Vet Gazette

Faculty, House Officers, and staff are invited to the annual College of Veterinary Medicine Holiday Party: Finger foods! Beer and wine! Contests! Prizes! Music!

Date: Thursday, December 19, 2013
Time: 5 – 7:30 p.m.
Location: Magruder atrium lobby

BTW: Bakers are encouraged to bring something yummy and sweet for the Dessert Potluck!

The Shelter Medicine Club’s annual Holiday Giving Tree is finally here! Come visit Magruder Hall to see a beautifully decorated Christmas tree with ornaments allowing you to donate to animals in need! There are five organizations being sponsored this year including: Lighthouse Sanctuary, Heartland Humane Society, Shelter Medicine Club’s Microchip registration, The Olive K. Britt Fund, and Senior Dog Rescue. Simply pick an ornament off of the tree, fulfill the need by buying a fleece blanket, some dog food, or even a monetary donation and leave it under the tree unwrapped with the ornament attached! (Monetary donations can be given to Lindy in the Dean’s office). The officers of the SMC are extremely excited that this event has finally come and hope to see a lot of participation from their peers and the rest of the OSU community. Caitlin Mclagan, an officer of the SMC expressed her gratitude of everyone’s generosity, “We really appreciate the willingness of the student body to give back to the community.” This event helps countless animals in need and is a great way to help animals in need.

All of the participating organizations could not be more grateful of this event and some have been lucky enough to be included in the Giving Tree numerous times. Lighthouse Sanctuary, Senior Dog Rescue, and Heartland Humane Society are all non-profit organizations that directly impact the well being of animals in Oregon. The Olive K. Britt fund began as an endowment from veterinarian Olive Britt, and serves to “provide clinical care for referred shelter animals or animals whose owners can’t afford to pay for necessary procedures.” The Shelter Medicine Club itself works to register microchips of animals in need and could use your generous donations as well.

This yearly event is a great way to allow the people of Corvallis to give back to animals in need, don’t miss out! In the wise words of Zaya Mcsky, “The giving tree is a great way for the community and local shelters to see the vet school and our generosity.” So, let’s get that great image of OSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine out there by giving back!

Guest Post by Josey Sechrist, CVM Social Media Assistant.

The American Veterinary Medical Foundation, in partnership with Zoetis, is offering 300 scholarships to second and third year veterinary students. Deadline for application is coming up: December 9, 2013!

All students are encouraged to apply. In addition to traditional selection criteria of academic excellence and financial need, the scholarships will focus on meeting ongoing needs of the Veterinary profession for diversity, sustainability, and mixed/rural medicine practice. Scholarships will be awarded to students with career interests in all areas, including food animal medicine, small animal clinical medicine, research, government services, and public health.

Details on the scholarships and application can be found at www.vetstudentconnect.com and at www.avmf.org/zoetis.

Dr. Keith Poulsen, Large Animal Clinician at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, saw the dozens of tailgater tents jamming the parking lot across from Magruder Hall on game day and had a great idea: Put up a big banner promoting hospital services. The VTH marketing team was all over that; you can’t beat free advertising to a captive audience.

Dr. Ron Mandsager designed the banner and Dr. Helio de Morais suggested the addition of a good natured jab at OSU’s rival Oregon Ducks: The sign reads ‘Expert care for large & small animals  . . . except ducks!’

The CVM maintenance crew, Ryan Mitchell, Steve Lehto, and Cory Lehto, built a frame and figured out how to attach the 4 foot by 20 foot banner. Now they install it on the front lawn of Magurder the day before every home game.

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) provides top tips that will leave pet owners thankful they don’t have to make a trip to the animal “ER” this holiday season.

“This is the time of year that many veterinary hospitals report a significant increase in emergency calls particularly those relating to digestive track disturbances resulting from exposure to foods pets simply should not have received.” says Dr. Clark K. Fobian, president of the AVMA.  “Thanksgiving is a special holiday that brings together family and friends, but it is also one that can carry some hazards for our pets.  Overindulging in the family feast can be unhealthy for humans, but fatty and bony table scraps, like the turkey neck or skin or other dietary indiscretions can lead to severe and sometimes even deadly digestive track conditions.”

The AVMA’s top tips for keeping pets healthy on Thanksgiving are:

Keep the Thanksgiving feast on the table—not under it.  Table scraps may seem like a fun way to include your pet in the holiday, but there are a number of hazards to feeding your pets from your plate. Many foods are poisonous to pets, including onions, garlic, raisins and grapes. There are many healthy treats available for dogs and cats, so don’t feed them table scraps.

Put the trash away where your pets can’t find it.  A turkey carcass sitting out on the carving table or left in an open trash container or one that’s easily opened could prove deadly if the family pet eats it.  What your pet thinks is a tasty treat can cause a condition called pancreatitis, which is extremely dangerous and can cause death fairly quickly. Dispose of turkey carcasses in a covered, tightly secured container (or a trash can behind a closed, locked door) along with anything used to wrap or tie the meat and any bones left on plates.

No pie or other desserts for your pooch.  It can’t be said often enough, chocolate is poisonous to pets, and the darker it is the more deadly it is. It’s an important reminder, because many dogs find it tempting, and will sniff it out and eat it if they find it, including extremely dangerous baker’s chocolate. Also, an artificial sweetener called Xylitol has also been shown to be deadly if consumed by dogs.  Xylitol is a common sweetener used in baked goods and chewing gums.

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Shelby’s path in life didn’t always point toward becoming a Veterinarian. She began her journey to this realization by earning her Associates degree from Mt. Hood Community College, and then went on to finish her Bachelor of Science in Anthropology at Portland State University. Back in those days, she aspired to be “the next Jane Goodall or Diane Fossey” but soon realized that her paralyzing fear of snakes wouldn’t bode well living in the Amazon.

For ten years, Shelby worked in a chic Portland boutique designing, manufacturing, and selling jewelry. Then one day, Shelby says, “It just hit me… that Veterinary Medicine was to be my life-long career. It is a combination of my two favorite things: solving puzzles and making others feel better as the end result.” She then returned to PCC to earn the rest of her pre-requisites to be eligible to apply to Vet School.

Shelby is now just two short years away from becoming a fully practicing Veterinarian and couldn’t be happier with her journey. When asked what her most exciting experience as a Vet Student has been so far, she responded: “It is impossible to pick just one. The entire journey so far has been mind-blowing in so many ways. I have never been as tired, inspired, frustrated, enthralled, confused, hysterical, or discombobulated in my life – and that was the first week! Being a veterinary student in and of itself is like nothing I had ever imagined and I would do it all over again and again in a heartbeat!” Shelby’s “long and winding path” to veterinary medicine is truly an inspiration and proves that finding one’s life career has no timeline.

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