OUR FIRST POSTMORTEM

It was a perfectly ordinary monday morning in vet school, until it was not. We had sleepy eyes and reluctant faces, until we didn’t. Our pathology professor had just announced a postmortem! It was our very first!

In no time, we were all huddled into the pathology lab, smug and beaming in our
professional white coats and gloves. The air was thick with anticipation. I had never seen what the insides of a body looked like outside of a textbook, and to say that I was thrilled, would be an understatement. I clumsily struggled my way into the front and craned my neck over a sea of equally excited heads, to get a good view of the table.
After what seemed like a long wait, the cadaver finally arrived in a gunny bag. It was a calf.

As they took him out, I instantly realised that I was too clouded by eagerness to
understand what a postmortem really implied. For a moment and a half, the veterinary student in me fled and it was replaced by a mere girl who couldn’t help but mourn for this little baby who had lost his life way too soon. I know what you’re thinking. I know I should have a strong heart and be emotionally uninvolved in my cases, and so,
honestly, I was pretty unimpressed by myself too. In my defence, however, I quickly gathered my emotions and soon enough, the necropsy began. I will not go too much into the scientific details and the pathological findings, because I feel this diary entry isn’t sufficient enough and definitely not the best place for it. Here, I would like to go beyond it.

Our professor split open the body from the sternum and I could see what we
identified as the heart and the lungs. I studied the anatomy and pathology, but I also thought about how they were beating and breathing not long ago, how they were once housed in a living body, how a precious life depended on them, and how they must have fought all they could, to save it. It was a case of pulmonary congestion and congestive heart failure. Step by step, we opened the thoracic and abdominal cavities, and palpated almost all major organs. It was almost unreal to hold them in
my palm. It took me a few seconds to fully register how complicated these tiny
structures were, how they incorporated the several diagrams I had struggled to draw and learn. I was filled with awe at how those little things we were easily cutting into, once kept someone alive. However, what stood out for me the most was not what we were taught. It was, what we weren’t. There was something strongly lacking, and it was respect for the cadaver.

It showed in the little things. We didn’t offer any prayers or goodwill to the soul of
the deceased animal, we didn’t pay our respects to it after we had learnt from its body, and it was only made worse when we dumped our used gloves in a heap right over the cadaver. We didn’t pause for even a moment to acknowledge the life it had
lived and lost. It was shocking how conveniently we forgot about the innocence, joy and hope he once had in his heart, and the fear and pain it endured before it became a dead body.

Of course, it may sound like none of this matters and surely, it must not have, to the animal that had passed away. However, it makes all the difference in the value we assign to animal lives. The difference in our attitude towards human and veterinary cadavers, speaks volumes about how unequally we weigh human and animal lives, and I feel, it is our duty as veterinarians to bridge this gap. It is one thing to stay emotionally detached, it is another to be ignorant to the extent of being unknowingly
disrespectful of our own cases. I feel these animals that we learn from, are our greatest teachers, and we must always honour their deceased souls. If we don’t respect the lives we are to save, who will? Our respect is linked to theirs because we as veterinarians matter only when they do.

Hence, this entry is a small token of gratitude and prayer for all veterinary cadavers there ever were and there ever will be.
May their souls rest in peace.
May we always seek their blessings to become excellent doctors.

Untold Truths of Fostering Cats

This diary would be written from the pov of a 1st-year student who was just very excited to be fostering cats. I grew up in a home that wasn’t so keen on keeping animals around, although I got to keep some pets when I was in my native place. With that in mind, I came to Mumbai, the first ever time living by
myself, and was offered 3 kittens to foster by a senior until they get a forever home. And although I wasn’t much of a cat person, which I did become with time, I jumped on the idea of being able to foster them. That decision of mine took a lot more from me than I thought it would.

All three of them came to me dehydrated, undernourished and with bloated stomachs filled with intestinal worms. And on top of that one of the kitties came with an infected eye.

Our priority was the kitty with the eye infection, Uvie. She had to get her infected eye removed as soon as possible but due to her very low weight, we had to wait till she gained enough. The infected eye was so bad that she
wasn’t able to see anything. And she did get better, with time, along with her sister Sylvia and brother Asher. They were all very active kitties and Uvie would always meddle with her brother, Asher and Sylvia would mostly just watch over them. Uvie was so full of spirit and energy, and all the kittens would eat food, whenever offered as if they haven’t had food for the past couple of weeks. And the treatment was
going alright, with the seniors’ help and advice; we got to treat their intestinal worms and everything seemed fine. Uvie and others learnt their names and Uvie would always be excited when I called out her name and would respond very well given her circumstances. Until one day, while I was applying a topical
treatment to Uvie’s infected eyes, I found maggots inside her eyes. I was very worried over what to do.
The next day itself, the seniors agreed on seeing her. And they took out as many maggots as possible so as to not let the maggots reach her poor brain. The whole process was very traumatic to her though.
Halfway through she just stopped fighting and meowing, as if she just gave up on her life, as if she wasn’t ready to push any longer. And seeing her give up like that broke my heart into multiple pieces.
But seeing her play with her siblings the next day gave me hope for her well-being again.

But all that was written in water. Everything seemed all normal for the next two days, until Uvie started convulsing. We called the seniors that stay in the hostel to ask what was wrong with her now. And they started
examining her and checked for her heartbeat while all of us frantically surrounded them, aching to hear
a piece of good news, but it seemed like all the work I did and all the fights I had, were gone in vain after we saw her pee. This was all. This was the end of Uvie, no tears came nor any sound from me. This was all. The first ever animal that I had to take care of as a vet student died. And there was nothing I could do about it other than go and hold Sylvia and Asher.

And just like that, I had to move on, I need to take care of Sylvia and Asher. Others went on to bury her weak and fragile body. They put salt over her so that no animal would dig her body up. Sadness washed over me as I see them put a stone in the place where they buried her. They said I could put post-it notes over it, said it could help with her loss. But never have I felt this type of sadness, this type of guilt, this type of anger. Maybe if I saw the maggot earlier, maybe just maybe she might have lived. Or maybe if I played with her more or held her more often, she might have enjoyed the only few weeks of life she had. But all those can be ended with a maybe and nothing more. Asher lost a playmate and I lost the animal that I should have taken care of better. But the days went by, and both Sylvia and Asher gained more weight. Asher has a new playmate, and Sylvia climbs to places alottt. So much so people started
getting annoyed. Every day I had issues with them. Their poop, pee, them climbing to places they shouldn’t. Them sleeping on beds. No one liked it but I couldn’t do anything about it. All these fights came up to be so bad, that they had to be taken away. And so all the fights, all the poop cleaning, all the
feeding even at night, and all the fun little times were gone. No one ever talks about the emptiness we feel after fostering animals. The urge to see them again. To see if they are well-fed and taken care of.
And no one talks about how our family reacts to such news. About all the taunts and second-guessing others throw at us. And how we lose ourselves in the way of taking care of the cats. This all adds up and starts affecting our mental health and leading to emotional fatigue, something I learnt while taking care
of them. And it sucks so bad. With the emotion fatigue people start second guessing if you are for this profession, and with all these comments thrown at you, you start second guessing yourself. But in the end, they get a home to stay in. And while on treatment, they got comfy beds and good wet food, and
they played a lot with their siblings. In the end, both Sylvia and Asher found their forever home. And Uvie’s soul rests in peace in the MVC grounds. And if anyone asks if I would foster any cat in the future again, the answer would be an excited yes.

Written by – Raichel

Graphics by – Mckayla

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

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.

Making this Diwali easier for your pets!

Diwali, the festival of lights, is one of the most looked forward to and celebrated festivals throughout the country. The preparations and celebrations are done with great fervor and zeal.

However, it might not be as thrilling for some of our furry babies. Every year thousands of animals and birds are left anxious and terrified by the noise caused by the firecrackers. Pet owners are already aware of how even their happy-go-lucky pets turn timid, uneasy and are reduced to cowering and hiding under the bed.

For all of you guys wanting to help improve or aid the situation, we have compiled everything that you can easily do to make Diwali happier and safer for all your furry friends!

• Desensitizing your pet to the noise

Desensitization is the process of getting a pet gradually used to a particular noise, sight or experience. Helping your pet overcome the fear of a noise requires that you gradually expose it to that noise in a mild form that is less intimidating. Recognize your pet’s triggers. You can play videos of fireworks, on your phone at a lower volume. Then, slowly increase the volume to the point that your dog isn’t exhibiting fearful behaviors but tolerating the noise. Give your pets treats to calm them down and speak to them soothingly. Let them know that this will pass, and everything will be okay. Reward them for good behaviour

• Use positive sounds as a distraction

If you haven’t done noise conditioning yet, or are unable to do so due to the time limit until the festival, you can instead try distracting your pet with positive sounds .Close the doors and windows and try to reduce the noise of the outside environment as much as possible. Studies suggest that calm classical music can help relieve your pet’s anxiety. Turn up the music to a comfortable volume, so that it drowns out the noises outside, but not so loud that could be stressful for your pets. If your pet has a favorite show, you can put it on and let them watch till the loud celebrations have reached their tail end for the night.

Fun fact! Some studies even suggest that the Star Wars soundtrack (fans, rejoice!) helps in getting your pet desensitized to noises. May the force be with our furry babies!

• Confining your pet

Many of our pets have  a safe hiding place that they seek when frightened. For some, a crate can provide a feeling of safety and security. Create a comfortable space with blankets and toys. However, if your pet has not grown up using a crate, and is not comfortable with it, do not try  this method, as they may injure themselves trying to get out of it. Instead, keep your pet in a room that they are most comfortable in, where they won’t hurt themselves or ruin your belongings.

If they are trying to isolate themselves by hiding under the bed or in the washroom, let them. Don’t force them to come out.

Close all the doors, windows and pull the curtains to minimize the sound and light. Stay with them and make them feel safe!

You can also look into getting a set of noise cancelling headset for you baby to help with drowning out the loud noises!

• Exercise your Pet/ Distract them

Exercise produces endorphins in the brain, which acts as a stress buster for our pet. Get your dog outside for walks more than regular. Schedule it before the fireworks begin. Play with them and engage them into activities.

If your household is ruled by a feline, keep them up and running with laser pointers or feather toys. Play with them more often than usual and keep engrossed. 

Hopefully, they will be too tired to get very stressed out just in time for the festivities to get crackin’! 😉

You can also distract them during the festivities are on. Use their favorite toys and try to get their mind off the sounds.

• Calming Therapies for Pets

Aroma therapy is found to be useful in reducing stress and anxiety to a considerable level. Lavender oil can be used for dogs to reduce car anxiety. Make sure the oil has the name Lavendula augustifolia or Lavendula officinalis. You can either apply a little to the skin or let your dog smell it. You can also spray it on your dog’s blanket.

ProQuiet is a tryptophan formula, available in chewable tablets or syrup forms. It can help your cats and dogs calm down. Canine and feline pheromone sprays can help the mildly affected.

Feliway is a synthetic copy of the pheromones that cats use to mark their territory. It can be used as a plug-in room diffuser or a spray.  

• Talk to your Veterinarian

If your doctor is familiar with your pet’s condition, they will write an anti-anxiety prescription for your pet. However, it is important for you to inform your vet about the anxiety beforehand. Most vets will not call in a last minute prescription for a pet they have not diagnosed with noise anxiety before.

• Leave the Neighborhood for the Night

If you’re sure that none of these tips work for your pet’s severe anxiety, and you have friends or family that stay in a relatively silent area, pack your suitcase, the travel crate and any other things that you might need for the night and hightail to the quieter neck of the city.

If none of these options are convenient for you, you can find out an out of the way pet friendly hotel to stay in for the night.

And most importantly,

• Don’t Hold Back on Comforting your Pet

Forget everything you’ve heard about ignoring your pet’s anxiety or fear of encouraging it with attention. Pets are in many ways very similar to us. Imagine how you would feel if treated that way when you were feeling high levels of anxiety. Being comforted by a loved one would make it much better, wouldn’t it?

The best thing you can do to comfort a pet under an anxiety attack is to hold them close. Give them treats when they are being calm. Some pets may learn from this that they are safe as long as you are near them and may stop being as clingy. But remember, that pets, like us, can be high strung and may always need to be comforted during these events.

And finally, do not forget to bestow a lot of hugs and kisses and make Diwali a little safer and enjoyable for everyone! We wish you a very happy and prosperous diwali! ❤