SIT DOWN WITH US, INTERVIEWING DR KASTURI

-An interview by Madhur Manohar and Aastha Mehta (MAGAZINE TEAM, IVSA-INDIA)

Meet Dr. Kasturi Bhadsavle, M.V.Sc. Senior Veterinary Ophthalmic Surgeon, Founder of the only purely Veterinary Opthalmology clinic in India- The Eye Vet.

Raised on a farm full of animals and birds, Dr. Kasturi decided to be a vet early on. After graduating from Bombay veterinary college in the year 2004, she worked at the racecourse to gain more experience with horses. Dr. Kasturi always aspired to be a surgeon and hence she joined a master’s program in veterinary surgery at Bombay veterinary college in 2004. During her masters, she developed a keen interest in veterinary ophthalmology. At the time there was no vet working in ophthalmology and hence a lot of animals were left with no option but to go blind. This inspired Dr. Kasturi to pursue this field further. With the help of a renowned Human ophthalmologist, she completed her thesis is cataract surgery in dogs, and never looked back. 

She trained further in veterinary ophthalmology in Israel and the USA during the year 2007. In 2009 Dr. Kasturi migrated to Australia where she practiced in general practice for four years. After having two beautiful boys, she left her job and started her own ophthalmic consultation practice in Melbourne Australia. Dr. Kasturi always had a strong attraction towards home and wanted to offer her expertise to owners in India. After much thought and preparation, she moved back home to India in 2017. Dr. Kasturi initially practiced as a consulting veterinary ophthalmologist attached to several clinics in Mumbai and Pune. In late 2018 she decided to establish the Eye Vet, India’s first speciality veterinary ophthalmology practice. The Eye Vet Mumbai opened in March or 2019, followed by the Eye Vet Pune. The clinics are open 6 days a week and offer world class consultation / surgical services to patients all across India. 

BIO REFERENCE: http://www.theeyevet.in

Q1. You have travelled around the globe to acquire your degrees and expertise, after experiencing both sides of the coin, what is something you believe the western practice can learn and emulate from the way India practises veterinary medicine and surgery?

I have done my masters and internship in India. Therefore I had some experience of Indian practice before I ventured outside. My first thought when I went outside was actually being impressed by the way surgery and medicine is practised outside India because of how they approach a case and how methodical they are. But when I look back and think about it now, I realise that my experience in India helped me a certain way. When we practice in rural India for internships (we’ve visited extreme rural parts of Kolhapur), not a lot of diagnostic tests are available or sometimes the owners cannot afford it. But all the vets there are still doing an excellent job at saving the animals, just by using their instincts. That’s something commendable! You tend to develop the skills of understanding and trying to solve the case on your own. For instance, if you get a sick dog, in modern practice, you would immediately run a blood test. That is going to give us a primary diagnosis of say, kidney failure or liver failure, or anything else, whereas where you don’t have that available or when the owners can’t afford it, then you tend to develop these extra senses and you try to look for certain signs without doing these tests. To give you an example, when I was working with Dr. Ron Ofri, professor of ophthalmology at Koret school of veterinary medicine, Israel. He is also a co-author of Slatter’s Fundamentals of Veterinary Ophthalmology book. He was treating me as one of his students and he was taking a test. He showed us a picture of a snake, with a retained spectacle. A retained spectacle is a condition wherein the snake sheds its old skin and the transparent shell which covers their eye (they don’t have an eyelid) known as the spectacle is retained. That shell has to come off, if it doesn’t it leaves a gap between the new shell and the old spectacle and it can lead to an infection. He basically asked us how we would treat this. One of the students suggested anaesthetising the snake and gently removing it with a forceps. He proceeded to ask me how I would treat it, and I said I would just put the snake in water. He was so impressed! He said he was going to increase the humidity of the tank instead. It’s the same thing, you put the snake in water instead of having a humidifier. When you have a lot of equipment and a lot of diagnostic support, sometimes you rely on it too much. It’s definitely good to have that, I wouldn’t want to practice without it of course. But it’s good that at least I have the skill, that in case of things being unavailable, I can actually go back to my old experience and use it. There was this one time I assisted a cataract surgery in a buffalo in an absolutely rural setting. Dr. Agashe, who is a human ophthalmologist, was performing the surgery. We did not have enough light, so we got a mirror and used it to focus the sunlight. It was bizarre, you do a lot of Jugaad, it’s not the perfect practice, but it doesn’t stop you.

Q2. And on that note, what advancements in technology (in regards to Veterinary Ophthalmology) would you like to see in our country?

Veterinary ophthalmology is not just performing a cataract surgery or patching up corneal ulcers. There’s a lot of genetics behind it as well. Outside India there is a lot of research work that goes on, renowned veterinary ophthalmologists are working alongside human ophthalmologists to help improve gene therapy and immunotherapy for genetic blindness or curing retinal degeneration in humans. This is extremely top notch research that goes on. We should start with including better ophthalmology programmes in our curriculum in veterinary schools, there should be much better research projects for phd or masters that need to be carried out. There are many preventable hereditary and genetic problems that lead to ophthalmic complications in dogs such as retinal degenerations, primary glaucoma, etc. Outside India, there are programmes where the breeders are required to get karyotypes and genetic tests done for a variety of conditions. We see so many faulty breeds these days, such as the popular Husky breed, that can go blind within a year due to primary glaucoma. The breed ChowChow have severe facial fold problems, breeds like Labradors and cocker spaniels get retinal degenerations at the age of 5 or 6 years that cause complete blindness. This is completely detectable and preventable! It is important to not only get these testing kits but also raise awareness in India, which is something our organisation plans on doing.

Regarding modern advancements, our clinic has everything that we need. We perform everything from corneal ulcers to cataract surgery, the only thing missing at this stage is a retinal surgery but we will definitely get there. We plan on opening veterinary ophthalmology clinics all over India (in all the metro cities). We will be training all these different ophthalmologists and try to bring about that change. But it will be great if the change starts happening at an institutional level as well. We plan to hire at least 50 veterinary surgeons and start training them. We already have Dr. David Maggs, professor of ophthalmology at UC Davis and is the main author of Slatter’s Fundamentals of Veterinary Ophthalmology, and Dr. Michael Davidson who is the Head Of Department of Ophthalmology at NCSU on our advisory committee and are designing the curriculum for us. They will be delivering these lectures and training our residents as well. It’s going to be pretty standard and at par with western education.

Q3. Here’s the question almost every student has asked, how does one become a veterinary ophthalmologist seeing that specialisation is still something Indian veterinarians are only just being exposed to?

Veterinary ophthalmology is a highly sought after specialty outside india. There is relatively low emergency, requiring highly skilled personnels. There are very few vet ophthalmologists across the globe and pay is much better than other specialties. To become a vet ophthalmologist you need to do a four year residency course and then pass an exam. Even for an American graduate, to get accepted into a vet ophthalmology residency is tough. Most of these students start writing or co-authoring papers since they’re in their second academic year, or they assist in some sort of research work. They are extremely motivated and have letters of recommendations and start planning for their residency from the first year itself. To compete with that kind of candidate is very tough for us. When we are in our first year we have no clue about what we want to do. Most of the time foriegn universities don’t really accept a lot of foriegn students, so the competition is quite cut throat. Getting into residency is really tough. However, as good news, we are actually starting a course in veterinary ophthalmology, offering the specialisation here and we’re actually bringing world class professors to India, instead of us going to them. Getting residency at UC Davis or NCSU is very very tough. Those professors are teaching the residents that we have at the moment. It is a great opportunity, I wish I had that opportunity but it’s now available here, so you can become a veterinary ophthalmologist by working at the Eyevet.

Q4. What is a piece of advice you wish you could tell your younger self before you started your tumultuous voyage into veterinary ophthalmology?

There’s so much that you can change. One of the things is being focused on doing the residency. If I had known that I had to take a certain path I probably would’ve done more externships or some meaningful research/ co-authored research, published papers, just to increase my chances of getting into residency.

Q5. Could you describe any one of your most rewarding experiences as a vet?

I remember once, I was going to the farm and I saw a horse with a foot injury on a road. If the horses in places like Matheran get injured and it is not possible for the owners to treat them, they simply abandon them. I took the horse back to the farm, nursed him back to health. Since I was interning with Dr. Phiroz Khambatta at the race course that time, I got a shoe made for him. He lived a healthy and full life for a year and a half and peacefully passed away at the farm. I remember another incident that happened recently. My sister was driving and was on her way to the farm. It was the season of hot summer and she spotted a green chameleon in the middle of the road. She went and checked up on him, his eyes were shut closed. If left there, it would surely die. So she got it back with her and I checked it. We treated its eyes, and it could successfully open them. We were overjoyed and left the chameleon back in the wild, where it had come from. The next day however, it was back at the same place with its eyes shut again! We got it back home. I noticed a few lesions on its skin. We ran a diagnostic test and it turned out he had a fungal infection (which could be fatal if left untreated) that was causing his eyes to shut. We were able to treat him completely before leaving him back! It was a very satisfying experience.

Q6. Growing up on a farm surrounded by animals is an experience most city-dwellers do not have the privilege of, would you like to share any fun anecdotes with us?

On the farm, we had cattle, horses, etc. Snakes were very common, being on the farm, there were always snakes around, and scorpions. We were not really scared of any of those. My dad used to give lectures to schools and he used to use us as props, he gave us the non venomous snakes to hold, just so that students would feel comfortable. Sometimes he used to let us stand in the middle and let the snake around us, and move around our feet. The lesson used to be that if you stand really still, the snakes won’t really harm you; they’ll just move around. Things like these reduce your fear or your anxiety. I use that in surgery now as well. If I see something going wrong, or something that is not scheduled happens, instead of panicking I relax and take a step back, look at it and then I always find a better solution. I use that for almost everything. If there is a panicky situation, my reaction to it is usually calming myself down and trying to find a better solution. It comes from these past experiences. When you’re exposed to different types of elements, you’re not afraid of anything. For example; the weather. The monsoons used to be very harsh. When there’s rain pouring down and you’re in a secured building, it’s a different feeling as compared to when you are trying to get home and are stuck on a road which is deserted and without streetlights. You get through that and nothing can surprise you. Our post school games used to consist of exploring different parts of the river (there’s a beautiful river in Neral), making friends with the natives who catch fish, we would go and check what fish they’ve got, different types of eels, so it was a different world. It was an amazing childhood and I’m very very glad for that.

Q7. What drew you specifically to practice Ophthalmology?

When I was doing my masters in surgery, in the BSPCA clinics we would see so many cataract cases, which is the most obvious ophthalmic complication. In addition, we would encounter retinal detachments or ulcers. I found there was too little knowledge among the practising vets there about ophthalmology, there was not much help I could get. So I really wanted to do something different because when you’re doing your masters, you get 6 months to prepare your thesis and those 6 months is when you can truly research and in my opinion, acquire a new skill. It is important to make careful use of this opportunity because once you’re out practising on your own, it is really hard to take the time to broaden your skill set. When the time came to choose my research topic, I was drawn to Cataract Surgery, although I was told somebody else had attempted this topic it did not matter to me, cataract surgery isn’t a novelty. It is commonly practised in humans and when I read foreign articles I realised this was a routinely performed surgery in dogs abroad. At my university, everyone believed that such surgeries were completely unsuccessful, which is when I understood the main deficit was in skill and knowledge here. I was keen to gain experience, which is where Dr Agashe, a human ophthalmologist, played a key role as the bedrock of my career as a veterinary ophthalmologist. He was so supportive of my passion to mend the dearth of ophthalmic solutions for animals in India, there were often times he would push me to finish the research paper we were working on. In this duration, I successfully accomplished two cataract surgeries and I was over the moon, I considered myself the veterinary ophthalmologist! Until I met Dr Ron Ofri in Israel. He showed me the depth and development that had taken place over there and opened my eyes to the ophthalmology world beyond cataract surgery. There is so much more to learn in this field right from the basics to the newer advances. Just removing a cataract from a dog is easy, but understanding the complications, indications and reaching a correct treatment plan is what I learned as soon as I stepped outside India. This is when I decided veterinary ophthalmology was my calling, it is a matter of persistence, once you choose a field you need to consistently work to better your skills in it.

Q8. Since you were the first in our country to take a leap and pursue specialisation in ophthalmology, what advice would you give students wanting to pursue a slightly different career path that hasn’t been explored before? What are the specializations you hope young graduates can further in India which may or may not be flourishing abroad?

My advice for those looking to get into the surgical field is to definitely do your masters in India, don’t just assume you’ll be accepted in a residency programme overseas. Having an MVSC increases your chances of getting a residency. It also makes a difference for those looking to move abroad later in life (before giving the ECFVG and applying for jobs). It is important to choose a suitable topic for your thesis work, for example, if you are interested in neurosurgery, make that the aim of your research and study it thoroughly. There are many externships and observership programmes available if you cannot get an internship. There is much to gain from simply observing and networking with such renowned vets and specialists. You may not receive a certificate documenting your time spent there, but ultimately it is the confidence you gain while interacting and the exposure to their way of thinking that makes it a valuable experience. You should keep applying for internships, residencies or observerships in any country having good veterinary practice. Usually, private practices are too busy to entertain observers. Getting out there and gaining exposure is important and it also adds to your CV. As for the specializations: Dermatology, endocrinology, neurosurgery, cardiac surgery are the absolute need of the hour. Sure we have cardiologists but when I visited NCSU in 2007 , they were already using human donated pacemakers for pets. These pacemakers were donated from the deceased thus lowering the price of acquiring one.

Q.9 The COVID-19 pandemic has changed all of our lives. Is there something that you adopted in your daily routine or practice during lockdown that you will carry forward in the future, say online consultations?

Yes, so we’ve actually opened ourselves up for online consultations. Initially, we were hesitant to do so but we were being approached by clients and veterinarians from all over India for ophthalmic consults. Prior to this, we would just reply to queries via text messages which was not very practical. Once we started formal video call consults, I think we successfully diagnosed many cases of ocular bleeds, ulcers, even retinal detachments and were able to intervene just in time for many of these animals, to help them heal. We get a lot of cases from Kolkata, Assam, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Bangalore etc. People are willing to fly down with their pets to bring them to our clinics all the way from Chennai, Haridwar and Kolkata even during the stringent COVID-19 restrictions just to get them treated and operated by us. So this has really helped us broaden our reach over India and help those requiring our services.

Q.10 You have expanded your practice over two clinics, one in the city of Mumbai and the other in Pune. What can you say about the trials and tribulations of starting and handling two clinics?

Yes indeed! We are actually planning to go all across India. When I moved back to India, people were telling me that a purely ophthalmic clinic would not be successful here, and definitely not in Pune. The only place it may just work was in Mumbai. It was initially only a trial run, with me driving around to different veterinary clinics across Mumbai, with all my equipment stored in the trunk of my car. These vets would gather ophthalmic cases, keep them aside for me and I would do consults at their clinics. This was obviously very tiring and not an effective method to do follow-ups on each case. It was impossible to do post-op checks, rechecks, and keep tabs on the patient’s conditions.

Additionally, I was a one-woman army; I was my own accountant, receptionist and thankfully had my driver to drive me through Mumbai’s traffic. It was exhausting, and I’m glad I stopped when I did. When I decided to set up my clinics, I made sure not to invest all my life savings into it. My friend and business partner is my investor and advisor for all business dealings such as expansion. It is important to have someone pushing you forward and guiding you to do better.

When we started, we started two clinics at the same time. We hired the best talent, the best veterinary surgeons and paid them the best salary. We also outsourced our accounting to a CA firm and sought the help we required in the daily running of a clinic. It is not possible to do everything yourself and try to save money along the way. People would advise me to budget with equipment and not go for the best machines as there is no return on investment. They said you cannot recover the cost of the equipment by charging the Indian client a higher fee. This I couldn’t do. In my mind, I thought if I buy a substandard machine due to which my surgeries start failing, I would lose my clients. You need to diversify and assign duties to people. That’s the way you can grow. Right now I have 6 veterinary surgeons training to be veterinary ophthalmologists. I visit the Mumbai clinic two days a week and see it’s running smoothly. I have trained the vets for less than a year now and they can already handle cases like ruptured corneal ulcers themselves. I believe in training students and disseminating knowledge, it helps the other person bloom and has made my burden lighter in the sense that if I’m at my Pune clinic I will not have to leave everything and rush to Mumbai for a case. It’s not that strenuous to run two clinics simultaneously anymore, distributing the workload is key.

CONTACT DETAILS:

📞 (+91) 9607927178, (+91) 2067525722

📬 Kasturib@theeyevet.in

🌐 https://instagram.com/theeyevet?utm_medium=copy_link

https://www.facebook.com/TheEyeVet/

https://au.linkedin.com/in/kasturi-bhadsavle-75922326

A SERIES OF PERSONAL LETTERS- “PANDEMIC VS A COLLEGE FRESHER”

Welcome to our blog. Are you a student stumbling your way through vet school? For all our fellow vet students and practitioners, this is the most perfect and relatable place. Let’s share all our extraordinary experiences!

Medical school was never meant to be easy. It’s a rollercoaster ride with a lot to learn and requires a lot patience and passion. But all that hard work we put in is worth something.

With so much hope and excitement, I was awaiting to start my college life. It was going to be a new beginning, a step towards my career path. Unfortunately, this took an unexpected turn. In the past two years, we have seen and experienced things we were not prepared for. The Coronavirus has changed our lives in many ways. There was so much uncertainty in every aspect of life. There was chaos everywhere.

We had to get used to a new lifestyle altogether. We had no choice!

So, slowly we started coming up with ways to continue life. To normalize the “stay at home” culture and before we knew it, we were attending online classes.

This is not how I had imagined college life! The excitement, the thrill, the motivation to learn something new, was slowly dying. I was afraid that I would lose interest in the course that I chose and a career that I thought would be perfect for me. To keep your motivation alive, when half the world is falling apart, is not an easy thing to do. But I kept pushing. I kept trying.

Finally, after 7 months of online classes and exams, one fine day, we got the official notice of colleges reopening. When I first saw the notice, I didn’t quite understand how to react.

“Should I be happy? Should I be scared? Is this for real? What if I get Covid? I need to start packing! What am I supposed to take to the hostel? How will I live alone? What if I don’t fit in?”

A million questions racing in my head, yet not a single expression on my face. So I took a deep breath and said to myself “It is finally happening.” Good or bad. It was happening. After spending almost an entire year at home, I was going to live in a hostel, all by myself. That thought scared me to the core, but I knew I had to face it either way.

Eventually things started falling in place, the level of chaos started going down, or at least I thought so. Then the day came. All lists were checked; all bags were packed. It was time to leave. I said goodbye to my dogs, that’s when I realized I wasn’t going to see them when I wake up every morning. I won’t be able to play with them or feed them.

I thought to myself, “This must be what bitter-sweet feels like!”. I had to leave them behind so that I could get into a profession where I can devote my life to them. It’s ironic in a way… poetic almost.

I don’t mean to scare anyone off, as everyone has their own level of dealing with things but man, was I right to be scared about living in a hostel.

My first week in college was an absolute disaster. The homesickness kicked in like a tsunami hitting an entire city. On top of that I had to catch up with my studies. It felt like a nightmare. No peace of mind, no orientation. Just confusion.

It started getting better with time as I started grasping the essence of the life of a veterinary student. I got to experience three postmortems within a month, which is rare! But I guess I got lucky. I performed my first dissection. I learned A LOT of new things.

That’s what put me back on track. It made me realize why I chose this path.

It definitely wasn’t easy to switch from offline to online to offline again, with no guarantee or certainty that things will get better in the future, because we still don’t know for how long we have to put up with the Coronavirus. But I’m sure and hopeful even, that no matter what happens, we’ll get through it. With everything that has gone down since our battle with COVID-19 began, we should be proud of ourselves for not giving up, for putting up a fight, for adjusting, for learning. Every effort counts!

-Gurbani Kaur (MAGAZINE TEAM, IVSA-INDIA)

A SERIES OF PERSONAL LETTERS

Welcome to our blog. Are you a student stumbling your way through vet school? For all our fellow vet students and practitioners, this is the most perfect and relatable place. Let’s share all our extraordinary experiences!

Clinical practice is the essence of medical education. Moreover, I have grown up with a tremendous amount of love for animals and have always strived to be around them. I jumped at the chance of receiving clinical exposure during my freshman year of college. It was even more exhilarating since this was happening amidst the lockdown, and I wanted to make the best use of it.

The clinic I intern at is an exotic pet clinic, Pet Health Clinic situated in Maharashtra, Mumbai run by the senior doctor, Dr. Dinesh Vinherkar, with the support of his junior assistant, Dr. Tejashree Missal. Thus, along with the family of canids, they also treat a variety of reptiles and aves.

I was overly enthusiastic during the run-up to my first day at the clinic. I felt like a kid going to school for the first time. However, I was a little intimidated thinking about what task I would be assigned and whether I will be able to fulfill them. For the first few days, the doctors recommended I observe cases, note important things, and ask questions (if any) by the end of the day. “I don’t want to seem ridiculous by asking silly doubts” is something that most of us can relate to, I could too. I assure you that I have asked the silliest of the doubts, but the doctors at the clinic were super helpful. They made sure to answer all my queries and provide additional information on valuable topics.

Many of the cases back then seemed complicated to me and thoughts like, “ahh, how did they know it’s flea allergic dermatitis, all of these skin infections look the same to me!” used to weigh on my mind. It used to make me restless to not know the ‘basics’ (most of the things weren’t quite basic but okay). Although looking at the doctors displaying sheer empathy and enthusiasm towards the animals, I have always gotten reminded of the glorious vision I had of saving lives. It always keeps me motivated. Progressively, I started realizing that this was the place I would gain most of my hands-on experience from and that it would be a slow but sure process.

Attending the clinic consistently aided me in understanding the working of the clinic and the prognosis and treatment of various conditions. In very little time, I got familiar with routine processes like deworming, clipping nails, and taking X-rays to name a few. I felt gratified to see that the doctors could trust me with these basic practices at their clinic.

Saturday used to be my favorite day at the clinic for almost a year as there would be countless patients and 1-2 surgeries lined up for the day. Although now our university conducts lectures on Saturdays as well. Sigh. Despite that, I try to attend the clinic as much as possible because our profession isn’t solely based on mugging up information from the textbooks and trying to concentrate on the lecture through our screens.

Having watched numerous surgeries for the first few months, I was on top of the world when I received a chance of assisting Dr. Vinherkar with an ovariohysterectomy for the very first time. I was shaking like a leaf the whole time (quite literally) but the surgery went well, and I still remember how extraordinary I felt all day.

The utmost learning for me happened in the field of reptiles. Dr. Vinherkar is a reptile specialist and routinely gets a variety of reptile cases. Many of these species require specialized consideration, including the kinds of environments they need to live in, their diet, safety concerns, and compliance with local laws. Dr. Vinherkar is extremely fond of reptiles, and you could deduce that from looking at his clinic as he has a few exotic species there. One of those adorable animals is Spiky, the 7-year-old iguana at his clinic, who is extremely docile and loves to bask in the sun outside the clinic.

Yet another important aspect of this field that clinical experience has taught me is doctor-client interaction. It helps in establishing trust thereby fostering a strong relationship with clients. This strengthens bonds and helps the clients understand the doctor’s treatment options and follow their medication agenda.

It has been almost 2 years now since I am working at this clinic. Apart from all the clinical knowledge I continue to gain at the clinic, I’ve also been fortunate enough to have supportive and hospitable mentors and coworkers in my life. I hope that someday in the future, I will mentor veterinary students in the way that I was mentored here.

Clinical experience is an opportunity to apply knowledge and skills that one acquires during the classroom. I never realized how important experience is in the working world. Managing clinic life and studies taught me the exquisite art of mindfulness, rest, and balance. Do not shy away from the opportunity if you are a vet student and could attend a clinic around your residence. Talk to the doctors and start your clinic journey as soon as possible!

-Aryan Patki (MAGAZINE TEAM, IVSA-INDIA)

HEALTHY ANIMAL, HEALTHY PEOPLE, HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT!

One Health is defined as “the collaborative efforts of multiple disciplines working locally, nationally, and globally, to attain optimal health for people, animals and our environment” according to the One Health Initiative Task Force (OHITF).

One Health Day is celebrated to bring attention to the necessity for a One Health protocol which acknowledges that our health and the health of animals are interdependent and closely bound to the shared environment. Although it is not an alien concept, it has gained more significance in recent years.

As the theme of this year says, It’s time to build a fairer, healthier world for everyone, everywhere!

The area that needs the urgent attention and need of the one health approach due to the intricate linkage of the animal-human-environment spheres

Yes, we are talking about the emerging zoonotic diseases!

ZOONOTIC DISEASES ARE THE DISEASES THAT SPREAD FROM ANIMALS TO HUMANS AND VICE VERSA.

A seemingly healthy animal may carry bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites which may cause mild to severe illness, even death in human beings. More than 65% of infectious diseases in humans are of zoonotic or animal origin. These spread to human beings through contact which may be direct or indirect like through food, water, or fomites. In late 2019, the new beta coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV2), crossed the animal-human barrier, prompting an international health emergency and a global pandemic! Though the pathophysiology and genomics of the virus are still being studied, there is still some ambiguity if it was originated from bats, snakes, or pangolins. Increased human-animal interactions have increased the likelihood of interspecies infections and overflow events.

LET’S PREVENT THE TRANSMISSION OF ZOONOTIC DISEASES!

So, all the wonderful animal lovers out there, do look out for the below-mentioned points and healthily deal with your animals!

  • Always wash hands before and after handling the animals. This also includes washing hands after contact with animal saliva, birth tissue or fluid or other body fluids, animal products (e.g. milk and eggs), after cleaning up animal stables or excrement (poop) and handling animal feed, supplies, bowls or other equipment, after touching objects such as fences, buckets or other devices used on the farm.
  • Do not eat or drink beverages in animal areas or where animals can roam.
  • Wear overalls, farm-specific clothing, or lab coats when dealing with animals and avoid handling sick or injured animals unless wearing gloves.
  • Wear a mask if you are allergic to animal hair or dander, or if there is food or trash dust.
  • Do not enter the farms in case of illness due to more susceptibility to other infectious agents and can transmit pathogens to animals!
  • Wear gloves routinely when cleaning the animal area.
  • Record the progression of a disease. Report any illness and inform your doctor about your animal-related activities.

-Ankita Priyadarshini and Keertti Mohanty (MAGAZINE TEAM, IVSA-INDIA)

Chasing Productivity

The COVID-19 pandemic seems never ending, but what seems to be worse is the list of things begging to be done, be it studying for upcoming exams, piling up incomplete assignments, or finishing a year’s worth of backlog. It’s not just you, we’re all facing an all time low of motivation and productivity, but we’ve got your back this time.

Let’s dive straight into the different ways of staying productive during the lockdown!

Sign-up for an e-course

The internet can be your best friend or your worst enemy depending on how you utilize it. It is an ocean of resources and knowledge, especially nowthat everything from writing exams to meeting friends has to be done from behind the computer screen.

But the internet doesn’t have to be as bad as our parents claim it to be. Give yourself a break from your usual textbook studying and sign up for online courses that are either related to the course you’re currently studying or even completely unrelated to it, to broaden your horizons, some of which are highlighted below. Many sites offer courses free of cost and others for a minimum base fee, on completion of which you could obtain certificates that stand out and enhance your CV. Multiple online courses are available on a variety of topics, such as equine welfare, livestock production and food technology, animal behavior as well as small animal first aid and CPR to name a few. The sites that offer these courses are https://www.classcentral.com/subject/veterinary-science, https://www.mooc-list.com/categories/veterinary, https://www.coursera.org/courses?query=veterinary&page=1.

Develop a new skill

Being productive is not exclusive to studying. Now’s the time to expand on that hobby you’ve been wanting to explore and never got around to trying. Learn basic life skills that you’ve been putting off, get creative and make use of all this extra time you have on your hands. Today, there are online training courses for anything under the sun, from cooking or dancing to learning a new instrument. Utilize this time to develop your personality and your skills as a person. Learn a new language easily through apps such as DuoLingo or enhance your writing skills to be able to feature in journals or magazines. You can learn and gain so much without even leaving the comfort of your home.

One such valuable tool is the development of soft-skills, which as a veterinarian are necessary attributes for developing team work, leadership and communication.

Check out IVSA SCoCA’s Soft-Skill training programme here https://www.instagram.com/ivsa_scoca/?hl=en

Change the way you study

Your work and study environment play a big role in how productive you can be. Segregating your study space from the place you relax in helps create boundaries and gets more work done. Yes, this means no more attending online lectures from your bed! Keep your dedicated study space away from the family room and find a quiet corner with simply a comfortable chair and table. Remember to keep your desk clutter free and not surround yourself with mountains of books and papers, but rather make it inviting and fun.

Another tip is making yourself accountable to a friend, parent or teacher greatly improves productivity in a positive manner. It tricks our minds into committing and being answerable for our progress.

Check out IVSA SCoW’s Mentor-Mentee Programme that matches IVSA alumni and senior vet students with IVSA students looking for emotional support or tried and tested tricks for studying. https://www.ivsa.org/scow/

Studying alone at home can get boring and monotonous. Exploring new methods of studying can be the change you’ve been looking for. An advantage to our virtual learning format is that, many universities have adapted by making their course materials available to everyone on their websites in a concise and well written manner to save you the trouble of making your own notes. You can find or make your own mind maps and flowcharts, hear audiobooks, or watch video lectures and find many interactive methods of studying, by trying out all, to choose what gives you the best results to develop long term memory. It may help to occasionally switch between these learning techniques to keep your mind engaged.

Check out IVSA SCoVE’s Eduplatform. The go-to site for all online veterinary resources, including veterinary textbook recommendations, e-lectures and helpful websites for all veterinary related subjects. https://ivsascove.wixsite.com/eduplatform

Make realistic timetables

The most helpful pre-lockdown tool is having a fixed daily routine, such as being in college classes for a set number of hours, having stipulated meal timings, participating in extra-curricular activities for a dedicated amount of time, unwinding with friends and most importantly maintaining a rigid sleep-wake cycle.

Establishing a firm timetable at home is important to bring back some sense of normalcy and regularity to boost productivity within the four walls of our homes. Waking up in advance and not just before online lecture hours gives a head start to your day and allows you to plan your activities giving you less time to waste trying to find motivation.

A nice way to start your day is to get out of your pyjamas and jump into your daily wear clothes to give yourself incentive to get going and not laze around in bed.

Maintaining a journal or a written task list helps visualize your time usage in the day and helps you realize and catch the many number of hours that go to waste simply wondering what you should be studying or which project you should be completing. Writing down your goals for the day also helps you stay realistic and stick to a plan, not to mention the satisfaction of ticking off a task and looking back at just how much you were able to accomplish!

Don’t forget to take sufficient time off to just relax and take a breather. Scroll through social media but stay away from negative news, spend time with your pets, play online games with your friends or even dedicate this time to work out, exercise and stay fit. After all we are in the midst of a stressful pandemic don’t be too hard on yourself.

Put down your phone

Social media apps are the bane of every person’s productivity, but you know what can help? More apps! You read right, social media blocking apps are found aplenty for both android and iOS devices, and they cut out the biggest cause of distraction and increase mindfulness. That quick scroll through Instagram, a text on WhatsApp or a story on Snapchat, may all seem harmless at first but if you take a look at the screen time of these apps, you’re in for a nasty shock. These app lockers are available for phones, tablets and laptops to curb that awful habit of checking your notifications after every page you study. Not only does this improve focus but also reduces the urge to procrastinate. Check out Offtime, Moment, Forest, Flipd, etc.

For all of us who haven’t gotten around to clearing up a little space on our devices, an alternative is to simply lock your phone in your drawer or cupboard in another room while you study. It is less likely that you would walk over to another room and unlock a drawer for a quick glance at your phone.

Don’t ‘Mental-quarantine’ yourself

The lockdown seems like it’s here to stay, and along with it comes the new norm of social distancing. While it is important to avoid social gatherings and stay home to flatten the curve, we must keep in mind to only physically but not mentally isolate ourselves from our loved ones.

Most often, mental health is overlooked as a contributor to our productivity and vice versa. Various popular videoconferencing apps are available for free, allowing people to have face to face interactions virtually, in a safe way. These virtual platforms provide a positive and conducive medium for connecting, learning and sharing ideas and skills.

Move out of the house in a safe manner taking all precautions for 5 minutes everyday just to catch that vitamin D! If the situation doesn’t allow for it, stay at home and join either a fitness series or maintain a home workout routine to keep yourself physically active and productive as well.

Online group study sessions with friends are a fantastic way to improve productivity while simultaneously making it a relaxing time for everyone involved. Group studies are not your “thing” until you give it a shot once, a lot can be accomplished without being exhausted by the end of the day or being overcome with loneliness and fatigue.

Keeping yourself in contact with the outside world in a safe way is essential to keep your spirits up in these difficult times. Reconnecting with family members at home is the best use of time to give yourself a refreshing break.

Check out IVSA SCoW’s Wellness Week activities and toolkit to help find your happy place and stay mentally strong through the lockdown.https://www.ivsa.org/scow/

–Aastha Mehta

IVSA Mumbai, India

THIS HOLI SHOWER LOVE NOT COLOUR

Holi, the festival of colors, is one of the most popular and widely celebrated festivals in India. While the festival of Holi is a joyful and merry day for us, it can be polar opposite for pets and strays and cause them great nuisance.

With Holi just around the corner, here are a few methods, that you can implement in order to keep your pets as well as the strays around you safe.

Why are colors harmful for Animals?

The powdered colors that we use for Holi are synthetic in nature and contain metals and dyes that are toxic. They also consist of chemical compounds like lead oxide, aluminum bromide, mercury sulphite copper sulphate, which are injurious to health.

The non-toxic colors that some of us may use contain products like cornstarch and baking powder. However it is still advisable to wear protective covering around the mouth and eyes to prevent them from getting ingested or entering the nasal canal.

Some of the colors may even include substances like malachite green and gentian violet, that have reportedly shown carcinogenic effects.

What harm can the colors cause the Animals?

The colors may remain on the coats of these animals for a long period of time.

The powders can cause irritation to the skin, which may cause these animals to scratch a place continuously, making them bleed. These colors can also cause dermatitis (inflammation of skin), rashes, itches, and allergies of the skin. You may observe an excessive amount of hair fall in a short period of time.

Animals often lick the colors to clean them off their coats, causing them to ingest some. Colored water, when swallowed, can be very harmful for their health. Since the colors contain the metal Lead, these actions can cause lead toxicity (also known as Plumbism) in the animals, which will cause serious poisoning in their bodies.

Ingestion of colors can also cause health problems like erosion of the intestinal lining, anorexia(loss of appetite), vomiting and diarrhea.

If contact of the colors with eyes ensues, it can cause irritation and even blindness in some cases.

What can you do to prevent this?

There are a few simple steps you can follow to prevent your pets and the stray animals from harm.

  • If you have a pet, keep it inside a closed room. Make sure they do not step out in a place where the celebrations are going on to prevent them from accidently get colored amongst the festivities.
  • DO NOT let your pet, or any other animal near sweets and sugary goodies. Sugar is harmful for their health.
  • Educate the children in and around your society about the ill effects of coloring an animal. Warn them against throwing water balloons at the strays, as they can cause them physical injuries as well. Keep your pets away from the children.
  • Talk to the watchmen of your and surrounding societies. Spread the compassion towards stray animals. Request the watchmen to assist you in preventing anyone from throwing colors on the animals. Ask them to inform you immediately if they see any animal in distress. You can seek their help in providing first aid to animals.
  • Spread awareness as much as possible. Talk to all of your friends regarding this. Keep reminding people to avoid accidently coloring any animal. Share as much as you can on all social media platforms. Educate your friends and family regarding the adverse effects of colors on animals.
  • Remember, that breeds with a short coat are at a greater risk than breeds with a long coat. Keep in mind that older dogs and puppies are far more vulnerable.

What should you do if your pet or stray gets covered in colors?

You can make use of the following forms of first aid.

  • Wash the color off the animal using a mild shampoo and plain water. DO NOT use substances like alcohol, kerosene, or oil to clean the animal’s coats. Pay careful attention to if there’s any color in the eye or the ear. Wash the eyes with plain water.
  • Watch out for health problems like rashes, red and watery eyes, vomiting, etc. keep a check on whether the animal is eating and drinking properly. Consult your vet if any of these are observed.
  • Watch out for signs of poisoning such as vomiting, diarrhea, excessive drooling, and behavioral changes. If you notice any of these, contact a Vet immediately.

Let us all contribute a little to making this festival heartwarming for everybody!

Wishing you a very happy Holi from IVSA India.

WORLD TUBERCULOSIS DAY

Bovine TB is a chronic disease of cattle caused by Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis). It can be hard to detect at first because the bacteria is covered in a waxy coat and grows very slowly. During the first half of the 20th century, M. bovis is estimated to have been responsible for more losses among farm animals than all other infectious diseases combined.

Infected cattle are the main source of infection. A healthy animal can either inhale or ingest the bacteria shredded or spread by infected animals in respiratory secretions and aerosols. Animal transport can also spread the bacteria over long distances.

Clinical signs shown by infected cattle are :-

  • Emaciation
  • Fluctuating temperature
  • Rough hair coat
  • Bronchopneumonia
  • Intestinal ulcer, diarrhoea

 

India has been the largest milk producing country of the world for the last 22 years. In 2018-19, India’s milk production stands at around 176.4 million tonnes (MT) which is around 20% of world milk production. We are first among all countries in both production and consumption of milk. This dairy industry is standing on shoulders of over 300 million bovines in India who stand at risk of this deadly disease.

 

According to a 2018 study by Sreenidhi Srinivasan et al, “Despite the considerable economic costs and zoonotic risk consequences associated with the disease, accurate estimates of bTB prevalence are lacking in many countries, including India, where national control programmes are not yet implemented and the disease is considered endemic. Based on a random‐effects (RE) meta‐regression model, the analysis revealed a pooled prevalence estimate of 7.3% (95% CI: 5.6, 9.5), indicating that there may be an estimated 21.8 million (95% CI: 16.6, 28.4) infected cattle in India—a population greater than the total number of dairy cows in the United States. Taken together with the projected increase in intensification of dairy production and the subsequent increase in the likelihood of zoonotic transmission, the results of our study suggest that attempts to eliminate tuberculosis from humans will require simultaneous consideration of bTB control in cattle population in countries such as India.”

 

Can Bovine TB affect humans and their pets?

Yes! The bacteria can affect all the warm blooded animals including humans, deers, goats, pigs, cats and dogs. Since the bacteria can spread through faeces, urine, milk; so drinking unpasteurised milk i.e. raw milk derived from infected animals can cause Bovine TB in humans. It can also spread from inhalation of bacteria during the time of slaughter or direct contact through breaks in the skin. You can also infect your pets with the bacteria if you are infected from TB. TB in dogs is similar to humans with TB. Your dog may exhibit a cough, weight loss, and vomiting among other symptoms.

Building a Mentorship culture

“A mentor empowers a person to see a possible future, and believe it can be obtained.”

The beginning of a romance between a veterinarian and their profession, on an average, begins in the same cliched way, all around the world. Needless to say, the word veterinarian always elicits the same response “aww” from the general population with the idea of getting paid to play with cute baby animals all day long. Its only upon taking a deeper dive into the nitty gritty of the profession, that we realize it is in fact one of the most stressful jobs out there. A study conducted by the CDC showed 36% of the female vets have experienced episodes of depression compared to only 22% of non-veterinarian females. And yet, if given a second chance, would we do it again? Yes, we absolutely would!

Veterinarians belong to a small community who experience more or less the same issues world wide. So, over the years we have realised the need for mentorship and the importance of starting it early. While young vets are often taken under the wing of senior vets at work places, as the largest veterinary students’ association in the world, IVSA strives to make an impactful difference in the statistics of depression, compassion fatigue and professional burnout seen all too commonly in our line of work. So, in 2019, they launched the first ever IVSA Mentor-Mentee program which aspired to connect vets from all around the world to form a giant support group.

Quoting Naveesha Kaur Shergill, the chair of IVSA Standing Committee on Wellness, on the aim of the programme as “to allow students or mentees to make educated decisions and allow mentors to pass down their knowledge and experience” meant to help foster a learning partnership and strengthen bonds.

The application process for the programme caters to both potential mentors and potential mentees in the form of a really thorough google form. (if interested, visit https://www.ivsa.org/scow/ to fill out the forms and get connected!). Personally, my favourite part in the process of matching mentors with mentees is the question which asks regarding the mentee’s expectations from the mentor and the amount of time a mentor can give to their mentee.

As important as it is for emotional and mental support, mentorship is equally important for the professional aspect of the field. While college education prepares us to an extent to be able to deal with the clinical side of things, soft skills are just as crucial when dealing directly with a client. To have a senior vet guiding the way is always beneficial for a new graduate. Websites like VMS (Veterinary Mentor Solutions) envisioned and realized by Dr. Dan Phillips is a one stop destination for students and new graduates in need for some professional guidance.

To sum it all up, mentoring supports growth and upliftment of the entire community. After all, when one person mentors, two lives are changed.

FIVE TIPS TO GOOD PET PARENTING

Happy new year readers! 2021, a year much awaited, especially after the one we have just had! Having spent the majority of the past year with our pets, it is only natural our new year’s resolution have something to do with them, starting with good parenting. So, here are five tips to good pet parenting.

1. Getting your home ready for a furry baby

Bringing home a pet means letting them have the run of the entire house. A house where they can have access to everything from the trash cans to chemicals, cleaning agents, clothes and shoes. So before you get a new pet home, make sure your trash cans and toxic cleaners are behind closed doors. Make sure your pet has plenty of essentials to play with, such as dog chew toys and cat scratching posts and that they are bigger than the size of their head for the fear of choking hazard.

2. Learn How to Create a Pet-Friendly Schedule

Schedules and set routines are an excellent way to encourage desired behavior. A regular routine, especially one that begins as soon as they are introduced to you and your new home will benefit not only them but will also make your life easier. Potty training is extremely important. Depending on the kind of lifestyle you live, you can train your baby to go potty i n your bathroom or out on walks. How often the bathroom breaks occur will mostly depend on the age of your new pet. Puppies and kittens (a few months old and younger) will urinate more often due to their small bladders and may need some assistance and encouragement. If an “accident”should occur, don’t fret. Simply clean the spot and show the animal where their “potty” is located.
You must also keep i n mind the kind of flooring i n our homes are generally tiles and your pet is more than likely to slip on them while playing. As they age, this might cause issues and traumas so playtime should also be regulated to either outside or to a specific carpeted area in the house.

3. Choose a Quality Diet

Feeding pets a complete and balanced diet i s a vital part of keeping them happy and healthy for years to come. Nutritional needs will vary depending on the pet’s life stage. For instance, the nutritional needs of a growing puppy or kitten are much different than those of a sedentary adult.
A pet’s nutritional needs may change during his or her senior years. Consult your veterinarian to see what diet is best for your pet’s specific life stage and lifestyle.

4. Focus on Positive Training/Watch for Behavior Issues

Be consistent with training from the beginning, but keep it positive. If you encounter any major behavioral issues, consult a veterinarian. He or she can help identify if it’s related to an underlying health issue and, if not, may have good recommendations for local pet trainers or behaviorists who can help you resolve the issue.
As a young animal, make sure to handle your pet. Get them used to you touching their ears, feet, teeth, belly etc. This helps i n making the doctor visits easier and less stressful. One other common problem you may be able to prevent early on i s separation anxiety. Many new pet
parents unknowingly encourage such behavior. You can help prevent this anxiety by leaving your new pet alone with a fun toy for a few minutes every day and gradually increasing their “alone time.” Begin this routine on the first day you bring your pet home. Mouthing is also a vice that you need to train your pet out of. As babies, they tend to mouth due to teething, but if allowed to continue, it becomes a habit which can get dangerous.

5. Make a Veterinarian Your #1 Health/Care Resource

In many ways the veterinarian will be your most trusted advisor and the person you’ll rely on the most when you have questions. Need advice on dog or cat food? Consult your vet. Not sure if you should neuter or vaccinate your pet? Consult your vet. Is your pet vomiting or scratching?
Consult your vet. Veterinarians have a wealth of knowledge and experience taking care of animals, and they truly care about the well being of your pet. So be sure and visit on a regular basis — at least once a year for the annual checkup.

But most importantly, love, compassion and care makes for a good base for pet parenting. So focus on that, and keep in mind the best for your baby and you will ace it!

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Are Exotics Your Cup of Tea?

Exotic pets are people’s escape from the norm. In the attempt to match up to a sheikh owning a falcon, we often overlook not just the needs of the animal itself but also the consequences and the what ifs. Today, December 4th, is observed as World Wildlife Conservation day globally and in honor of the event, we want to talk about the very basic research that needs to be done when bringing home an exotic species as a pet and the said consequences of the what ifs.

When bringing home an exotic pet, the priority is to determine the quality of life for the animal. Ask yourself-

  • Can you provide the pet suitable conditions as its natural home?
  • Can you provide them their basic diet?
  • Can you re-home or release them if things don’t go as planned?

Now that you know all that you can do for your pet, do some research about what hold does the law have over it.

  • Can a legally bought pet still be confiscated?

Don’t forget to do a thorough research on nutritional needs of your pets. Whether they are herbivorous, carnivorous or omnivorous. Look for options to supplement their diet with nutrients that are lacking.

When it comes to rehabilitate your pets you should ensure that the home they are going to should be able to fulfill their basic needs like their feed, mental health and they should not be in any discomfort.

Always check with your vets and state wildlife departments for any special laws on owning an exotic species. For example, If you own a ball python, sugar glider, marmoset, scarlet macaw etc. in India you have to declare it to state wildlife warden.

You should always check for the schedule of CITES in which the species that you are going to own falls. How is that species brought into your country, whether it is illegally trafficked or brought through custom clearance?

Your exotic pet can be confiscated if it falls under appendix 1 and appendix 2 of CITIES or if brought illegally. Under appendix 3, your pet can be confiscated if the authorities can make a case of animal abuse against you or if the species has been declared illegal to own by the state wildlife department for the fear of becoming invasive and posing a threat to the native species or if it has a significant zoonotic relevance.

 The species are usually confiscated by state wildlife department or by an organization in the presence of state wildlife official and wildlife veterinarian. Once confiscated, they can’t be released in the wild for the fear of alien species invasion and destruction of native flora and fauna.

Covered in the midst of this pandemic, an example of alien species invasion comes from the personal collection of the drug lord Pablo Escobar. He wanted a zoo in his house and he brought several exotic and wild species in his home. Along with them, he brought hippos. After his demise, the ownership of the place shifted from one person to another and the hippos grew continuously becoming a problem not just for the nearby farms but also a threat to people’s lives and the endemic species.

Make sure to never handover your pet to an organization that claims to release the animal into wild and in the absence of wildlife officials. If an organization is bullying you, you should report them to the police and state wildlife department.

If you handover the pet to an organization, you are allowed to contact the wildlife officials and animal welfare organizations for updates about your pet. You should make sure that if the organization is keeping your pet in a shelter, their quality of life is better than what you could provide. Always make sure the organization has qualified veterinary professionals working for them.

With illegal hunting and poaching already costing us the loss of many many species, we cannot afford to lose more for the lack of awareness. This world wildlife conservation day, let us spread the word, educate not just ourselves but also those around us and try and preserve the ecosystem as best as we can!