FOOT TRIMMING

Hello and welcome back!

This week is simply a quick update about my experience participating in foot trimming and the problems that can arise in cows feet. 

I recently spent a morning helping with foot trimming at the local dairy farm and a learnt a lot! There was a fairly high-tech contraption that held the cows in place, like a crush, and lifted the cows legs gently so that we could access their feet. On the machine there was a touch screen where the cow's number and how many feet they had trimmed was entered and if any problems arose, such as dermatitis, the treatment used was also put in. This helps the farmers and foot-trimmers keep on top of things and records are readily available if supervisors or organisations wish to view them. 

I soon got stuck in as one of the first cows had dermatitis in her back right foot. To treat this I put on an antibiotic cream and bandaged the whole foot to keep it protected from further infection.The most common problem I came across was digital dermatitis, a disease caused by a mixture of different bacteria that can cause great discomfort and even result in appointed amputation. 

The cows tend to get into a routine of having their feet trimmed every 6 months, they are much like toenails and can grow too long which would be uncomfortable and may also mean they are more susceptible to infection. It also provides an opportunity to check up on the cows feet and their health. If a cow has a limp then a block can be put on one half of the foot in order to take off the pressure. This is generally more affective in the winter as the cows are brought into barns, whereas in summer this may just sink into the grass and be ineffective.

Thank-you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this entry! I'll be back next week with some of my exciting plans for the future.

Bye for now!

WORMING IN SHEEP AND COWS

Hi All,

Sorry for the late post- Since I've gone back to school, chemistry has rather snowed me under! 

This week I am going to be writing about my experiences with worming and the importance of doing so in sheep and cows. 

Recently, I helped to round up some sheep in order to have them de-wormed. They were to be sold at Bakewell market, and all live stock must be wormed before they can be sold. 'Worms' are intestinal parasites and can also be referred to as Endoparasites,Nematodes- Roundworms (EG// gut worms and lung worms) or Trematodes – flat worms (EG// liver fluke, tapeworms).  

Internal parasites are the most common health problem in sheep, especially young lambs. Out of these, stomach worms are the most common and can cause many symptoms in sheep and lambs, which can eventually result in death if undetected. The 'Barber worm', or the 'wire worm' (Haemonchus contorts) tends to cause the most fatalities in flocks. This pierces the lining of the sheep's stomach and causes anaemia. It can also lead to a condition called "Bottle jaw", which is an accumulation of fluid underneath the sheep's jaw.

When I was worming the sheep I had to wear a back-pack containing the wormer. Vets tend to use treatments called Anthelmintics and Wormers. I then had to get a sheep and hold its head whilst squirting the wormer into its mouth. Sometimes the sheep spit it out, but the remnants will work effectively.

                       

 A few weeks later, I helped to clip the dairy cows. This helps to keep them clean and tidy, and also prevents hairs getting in the way during milking when in the parlour. Whilst they were in the crush I wormed them. Worming dairy cows is different to sheep as you have to squirt the liquid down their spine, so that it seeps into their skin, rather than their mouths. This is due to their lactation, and the fact that we consume the milk they produce- we wouldn't want the wormer to get into their system, as it would make the milk inedible. Worms can have different affects on cows and the symptoms to look out for are; Diarrhoea, weight loss, loss of appetite, reduced fertility and persistent coughing. The symptom will vary depending on the type of worm present. It is important to keep the cows topped up with wormer as the loss of a cow, and especially a herd, can mean a big loss of money for the farmer, as well as being a very unpleasant experience for the cows to go through.

I really enjoyed learning about worming and taking part in helping out. I hope this has been informative! I'll be back next week with an insight to foot trimming.

Bye for now!

VET-MED LINK

Hello, welcome back to my blog!

As stated in my previous entry, I am going to write about my weekend spent at VET-MED LINK (17th-18th December 2016).

The weekend was hosted at Nottingham University by a company called med-link. It was tailored for future doctors and vets, and we were brought together for some of the lectures. It was an extremely intense weekend, crammed with useful information and input from a variety of speakers, including James Ridgeway- one of the most inspirational people that I have met. He inspired me to be pro-active and write a blog, as well as setting up a twitter page dedicated to my love for veterinary medicine (https://twitter.com/_AmyLake). 

As well as this, Mr Ridgeway gave us useful tips for revision and how to keep on top of work- which is essential at this stage of A-levels! He also gave one of the simplest explanations of how be successful with the use of cartoon physics. This is the idea that a cartoon character runs off the edge of a cliff, yet they carry on running, only to fall when they look down. By applying this to every day life and not 'looking down' we can achieve great things. 

The way we were spoken to allowed me to believe that goals truly are achievable, and impelled me to go outside of my comfort zone and take on new adventures! I am now taking pictures of my experiences and will be sharing them on here, building up a gradual account of my journey and the adventures that come with it. 

The lectures at VET-LINK included; useful information about entry requirements, a work experience talk,  an A* guide to chemistry, talks about working abroad and a stethoscope tutorial. 

The tutorial on how to use a stethoscope was one of my favourite lectures, and I practiced as soon as I got home. We were told that it is harder to use when on an animal, yet the anatomy and general idea is the same- the animal is just on all fours. We got given our very own stethoscopes (as shown below) in order to practice to our hearts content!  

I was also highly interested in the talk about working abroad, as I am planning to take some time to travel and gain work experience in places such as Africa, Sri Lanka and Eastern Europe. 

Overall, I found the weekend to be inspirational and extremely useful. It also allowed me to make new acquaintances and helped to boost my confidence. I think this trait is important within veterinary as vets tend to encounter all sorts of clientele, from all walks of life.

That's all for this post- next week I will be blogging about some of my experiences on the local farm. 
But for now, have a wonderful start to the new year!