Pennard vets February-May

During February, March, April and May, I spent my Wednesday afternoons volunteering at the Tonbridge Pennard Vets. This was incredibly convenient as it a simple 20 minute walk from school and I had double free in the afternoon. So, I though what better use to spend my time than doing something productive? I learnt a great deal about both the medical- surgical side, as well as watching consults, learning about general hygiene/cleaning and all about the running of a practice.



 Some of the ops I saw whilst I was there included-
Routine ops such as:

• Cat neutering,
• Dog neutering,
• Cat dental,
• Dog dental,
• Rabbit dental,

Specific cases such as:

• Echo cardiogram on a dog with a heart murmur,
• Fatty lump removal- mainly on dogs of Spaniel/Labrador breeds,
• X-Ray on cats/dogs possibly needing tooth removal in they are rotten,

I also got to sit in on consults where what I saw was mainly:

• Dog vaccinations that are annually done to protect against canine parvovirus, canine distemper virus, leptospirosis and infectious canine hepatitis.
• Cat vaccinations that are annually done to protect against feline infectious enteritis, feline herpes virus, feline calicivirus and feline leukaemia virus. 
• Rabbit vaccinations that are annually done to protect against myxomatosis and rabbit haemorrhagic disease. 
• General health checks of all pets that come in

1. A once over of the outside of the dog checking things like; teeth/gums for tartar/plaque build up or rotten/decayed teeth; ears to see whether they are clean and clear with minimal wax; eyes for any signs of cataracts/cloudiness or any sort of infection; joints and muscles (especially if known to be elderly/prone to stiffness etc); a feel of the stomach to check for things like: heat- a sign of infection, any lumps/swelling or general uneasiness when touched in that area. 
2. Then the vet took measurements of that animals health by performing an examination of the patient's heart rate/breathing rate and seeing if there is any abnormalities. Another measurement that they take is it's temperature. 
3. Finally, if necessary they take the animal into the back surgery to other things like clip nails or take bloods

I also learnt how to clean, sterilise and pack surgical instrument kits which contain:

• needle packs,
• swabs, 
• needle holder,
• scalpel holder,
• rat tooth,
• straight artery forceps,
• curved artery forceps,
• mayo scissors,
• metlenbams,
• straight mosquito scissors,
• and curved mosquito scissors.

Overall, I had a really great few weeks and have also booked a week in late July to come back and watch the practice in full swing for five whole days rather than just the afternoons which I am very excited about!