmacy, McDonalds....) you are not going to find them here. A few fastfood joints, but not that many. It is tough to find decent clothes to buy here as well. THe good side though, I can be at the beach from my house or school in about 10 minutes tops. And there is something special about drinking a cold Red Stripe with an ocean breeze blowing on you!! So for any of you out there that are at least interested in hearing more of my story, stay tuned. After 2.5 yrs living in Grand Cayman, I have stories to tell and many of them.

Peace and love,
Wesley