Large Animals

[ckd816]

So this may be a dumb question, but when you think "large animal" experience does that include equine or just food animals?

I'm not applying until next year, but I'm trying to plan the next year wisely so as to be as well rounded as possible and I have no LA experience... I don't really see myself going down the equine path professionally although I do enjoy horses. The opportunities to get equine experience just seem less impossible than finding food animal experience in the Phoenix area! Anywho, just wondering if it's a separate entity or what. Thanks!

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[aspiringDVM]

I would say that large animal practice often includes horses (not just food animals), but practice that treats only horses ought to be categorized as "equine," not necessarily "large animal." Just MHO.
Even if you don't see yourself pursuing the equine path, it can't hurt to get experience with horses and will probably also help you become comfortable working with other large animals.

 

[twelvetigers]

Yeah, horses are good to work with because a lot of the food animal stuff is more automated. You still have to learn to be careful, but cattle are usually run in chutes etc. and don't require you to do a lot of restraining yourself. Horses have a certain body language that you can learn to read and they seem to have more personality... so they can be stubborn if they feel like it. Also, you don't have to pick up a cow's feet, work with its head, float its teeth...

If this post sounds disjunct and/or stupid, I blame it on my PS. It's sucking the life outta me.

 

[ckd816]

Okie dokie, I just don't want to apply without something that could be considered LA since there isn't a specific LA designation on the VMCAS.

If this post sounds disjunct and/or stupid, I blame it on my PS. It's sucking the life outta me.

Haha, that's alright... it made sense. I blame a cold for my weird question. Good luck finishing your PS!

 

[sunshinevet]

I totally encourage more people to get large animal and food animal experience. And I think that universities like it to, especially if you have both large and small experience - it requires a totally different approach to medicine, and it is important to see the differences. And if you've never been on a dairy farm/beef farm/piggery before, its well worth your while to go and experience it! Sure, if your a strictly smallies person, you might hate it and find it absolutely horrifying - but that is part of the experience, and if you can try and develop an understanding as to why things run the way they do, you'll be way ahead of heaps of your classmates.

If your having trouble finding one near you, contact some places further out - many large animal vets would probably be willing to offer you temporary accomodation if you were going to go out there for a whole week or something. I'm sure most of them would love to have an interested student

 

[bmichs75DVM]

Yeah, horses are good to work with because a lot of the food animal stuff is more automated. You still have to learn to be careful, but cattle are usually run in chutes etc. and don't require you to do a lot of restraining yourself. Horses have a certain body language that you can learn to read and they seem to have more personality... so they can be stubborn if they feel like it. Also, you don't have to pick up a cow's feet, work with its head, float its teeth...

If this post sounds disjunct and/or stupid, I blame it on my PS. It's sucking the life outta me.

Cattle usually run in chutes? Ya I wish. I have about 1200 LA experience (cattle, equine, swine, ovine, etc) and many of the cattle I have worked on you have to halter them yourself and tie them to some sort of stationary object to work on them because the farmers are usually doing other farm work.

 

[sunshinevet]

I must say, when I read twelvetigers' comment about "less restraining", it does make me suspect that she's never cast a cow before

 

[twelvetigers]

Okay, so the cattle we worked with when I shadowed a LA vet were in chutes unless they were dairy cattle. I guess I should be more specific... it was a stockyard where cattle had to be checked before sale each week, and also a herd of 150+ cattle that needed to be preg checked, dewormed, vaccinated, and tagged.

I haven't cast a cow, I haven't been on a horse in five years, and I definitely wouldn't feel comfortable leading a cow pretty much anywhere - you hand that rope to someone else, lol.

I can, however, manage a ball of fluff with claws, teeth, and a temper.

Oh well!

 

[CatVet2Be]

OI can, however, manage a ball of fluff with claws, teeth, and a temper.

That is an acquired skill not many people can master. I've seen those little balls of fluff make a grown man break into a cold sweat, phffftt kicking cows, try dislodging a furry turban from your head

 

[Poochlover11]

Ya, I have to agree that cattle work is NOT often in chutes. I mean for sale barns ya, but on a farm-no. One of my favorite lines is "she is out in the pasture," you know its going to be interesting when you hear that. I come more from the realm of dairy, not beef (two very different things) and we rarely use chutes. More often then not she is tied up or in a head lock, depending on the set up of the facility.

And you don't "lead" a cow anywhere-haha! Cattle aren't usually halter trained unless it's for showing. Trust me, cattle can be just as stubborn as horses too!

 

[Poochlover11]

try dislodging a furry turban from your head

I just read that line-that is hilarious!!

 

[Poochlover11]

Oh, and to answer the original posters question, I've always heard that production animal is very different from equine-in that you should choose one or the other. That is what I've heard from the veterinarians and vet students I've talked to. So, basically you have your exotic people, production, equine, and small animal.

 

[rileyroo]

i'm a LA person and all of the large animal vets i have worked with and currently work with include equine in their practices. for this experience i just include it into my LA experience. i have also ridden with equine exclusive veterinarians and volunteered for a summer at an equine exclusive hospital that had 10 equine veterinarians. for the equine exclusive experience, i separated that out entirely. if you're wanting more well rounded experience i suggest riding with a large animal vet. the vet i work with right now treats cattle, horses, alpacas, llamas, camels, goats, etc.

as far as cows in chutes, i have been on many calls where the farms do have chutes. some had incredibly nice chutes while others had chutes that made me fear for everyone's safety. i have also been on many calls where there were no chutes. especially in difficult calving situations - definitely no chute! those tend to be "tie to the fence and hope for the best" situations. especially with beef cattle. not to mention cows can break out of chutes at times. there are situations where you do have to lift a cows foot to examine for an abscess. with large animal, every situation will be different b/c every location's set-up is different. it's fun!

not refuting any statements, i just got excited when i saw a large animal thread!

poochlover, i love your "she's out in the field" statement. we had to chase a bull in a field last week to examine his foot. i was on a golf cart trying to chase him into a small fenced in area...in attempt to distract him as the vet ran up behind me with the sedative. it was definitely interesting.

 

[ckd816]

if you're wanting more well rounded experience i suggest riding with a large animal vet. the vet i work with right now treats cattle, horses, alpacas, llamas, camels, goats, etc.

Exactly what I thought... it's too bad that we don't have too much LA activity in the city! I could probably ask a vet if they know any LA vets that need help. It would be fun if I finally found one. I'm really more of a wildlife/exotics/zoo person myself but I think LA would be cool!

 

[sunshinevet]

That is an acquired skill not many people can master. I've seen those little balls of fluff make a grown man break into a cold sweat, phffftt kicking cows, try dislodging a furry turban from your head

I certainly didnt mean to discredit the skill involved in restraining small animals... after 4 years as a SA vet tech, there are way more cats out there that make me nervous than there are cows! There just seems to be such a huge bias towards smallies/zoo/exotics on this forum that im overly enthusiatic to encourage others to experience large animal medicine... mainly because I find it so rewarding (just as I find small animal medicine rewarding... but in a totally different way).

 

[Poochlover11]

poochlover, i love your "she's out in the field" statement. we had to chase a bull in a field last week to examine his foot. i was on a golf cart trying to chase him into a small fenced in area...in attempt to distract him as the vet ran up behind me with the sedative. it was definitely interesting.

That is totally awesome!!!

 

[eventualeventer]

Funny thing, they don't seem lame when you're trying to catch them! A guy at work got his kneecap dislocated trying to catch and load an unhandled almost-weanling who was being brought in for a carpal laceration. Guess it wasn't too bad! Darn critters.