UCC and veterinary medicine

Most of my days are spent at the University. The office where I work is directly next to the veterinary clinic and as a veterinarian I get to consult with the other staff veterinarians on all types of cases. Some simple, others more complex, surgical, medical and involving all types of species. For me it is lots of practice in comparative medicine, palpatoin skills, emergency treatment, and diagnosis using all of your senses because lab test resluts are neither easily nor quickly acuired.

I also have the oppourtunity to help in spay and neter campaigns and equine extension events throughought the country.

Veterinary Campaing in Jinotega where all animals were attended and given Veterinay Preventative and Public Health Care. 250+ animals were attended.

Three lizards ( in the family of the green Iguana) in a captive breeding program experiencing occular infections during the rainy season.

Research Project Update

I spend most of my days here at UCC working on my project but I wanted to explain a little what that actually entailed. My project really originated when I visited Nicaragua in 2003. There was a bar-b-que argentinean style. There was nothing but beef, salt, bread and ... beverages. Anyway the beef was from an organic cattle farm in Nicaragua. To say the least I thought it was great because the beef is the basis for my project.

So everyday for me starts the same... I try to take over the world. Ok Not really but it feels that way. Very simply I have a list of farmers that I have to contact. When I contact them I explain the concepet of the project. The big picture is I am takeing a stool samples from the calves before and after they use whatever natural product to get rid of intestinal worms. In addition to this there is a small survey( written in non technical Nicaraguan spanish) to find out the general management practices. Finally I collect a sample of external parasites ( ticks) to classify and test for resistance to their natural/ organic products.

As simple as this sounds you would not believe how frustrating it has been. From cultural, language, time, and ect.... I really consider myself a patient person but everyone has a limit. Currently I am still in the initial stages but I am hopeful. There has been recent progress and I am encouraged that I wont spend my entire year still trying to contact people. I will keep you posted.

Rotary Update

Initially I had quite a hard time finding Rotarians in Nicaragua. Some of the seemingly simplest things are made more complicated by weaknesses in communication in another language. Although I speak Spanish it is still quite difficult to get directions to locations, making sure the dates were correct and then venturing out by myself. I have not been assigned a host counselor to ease this transition which has been very frustrating.

In spite of all of this I am grateful to God because he completely took care of the situation. Who would think that the friend that I made in 2004 was the niece of a Rotarian in Granada? Who also would have thought that I would be able to stay with my friend while I was in language school in Granada? Who would have thought that my friend, Marie Elena, lived right next door to her Rotarian Aunt, Ovidia Sandoval?

I am truly grateful for the way it all worked out and how Rotarian Ovidia took me in and made me feel exceedingly welcome. She is a Spanish teacher and helped me polish my first speech that I gave to the Rotary Club of Granada. There I learned that the club is involved in raising funds for low income elementary school students to buy uniforms so that they can continue to go to school. They are also involved in supporting a local library. In Granada I truly felt welcomed.