Lambing

I recently visited Reese Heath college where they had over 100 sheep that were ready to be lambed whilst we were there I was lucky enough to see four assisted births and one natural birth. It was a very enjoyable and interesting day, next season I am planning on helping with lambing myself at some local farms.

Stockley Farm work experience

I recently finished a months worth of work experience at Stockley Farm in Cheshire. I worked from 9am until 4pm and I found the experience highly enjoyable and interesting. To begin with I helped with some more basic tasks where I cleaned out animal pens and cages as well as helping to feed the animals with dry pellets. As the weeks went on I began to become more involved in working by myself on tasks which included bottle feeding the younger animals and I helped to groom and take the horses out into the fields. I also helped out in the milking parlor, the farm has 175 cows which are all milked twice a day. The herdsman, John, was very keen to tell me about some of the problems that they face with the cows including health problems and how they can need assisted births. I helped to attach the milking devices and spray the udders with iodine to prevent infection.

Mastitis in cows

I recently spent the weekend at a farm and during milking a cow with mastitis had to be milked. The usual milking methods were used but the milk was put into a separate container to be given to the calves. The equipment also had to be steralised to prevent further cows getting mastitis because it is very contagious. I researched into mastitis in cows and I found that it is caused by bacteria entering through the teat canal. Treatment includes an infusion of antibiotic directly into the infected gland. The farm I was working at,however,was an organic farm so antibiotics are only used when absolutely necessary. The organic farming means that all animals must be fed with organic foods, this means that the foods cannot be created using pesticides or fertilisers.

Rees Veterinary Centre work experience

I have just finished 2 weeks of work experience at Rees Veterinary Centre. It was a fantastic experience and I gained a lot from it. It was my first ever time of working in a small animal practice and observing surgery. It mainly consisted of castrations and spays but there were other operations also. I observed over 25 consultations including standard check ups as well as animal acupuncture and cancer diagnosis. I helped with feeding the  animals and steralised many tools used in surgery. The experience helped me to conclude that I would rather become a veterinary surgeon than a nurse. It has also encouraged me to work hard to achieve my goals.

Kenyan Safari and Colobus Trust

At the beginning of April my family and I went to Kenya for 2 weeks on safari. We saw leopards, cheetahs, lions, elephants, rhinos, hippos, crocodiles, giraffes and zebras and many more animals. Seeing all of the animals was amazing. To see them up close was the best part. We also went to the Colobus Trust where they care for and breed Colobus and Vervet monkeys. They keep the injured monkeys separate for rehabilitation and they put safety measures in place for the monkeys. Some of these include high ladders across the roads to stop the monkeys from being hit by cars, humps in the road are also in place for the same reason. One other system in place in that all electrical wiring is, slowly but surely, being insulated. I think this is a really good project and it was definitely the best holiday I have been on yet!

Heart valve replacement vs. Heart transplants

The idea of a heart valve replacement sounds much more complicated the heart replacement surgery but is it really? The benefits of either of the two could be equal in any patients individual circumstances so what are the advantages and disadvantages? My first advantage of a valve replacement is that your body is far more likely to accept it because of the scale of the change. Another is that it is far less invasive surgery meaning a shorter recovery time. A disadvantage is that it may not function as well as a natural human valve. Heart transplants may not be accepted by your body and they have a much longer recovery time however in individual situations it may be necessary. I personally think each situation is different so the best option for anyone suits them personally and the easy option should never be taken.

The Chris Packham panda argument

Should pandas be left to face extinction?
This is the question that Chris Packham asked and gave his own opinion to in his article from 2009.
He said that he wants to conserve the pandas just as much as anyone else but we spend millions on the pandas, what about all of the other species that aren't as cute and cuddly?  I agree with his argument entirely there has to be a balance. All animals are equally important in our eco-system so we need to come to a conclusion of solutions and our goodbyes to the species who us humans have caused to be endangered. It is us who have desroyed forests and eaten their prey. We need to face the natural rhythm of life and help all animals and plants that we can.