Indentured Servant for a Week

Today, I officially started my EMS, which stands for Extra Mural Studies.  In the UK vet schools, you are required to do a LOT of EMS. Our first two years are comprised of pre-clinical, or animal husbandry, EMS of 12 weeks total.  The following 3 years, we have to complete 26 weeks of clinical EMS.  Bear in mind, these weeks are all on our own time during breaks and the summer.  So, that is 38 weeks total of EMS.  Can you say...not enough time to work and make any cashola?

My first 12 weeks, or animal husbandry EMS, is designed to give students an opportunity to handle and learn about different species of animals prior to 'working' on them.  We have to do: 2 weeks Cattle (to include 1 week UK dairy), 2 weeks Sheep (to include 1 week UK lambing), 1 week Pigs, 1 week Poultry, 1 week Dogs and Cats, 2 weeks Horses, 1 week Small Mammals, 2 weeks 'Free Choice' and 1 Day livestock market.
Because the students are SO young here due to the difference in education systems, they most likely have not had the animal handling experience that the students in the US have.  They basically start vet school out of high school, where we are post grads.  We are allowed to apply for a certain amount of exemptions, but there are specific guidelines to qualify.  Since I grew up with, showed and managed horses, I applied for exemption for my 2 weeks of horses.  I managed to get 2 weeks exemption for my Free Choice.  This is fine, it just means I can't use my free choice to investigate something new, or getting more experience in something I am really interested in... I will have to use it doing horses, which I am VERY comfortable handling already.  Oh well, I like horses, so that is ok with me.  And, I actually have no other experience, so the EMS deal suits me just fine.

I started my 1 week of small mammal EMS today.  I am working at a small mammal no-kill rescue organization.  Apparently, rabbits are the most neglected animals in the UK.  There are approximately 32 at this unit.  They also have hamsters, rats, guinea pigs, mice and ferrets.  Some of the animals are being boarded over the holidays.  What's interesting, is their website states that they do not believe in breeding animals, yet today they accepted 10 baby hamsters from a 'friend' who is a breeder and shows them.  Yes, you read correctly....he shows hamsters. So, he kept maybe one or two and dropped off 10 because they were useless to him.  They are 4 weeks and adorable, but this obviously goes against what they believe and this is a 'regular' drop off, so I'm a bit confused as to the message being sent.  I'm sure there is more to the story, so I'm trying hard not to be judgemental.

The rabbits are absolutely adorable and all seem happy, relaxed and clean.  I even held a rat today that was pretty darn cute.  I am basically serving the role of cleaner and feeder.  I cleaned a ga-dozen cages, fed animals, watered them, swept and mopped the floor and gave moral support to the other 3 vet students.  It was absolutely fah-reeeezing in the joint.  There is no central heat (and it's verrrry cold here), just a half-working space heater.  This is my major complaint, besides the fact that the bathroom was completely and utterly disgusting.  We had to pour the nasty, crap water from cleaning the cages in the toilet and it splashes all over it. I will let my bladder perforate before I use that toilet. Plus, there is no light in the bathroom and the sink is literally ripped away from the wall.  I really was wishing for some rubber gloves the entire time and will invest in some.  I'm not saying I expected cage cleaning to be the most glamorous job, because it's not, but done in a clean and warm surrounding environment is different than what I experienced.

I don't like to complain, because they are doing a great service and the best they can. This is simply me being grossed out about an environment I am not used to and would make some relatively minor changes to improve things greatly.  That's all.  I don't mind dirty, just not a fan of unclean...make sense? Like, just give me a clean, well-lit area with a big enough sink to clean the nasty stuff properly and not be surrounded in.....funk...and I'll be happy.  Got it?  Good.

With that... tomorrow is a new day and I'll wear warmer clothing.

Over-N-Out

Final Week of the Semester!

I truly cannot believe it. I am one week away from completing my first semester of veterinary school!  It has been a lot of work and I'm looking forward to the 'break'.   The exam system is completely different here, so it won't necessarily be a break complete from studying, but it will be devoid of any lectures, new projects, meetings and practicals.  You see, my US counterparts are finished/finishing up their final exams for all of their first semester classes before they leave for Christmas break.  We, on the other hand, do not have exams for our first semester classes until February!  In the US, they have had tests weekly leading up to the finals, whereas we will have only been graded on a few lab projects prior to taking our exams.  Sooooo, I will be studying my tail off during break.  I will also be doing one week of EMS (Extra Mural Studies) for small mammals.  I'm scheduled to do that Dec.20th - 24th.

My other major item to accomplish over break is finding and buying a car!  I cannot wait to have my wings again. I really need at times to be able to load the Bingo Boyz in a vehicle and just go drive somewhere.  I amlooking forward to all that a car will give me, other than the headache of owning a car here.  They are not exactly vehicle-friendly in the UK.  At all.  I need it to keep my sanity, frankly, so it is worth every penny in tax, parking permits, inspections and petrol.  As they say, 'Freedom is not free'.

My last week's schedule is light and I'm loving it. Here is what it entails:

Mon -
10-1050 Anatomy lecture - Trunk and Body wall
11-1130 Review with lab partner for Biosecurity Assessment
1210-1300 Meeting on intercalating a degree (getting a master's degree along with vet degree)
1400-1550 Anatomy dissection - Pharynx

Tues
10-1200  Anatomy dissection - The Body Wall
2-330pm Langhill Farm - Biosecurity Assessment

Wed
900-950 Lecture - Information Skills
1110-1300 Practical - Clinical Skills

7pm - Christmas dinner Catholic Student's Union

Thur
9-950 Lecture Sheep
10-1050 Lecture Pigs
1110-1200 Staff-Student Liaison mtg for Animal Health, Welfare and Food Safety

Fri
9-1050 Professional Studies - Ethics/Current Issues debate
1210-1300 Staff-Student Liaison mtg for Professional Studies

Overall, a very easy week considering what we have been doing.  Most students are going home and leaving anywhere from Friday, Dec. 17th to the 20th.  We are supposed to get an arctic storm towards the weekend again. I just pray all of my classmates can make it home safely and do not have any issues with transportation.

Sunday night and watching UFC fights, so I'm very happy.  I also made a great decision tonight.  It was between working out and going to mass.  As much as I need to work out, I chose the latter and am so happy I did.  A workout could not have given me that much satisfaction.  Plus, we had a little Christmas get together afterwards and it was lovely.  Someone made mulled wine.  It was warm and delicious!

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Baaaaaahh Baaaaaahh

I told y'all that I would write about the sheep portion of my Langhill/Easter Bush visit last week, so here it is.  The sheep farm is much, much smaller with only one shed/barn.  There is quite a bit of acreage, but we spent our time in the sheep shed at Easter Bush (5 minute drive from Langhill).  We have approximately 350 Scottish Mule ewes (females) and 20 Suffolk ewes.  The Scottish Mules are a crossbreed and look like this:

They are a cross between a Scottish Blackface Ewe and a Bluefaced Leicester Tup.  The Blackface looks like this: 

These are native to the hills of Scotland.  Extremely hardy and good mothers.  Medium sized with mixed wool.  We do not keep these as purebreds to breed directly from, as they live best in the hills. Therefore, we buy approximately 90 ewes a year from a certified and inspected farmer. They are kept and fed for a year on our farm.  They then are called 'Gimmers' and are bred.

A Bluefaced Leicester Tup (male, or ram) are these:

They are a very prolific breed, often exceeding 250% lambing. They are larger than the Blackface.

The Suffolk is the breed other than the Scottish Mule that we keep on the farm. This is one of ours here:

Suffolks are common where we are, very big, meaty and fast growing. But, they are high maintenance animals and that is one reason we do not breed them for purebreds.  Too dang persnickety.

The only purpose of our lambs is for lamb chops, basically.  They get bred at the end of October and after 147 days gestation period, give birth end of March, beginning of April  They put out 3 Tups (male studs) per 100 ewes in our fields to breed.  One way you can tell if your ewe has been bred is by using paint or crayons.  You mark the Tup's belly and it will rub off on the ewe if he has mounted her.  Sheep cycle every 17 days. If she doesn't take, try, try again. We buy one fresh Tup from elsewhere a year in order to bring some diversity to the flock.

In January, we bring in a technician to scan the sheep for pregnancy.  They should be able to tell us if they are pregnant with a single, twins, or triplets.  This is important to know, as a sheep only has enough teats for 2 babies.  If she is going to have 3, a foster mama will need to be available.  Ewes will kill babies that are not theirs, so you need to trick them into thinking they are.  Normally, rubbing the afterbirth of one of her own all over the foster baby will do the job. 

We sell our lambs for butcher at around 12 weeks if they are nice and fat and have a good body condition score.  They are not even put through the stress of getting weaned.  They should sell around 100 quid at that time.  Later in the season, the average is about 75 quid.  They need to be 40-45kg in order to go to butcher. 

We are required to do at least 2 weeks of lambing during our program.  Many students do more because it is usually a paid placement.  This is why the veterinary school gets 4 weeks of at Easter (one more week than the rest of the university)....we are all off lambing somewhere. 

So, now you know as much as I do about our sheep. In just over a week, I get to go do some sheep husbandry and learn how to actually handle them.  I am looking forward to that.

Here is a picture of some more of our flock.  You can see several different types, including all whit faces.  They apparently do some 'test crosses', so I am not sure what they are.

Time to finish up some work for tomorrow, which is a pretty long day.

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