Author: Kele Harris
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An irrational fear of the final year
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Having averaged four hours’ sleep a night for a couple of weeks, I came out of fourth year exams alive… just. Sleeping pattern ruined, and a number of family and friends to see in quick succession (seeing as the next time I’ll be “home home” will be in five months or so), the four-day “summer…
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Omnicompetence – maybe not so foolish?
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The first of April brought with it the usual abundance of amusing online articles, tweets and blogs, only claiming credibility until midday – and the veterinary community was no exception. Some April Fools were obvious hoaxes – such as Sun Life’s courtesy pet scheme, offering owners a replacement pet in place of their beloved while…
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Sheep worrying at lambing
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Easter brings not only the endorphin rush associated with an abundance of chocolate eggs (perhaps more so for those of us who gave up goodies for Lent), but also the picturesque seasonal backdrop of spring lambs merrily bouncing about. If only the reality was so idyllic… Unfortunately, the lambing season brings with it a growing…
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EMS funding support: hoping the sums add up
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The scrapping of the maintenance grant is only the beginning of upcoming UK financial changes that promise to affect students in the near future. The removal of the cap on tuition fees is soon to come under scrutiny, with the possibility of universities being free to charge more for tuition fees than they currently do.…
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Mega dairies: intensive farming? Or just efficient?
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Delegates who participated in the farm stream at the 2016 Association of Veterinary Students (AVS) Congress in Liverpool (myself included) had a visit to a so-called “mega dairy”. The herd we visited had around 1,000 milkers, which seems large when compared to the UK dairy herd average of 123 (according to AHDB Dairy). Yet, in…
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Work hard, play hard
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At the end of January I travelled down to Nottingham for the third annual Student Equine Veterinary Association (SEVA) symposium. The weekend was crammed with lectures, practicals and seminars relevant to horses in particular, for equine enthusiasts from all UK vet schools – and even some from further afield. Auspicious start Any congregation of vet…
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Lost and found: why microchipping is a must
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One of our cats – Doogle, a home-loving feline who rarely sets foot outside the garden – recently got himself caught under my mum’s car, only to drop out when she’d driven along a few streets and run, startled, across the fields toward the next village. Posters, local press coverage and Facebook shares resulted in…
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Barking up the right tree – with Trusty Paws
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Originally a charity set up by veterinary students for the homeless hounds of Glasgow in October 2014, Trusty Paws has become incredibly successful and has received a huge amount of public support. This success has allowed the charity to run monthly clinics at the Simon Community Scotland drop-in centre, providing free health checks, vaccinations, microchipping,…
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Festive threats to four-legged family members
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Now well into December, and getting ever closer to Christmas, there will be an abundance of “goodies” around the house that are not so good for the four-legged family members. Most owners are aware of the dangers of chocolate and so are likely to rush down to the vet on Boxing Day when their Labrador…
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Being English in Scotland
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Coming from the centre of England, studying veterinary medicine in Scotland has its quirks. In my first week I was immersed in an entirely new language that had nothing to do with my choice of course. One of my Scottish friends loves to remind me of the golden moment in an introductory lecture when I leaned…