IVSA Journal - Winter 2021

Thank you to the members who sent in academic articles for us to publish in the IVSA Journal during this first call for academic articles. Unfortunately, due to unexpected circumstances and time-constraints, we were unable to present them in this edition of the IVSA Journal. As we are trying to do new things, we are also learning our way. We appreciate and acknowledge their hard work and have contacted these persons about publishing their articles in the next edition of the IVSA Journal.

Thank you to Ateeq Iqbal, Rana Umar Tayyab and Tahmina Akter.

Thank you to the numerous MOs who sent in their projects for the IVSA Journal. Between so many great entries, we had a hard choice to make. Even if you are not featured in this edition, do not be disheartened. There is always the next IVSA Journal!

Cover photograph captured by Eveliina Piironen from IVSA Estonia

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Table of Contents Attended Events Vet Privilege Project

Page 8 Page 13

Article by William Vilany

Diversity Through My Eyes

Page 17

Article by Nabeelah I. Rajah

Early Nutritional Care for Canine Heart

Page 24

Literature Review by Purina

Life of A Vet Student

Page 31

A Series of Letters

MO Corner IVSA Bucharest, IVSA Bahawalpur IVSA Thessaloniki, IVSA Pookode

Page 47 Page 48

Committees and Working Group Standing Committee on Animal Welfare Standing Committee on Career Attributes Standing Committee on Veterinary Education Equine Community Standing Committee on One Health Standing Committee on Wellness Working Group on Alumni

Page 51 Page 57 Page 62 Page 65 Page 67 Page 72 Page 79

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iina airasmaa public relations coordinator 2020-2021 Hey everyone!

I’m excited to welcome you to the first edition of the IVSA Journal in this term! As the PRC, one of the highlights is working on the Journal, from the planning stage all the way to the publication. I had planned quite a lot of interesting things and had ambitious ideas on what to do, and unfortunately, due to the circumstances, some of these ideas needed to be postponed or changed. However, I’m happy with what me and my Secretaries have here to present to you, and I hope you enjoy reading through it as well.

One of the more interesting things we’ve introduced in this edition is the Regional Letters, where we’ve asked members from each region to describe their Life as a Vet Student. I can promise you that there’s a lot of interesting responses! There’s a lot of things that are similar across the board, but also things that are completely different, for example, I now learned about Indonesia’s 24-hour student cafés!

What we wanted to bring to the forefront in this edition is the diversity we have within IVSA, and how we can celebrate that and lift each other up in different ways. We want to help create discussion among our members and learn from each other. I think that especially when we have limited opportunities to interact with each other inperson, it is important that we can connect with each other in other ways. I hope that by reading this journal, you can connect with some of the authors, broaden your horizons or even learn something new!

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Adinda Rana Fauziah

glenn adjei

Secretary of PRC 2020-2021 Secretary of PRC 2020-2021

Hi my friends!

Last year was the most devastating for most of us, but it was the best time to learn about life and to reflect on ourselves. Even this early 2021, but the difference is I did a lot better than the last time. It was extremely hard for me to even finish deadlines on my tasks and assignments due to my personal circumstances. Our small PRC team, Iina and Glenn were so understanding and helped me throughout that time. This time, Iina did an amazing job making the journal with a little help from us. I enjoyed every bit of time whilst making this too and got myself to listen to some podcasts about grace and gratitude. I feel so grateful having them in this team.

Anyway, I hope you guys can enjoy reading this journal too!

Hey IVSA family, I'm so excited to be part of the PRC team working on this edition of the IVSA Journal. With the motivation and support from my incredible teammates, Iina and Adinda, I overcame all challenges I came across during the production of the journal.

As a secretary to the PRC, I have learned from my teammates and developed my skills, and I believe that I'll be a better version of myself by the end of this term.

Have fun reading the journal!

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merel knoops ivsa global president 2020-2021 Dear reader, With the theme of this term’s first edition of the IVSA Journal being Diversity & Inclusivity, I may have gone a little overboard with my welcome message, as this is a topic very close to my heart, so please bear with me through this massive text. I have three main things I want to discuss. First, why diversity and inclusivity matters, Second, what IVSA is doing about it. And third, what we, as a collective of IVSA Members, can all do about it together.

So, why does it matter? Why should we care about diversity and inclusion? In and of itself, this may seem like a simple question, maybe even so obvious, that it doesn’t require an answer. However, I want to answer anyways. It matters, because not everyone cares. Not everyone cares that Jake makes more money than Rachel. Not everyone cares that John gets stared and shouted at when he crosses the street, simply because of the colour of his skin. Frankly, the fact that not everyone cares, is the reason why I care, and why you should.

Now, what is IVSA doing about it? Diversity is, without a single shred of doubt, one of the most crucial pillars an international organisation, like IVSA, leans on for support. I would be lying if I said IVSA is the most inclusive organisation in the world. We aren’t, and that’s okay. We know we need to improve, we are improving, and we will continue to improve for as long as it takes. In August, we created a taskforce on Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity, which is currently working towards developing initiatives and ideas to 6

advance IVSA’s backing of our underprivileged members, and to create more opportunities for those that need them. Investing manpower into a project with the pure goal of making IVSA more inclusive and seeing what they’ve been doing, has been inspirational to witness. I’m proud of how far we’ve come, I’m excited to see how far we’ll go and I’m just so extremely grateful to be part of this journey towards equality.

Thirdly, and in my own personal opinion, most importantly, what can you do about it?

I know a lot of you are in leadership roles, either on local, national, regional, or even international level. Being in a leadership position comes with a massive responsibility, a responsibility to lead your organisation towards a brighter future. So I’m asking you to actively question the processes and practices within your own Member Organisations.

Look with fresh eyes at the systems you work with and ask whether or not you are excluding people and ideas. Make sure you understand that every step you take, should be a step towards inclusivity. Once you’ve taken your first step, take another one, again and again and again. For those of you not in leadership roles, do the same thing. Don’t forget that you bear the same responsibility as a leader in striving towards a better future. Bring your ideas to the table, share your experiences, and make sure your leaders are fulfilling their purpose.

I firmly believe that when we work, think, and act on diversity, we’re seizing one of the greatest opportunities of our age. Be it gender diversity or ethnic diversity, both create diversity of thought. It is diversity that will help us manage the rapidly-changing world around us. But, like many other things, saying it is easier than doing it. It requires leadership, from every one of us. It requires us to inspire, to influence, to challenge, to have the will and to be determined. Luckily for us, IVSA is filled with people capable of doing exactly that, and I cannot wait to see where it will take us.

Diversity is not achieved in one day by one person. It takes time. Together.

All my love, Merel

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ATTENDED EVENTS

By Merel Knoops, President of IVSA

Every year, one of our partners, the World Veterinary Association, and one of our sponsors, Ceva Santé Animale, collaborate together in order to praise animal welfare activists all over the world.

Three Veterinarians from different regions, one veterinary technician, one veterinary students and one vet school have been given the honour to receive the Global Animal Welfare Awards in 2020, due to their outstanding work in and dedication to the advancement of animal welfare.

Maya Cyganska, from IVSA Poland was this year’s vet student award winner, and I, as President was given the opportunity to be there to hand her the award. Dr. Zeev Noga (WVA), Martin Mitchell (Ceva), Maya and I met in Brussels to record the award ceremony in a sociallydistanced and Corona-proof way.

In 2021, there’ll be another round of Animal Welfare Awards, so keep an eye out for updates on this on our social media, and who knows, maybe next year, it’ll be you who receives it! ;) Article and photo provided

by Merel Knoops

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ATTENDED EVENTS

By Merel Knoops, President of IVSA

October 29th, I was given the chance to be a speaker and panellist for a webinar hosted by the World Veterinary Association (WVA). The topic of this webinar was the impact COVID-19 has had on all different parts of the veterinary profession. There were speakers from the OIE, from African Veterinary Associations and from the Veterinary Public Health Institute. My presentation focused on how the future of veterinary education has changed due to the pandemic. I elaborated on the situation during the pandemic, and more specifically, the differences per region due to the digital divide. I also touched base on how our education system will most likely handle the next pandemic. If you missed it, you can still check it out with the link below!

November 27th, Laure Chevalier (Regional Representative for Europe) and I had the pleasure of attending the ECCVT Meeting. ECCVT Stands for European Coordinating Committee on Veterinary Training. In this meeting, we were involved in discussing their policy paper on Digital Technologies & Artificial Intelligence, and more specifically their use in veterinary medicine. We discussed the implications of the ever increasing digitalization of our profession, as well as how our educational system has been digitalizing. It’s clear that the pandemic has accelerated lots of these developments, however, these developments have been happening for quite some time already. It was very nice to get to share our opinion with these experienced professionals and to help think about the future of both veterinary education, as well as the entire profession.

Articles and photo provided

by Merel Knoops

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ATTENDED EVENTS

By Merel Knoops, President of IVSA

On Thursday 29th of October, MaírínRua (Chair of the Standing Committee on Animal Welfare) and I got to attend a meeting from the European Commission, more specifically, of the Animal Health Advisory Committee. Many interesting topics were discussed, such as the epidemiological situation of African Swine Fever in the EU and an overview of the highly pathogenic avian influenza and how it affected EU Member states.

Furthermore, we received a presentation from Diagnostics for Animals on their animal diagnostic database and were updated on multiple developments around European Animal Health law.

One very important and interesting topic in regards to these new / amended laws was an update on the animal welfare activities under the EU Farm to Fork strategy, including information on the public feedback the EU received on the EU animal welfare legislation. Moreover, a European Citizens Iniative entitled “End the cage Age” was proposed. This ECI calls on the Commission to propose legislative act to ban the use of cages for certain farmed animal species. Both Maírín-Rua and I learned a lot, and I’m already excited to receive our next invite!

Article and photo provided

by Merel Knoops

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ATTENDED EVENTS

By Merel Knoops, President of IVSA

Every year, WSAVA hosts a Congress somewhere in the world, in September 2020, it was supposed to take place in Warsaw.

Given the current circumstances, unfortunately, that congress was cancelled, which also meant that their General Assembly couldn’t happen. Very much like in IVSA, thy use their General Assembly to make many important decisions, vote on budgets, accept new member associations and to elect new board members, therefore, they provided us with an online platform we had to walk through in order to vote and read important updates from the WSAVA board. Another thing that takes place during WSAVA’s Congress is the Members Forum, which is basically a chance for all WSAVA’s Members to speak up and talk about how WSAVA can improve. Therefore, they hosted a zoom meeting and opened up the floor for discussion. They were particularly interested in receiving feedback on how they want to specify membership in WSAVA, so we were put into small breakout rooms and were given some questions to discuss amongst ourselves.

It was a great way for me to get to know more about WSAVA as an organisation, and to see some familiar, and new faces

Articles and photo provided

by Merel Knoops

World Mental Health Day (10th of October 2020), was the perfect day for the FECAVA Working Group on Mental Health & Wellbeing to meet. FECAVA stands for the Federation of European Companion Animal Veterinary Associations. IVSA was also invited, and since I’m a bit of a Wellness fan myself, I was more than happy to attend. In this meeting we discussed some of their past and future projects, as well as some of their new social media campaigns. I suggested a possible collaboration between the FECAVA Working Group on MH&WB and our own Standing Committee on Wellness and our Working Group on Alumni. They sounded extremely pleased with this idea, so I’m excited to see how we can collaborate and spread even more Wellness <3!

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By William Vilany, Liason of IVSA Americas

“Mastering others is strength. Mastering yourself is true power.” – Lao Tzu. After these words of wisdom I’d like to invite my readers to take a moment and reflect on their privileges, come up with their own questions and maybe think about those as well: Where do you stand in the world?

(Literally and figuratively, pay attention to your surroundings and environment, be aware). Have you ever been targeted by violence in some way due to intolerance, to your gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, physical appearance or economic class? How has the history of the world, of your countrymen and family influenced your current position? Which of these privileges come as heritage? Does everyone in the world or even in your city have access to the same opportunities as you do? Is all of that fair? Would you like to trade places with others if you were granted the chance? Why is that so? How could YOU better other people’s lives with whatever powers were granted to you? How many strangers have you talked to on a deep level in the last month? And in the last year? How about the last five years then? When was the last time that you made someone’s life

better in some way by helping them out and you could sense their gratitude in such intensity that you even got a bit shocked, because to you, it didn’t even seem like it was that big a deal?

"It can be as simple as giving a sincere smile with a nod on the hallway, a warm greeting..."

To me those are just some of the reflections that the PRIVILEGE project of SCoW can provoke. Just how aware are we of the reality of others and how much does it contrast with our own? By exploring the various questions that come up and also the answers on how one moves and acts to bring change to the world, I believe greater clarity, conscience and empathy can be achieved.

I’m pleased to tell you that giving is better than receiving (there have even been scientific studies that showed that spending money to others´ benefit made the spenders happier than spending it on

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themselves – “REALLY??? Show me the STUDY!!!” [INSERT JERRY MCGUIRE GIF YELLING ON THE PHONE]. I got you ;) Dunn, Elizabeth W., Lara B. Aknin, and Michael I. Norton. "Spending Money on Others Promotes Happiness." Science 319, no. 5870 (March 21, 2008): 1687– 1688), but money isn’t the only thing that one can give.

notification of an interested someone. If not, DM SCoW on IG and I’m sure they’ll find a way to change that! So if you think about it, bringing light to the world can be as simple as sending a meme or my personal favorite media form, a GIF along with a little comment, joke or emoji. It doesn’t take much to make a difference in somebody’s life. Or it can mean taking charge on some really big project that impacts the lives of many. However, it is a process and just like Rome, which wasn’t built on one day it won’t happen overnight, so take a first step cause the way you do anything is the way you do everything.

Bauman said that society is becoming more and more liquid by the day and that the current ideology states that social relationships are as disposable as a plastic cup after a happy meal. But we are reaching a point where the oceans can’t take anymore plastic cups and human bonds shouldn’t be so disregarded as well. And mainly, I think that we’re probably old enough to not order happy meals anymore, are we not???

Privilege: a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group.

“He who knows, does not speak. He who speaks, does not know.” – Lao Tzu

It can be as simple as giving a sincere smile with a nod on the hallway, a warm greeting such as a “hey, how have you been”, the classic “How was your day?”, its hipster cousin “What are you up to?” or even the lazy contemporary "SUP?".

Anyway you have it, I bet everyone has probably experienced joy in getting a text

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When speaking on privilege it’s easy to get lead astray, so taking a humble posture and listening to what others have to say, like in all things in life, will make you better understand the world and the multiple realities that people experience.

So, the time has come to speak of my privilege per se. Well, some of them

include being born and raised in the most economically developed region of Brazil and next to one of the biggest cities in the world - São Paulo. Having access to a good quality internet connection, to technology improvements, to other languages tutoring from a young age and to good enough schooling, unlike many others, can be deemed a privilege. Just as much as being encouraged to read books and exercise both mentally as physically from as early as I can remember, combined with having access to a public library system within walking distance and to an outdoors life on public parks.

Not having to worry about nourishment, shelter, healthcare, access to potable water, an efficient sewage system and to quality wholesome foods.

Being encouraged to study at a public university, preferably one of the three giants of our state that are also the best ones in the country and are even among the top ones in the world: University of São Paulo, in which I currently study, São Paulo State University or University of Campinas.

drive and time to read, think, digest and understand them better. I’ve taken the time to talk to many others. To stop and ask questions to people which stood out me in some way in the midst of concentrating to listen closely and trying to obtain some wisdom from it. I’m very grateful for all the opportunities my parents struggled for to provide me with and for all the opportunities I now have access to as a student at FMVZ USP. I believe privilege is a double-edged sword, it may make your life easier in many aspects and whether it's fair or not put you miles ahead many others, but it may also make you soft and unfit to surpass the many difficulties and

"I believe privilege is a double-edged sword..."

“Anyone can be your teacher at something if you’re humble enough to listen and observe”, were words I was taught early on. My whole self is not my free own independent creation, the seeds that make me who I am today were sown by others (family, mentors, friends, authors of books or even internet figures) and helped to define even what I believed to be possible for my life’s work. I’ve had access to different ideas and had enough

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challenges in life. As they say in the military, “we don’t rise to the occasion; we fall back to the level of our training”.

With that being so, I think of myself as being privileged for not taking things for granted. Consciously recognizing the many “tiny” miracles like the very fact that I can see, hear, feel, taste, smell, love, have mental clarity to think. All those things are AMAZING and rare are the people who find time to acknowledge and be grateful for those “little” but priceless capabilities. I’m privileged to have become more, to have exposed myself to different ideas, people, experiences, partaken of different projects and expanded my horizons for the skills that come from experiencing life in its fullest diversity. To me this makes a difference in being able to understand people and the world in a more realistic manner.

My goal is to help connect people and to act as a catalyst to the development, planning and execution of projects that benefit values that I believe in, that is the driving force to the usage of my privileges. “Tenho apenas duas mãos e o sentimento do mundo” meaning “I have only two hands and the sentiment of the world” said Carlos Drummond de Andrade, a Brazilian poet. So my advice is: put them to good use. Good luck on your adventures and farewell to all.

Article and photos provided

by William Vilany

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By Nabeelah I. Rajah, Member Organisation Director

Before I begin, I want you to keep a question in your mind while reading my piece: “Why should diversity matter this much, in the IVSA?” Right, let’s get started.

So you’re part of this amazing association called the IVSA. We know, it’s an international association, it’s a pretty big deal. However, at the root of this word “international”, we find diversity.

Keeping this in mind, I would like to ask, have you fully embraced the idea of diversity and not just subscribed to being an international member of this family?

Have you taken the time to get to know people from countries you would never have dreamed of visiting, only to find that now, you’re a bit more curious? That, my

dear family members, is part of the beauty of this association, of this family.

I arrived in Morocco, earlier this year in January, to attend the 68th International Symposium. I remember how proud I was of my heritage, the idea that I was going to hopefully add some colour to this event and show the world more about my Rainbow Nation, as South Africans would like to call our country. I have a Mozambican mother of Mozambican, Indian, Portuguese, African and Dutch decent, a father and step-mom with South African and Indian decent, and step-dad with Chinese-Singaporean heritage- it goes to say that you will find it extremely challenging to group South Africans together, based on their outward appearance, or even on what

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they eat or how they talk!

I can only say that I left that event a changed person.

Even with the colourful heritage I am blessed with, nothing could have prepared me for sitting in a GA hall full of people from different parts of the globe it was unreal (I do realise that I sound like a typical first-timer, but it’s so true!)! I was amazed at the fact that without any university intervention, an event like this was actually possible! I remember sitting in the GA hall, taking everything in for the first few days. I remember Elwin and his warm smile. I remember Nina, my “mentor” and how she warmly answered every single question I had about GA proceedings - which were numerous. I remember the warm Organising Committee and till today, cherish the bonds we had forged at this event- we cried like real babies when we had to part ways, or at least, I know I did!

"What I didn’t realise yet, was that I had belonged all along.

Not just to this region or to this continent, but to this entire global family."

This exposure to the IVSA on a global scale forced me to see things past the level of my national MO, beyond IVSA South Africa. I would look around the GA hall and see how many people came from the different continents. I noticed how the GA would vote on things I felt would never affect me or my MO, which were “irrelevant”, in my opinion; I noticed how I would look around the room for

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familiarity, for some sense of belonging.

I noticed that my African continent had just a few members present and that we were further divided into the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) and the Sub-Saharan regions. A highlight of my time in Morocco was when we managed to get these two regions at a table during one of the lunch times, and in that moment, I felt like I belonged. What I didn’t realise yet, was that I had belonged all along. Not just to this region or to this continent, but to this entire global family.

I left the symposium wanting to move up in the IVSA structure. I realised that I had a lot to share with my global family, in terms of diversity, but equally, that I had so much to learn! I realised that those “irrelevant” things we had to vote, affected my family, as a whole, and that I needed to learn more about my family members, in order to have an idea of why the IVSA runs the way it does.

At some point in 2020, wellness became a super trending topic on social media. This pandemic forced everyone to stop moving about and removed so many distractions, that we were all forced to take that good hard look in the mirror.

Wellness was no longer something that could be swept under the rug, or something we didn’t have time for.

For us in the Southern hemisphere, the months of June and July fall during our peak Winter period. I remember being tucked away in bed one very cold night (probably nothing compared to Winter in Europe), electric blanket on the highest setting, safe and sound from the outside elements in the comfort of my own home. Suddenly, I felt uncomfortable as the shadow of one of the patrolling

security guards passed my window. We were experiencing a particularly cold week and all I kept thinking about is the fact that I am warm and cozy, while someone else is out there, freezing on a 12-hour night shift. You may say, “Nabeelah, this person chose to take this job. It is what it is.” To that, I say yes, it is what it is, but did this person choose this job even while having a solid education, or coming from a financially sound background? The answer, most likely, is going to be no.

Privilege is something that we all need to be aware of, regardless of how easy you have it in life, or not. We tend to see privilege as a “blame game” and we get defensive about it all too quickly- that, my dear family, is your privilege talking.

Before you decide to skip the rest of my piece, please ask yourself, “What privileges do I have?”

If you have access to running water and electricity, you are privileged.

If you have access to food and shelter, you are privileged.

If you are reading this journal article from your phone or laptop, you are privileged.

If you are able to express your views, practice your faith, maintain a certain lifestyle without being mocked, shamed or publicly ridiculed for it, you are privileged.

If you are studying, attending a tertiary academic institution, you are extremely privileged. (… and the questions could go on!)

My question to you now, is what are you doing with that privilege?

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*sound of crickets or that hay bale rolling* It is not an easy question to answer, but it should be. I’m not asking you to donate all your money, or perform any miracles as a result of being privileged. I am asking all of us to start small. Here is an example- if you have a housekeeper at home, how do you treat this person?

What are you doing with your veterinary knowledge? Are you using it just to pass each year, get out of school and focus solely on your life and your goals? There isn’t anything wrong with that, but we have to ask ourselves, “In this selfless and noble profession, how have we become so selfish?”

"We become globally aware and fall in love with diversity."

What about the people who will never make it to university, who will never get degrees or follow the career of their dreams? What are we doing for them?

What are we doing to empower and uplift the communities we live in? I believe

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wholeheartedly, that some fraction of our lives should be devoted to this, however big or small. This way of thinking forms a basis for outreach, something we all enjoy doing. Again, I ask, are you joining an outreach for some fun times, seeing animals and practising your skills? Are you joining an outreach to get an idea of what’s out there, beyond our comforts, where access to veterinary services are not as easy to come by?

Perhaps a bit of both?

Just give it a bit of a think.

In recognising, understanding and accepting our privileges, we become grateful. Privilege is the door to gratefulness. Gratefulness is the door to mindfulness. By practising this, we open our eyes, truly, to diversity. We see colours, we see socio-economic backgrounds, languages, cultures, religions, and so much more.

We become globally aware and we fall in love with diversity.

The IVSA gives you so much more than Standing Committees, Regional Teams and Member Organisations. It gives you a safe space to learn about the world and

its people, to fall in love with every part of this beautiful world (or at least, wherever we have MOs, hahaha). It not only provides a platform for academic exchange, but also for soft skills development, which are rarely taught within the confines of the classroom or lecture hall.

In my time as MOD thus far, I have met people who have changed my life. I accept that I do not know everything there is to know about diversity, privilege or anything else for that matter, and that I am in a state of constant learning, of constant self-improvement. I also realise that this journey cannot be taken alone.

We need each other in order to grow.

If we truly want to be proud ambassadors of the IVSA, we need to genuinely immerse ourselves in this association, to get to know each other, so that we can grow, together.

Without diversity, there is no IVSA. I cannot say this more plainly.

Article and photos provided

by Nabeelah I. Rajah

I have recognised this crazy huge spectrum of diversity, across which our members are spread. You realise that there are more ways to think than just your own. You become aware of how many different perspectives there are on different ideas and topics. You become mindful of how diverse we are as an association, as a family, and that not everybody communicates the same way.

You become grateful to be a part of this family. We laugh together, cry together, sometimes argue with each other, but there is not experience that happens without any valuable life lesson being learnt. You realise how privileged we all are to be a part of the IVSA, to be veterinary students, to perhaps live our lives peacefully and have access to basic necessities.

I refer you back to our original question, “Why should diversity matter this much, in the IVSA?”

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IVSA MOMENTS

IVSA Moment provided by Amanda Santos, IVSA SAVMA Penn

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This is a photo from a Virtual Cultural Exchange that IVSA Penn and IVSA Queensland had last autumn! It was such an incredible experience to connect with other veterinary students from across the globe. We were able to get to know each other a bit and share our thoughts and perspectives as to what life and veterinary school is like for us. For anyone who hasn't taken part in a culture exchange yet, I highly recommend it!

We enjoyed it so much and are going to plan another for the spring semester!

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LITERATURE REVIEW

Purina EMENA Veterinary Technical Team Nestlé Purina PetCare

Abstract

Keywords: Dogs, CardioCare, myxomatous mitral valve disease

A multiomics integrative study identified molecular and metabolic pathways important for myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) pathogenesis and progression as energy metabolism, inflammation, oxidative stress, and extracellular matrix homeostasis. A blend of nutrients to address these cardiac metabolism alterations was developed and shown to slow the progression of mitral valve degeneration in dogs, preventing cardiac enlargement and mitral regurgitation. MCTs, medium chain triglycerides, were effective for clinical application in MMVD combined with adapted levels of well known (sodium, potassium, magnesium) and more recently in focus (taurine, omega-3)

Murmur Murmur in dogs can be innocent or physiologic, but is more often pathologic caused by a structural heart problem (congenital or acquired) or secondary to an extracardiac condition (Table 1).

Grade I murmur can be heard intermittently in one location, while grade IV is loud, everywhere, and even felt by hand over the chest, called a thrill.

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nutrients critical for cardiac function.

Nutrition is the vital sign that should be evaluated at each physical examination as per WASAVA guidelines. There are many points in the treatment protocol of cardiology patients were general practioner and specialist can incorporate nutrition with great success, from maintaining patient in optimal body condition to providing above nutrients for heart muscle metabolism and to counteract adverse effects of medications. Increased awareness of incorporating nutrition as part of the multimodal approach treatment protocol of heart patients is key to slow disease progression.

Most murmurs are heard on contraction of the heart, during systole. Loudness of the murmur is reflective of turbulence, but does not always correspond to severity of condition.

Prevalence of early cardiac condition in dogs is well documented: about 1 in 100 dogs presented in practice will have a heart murmur, with 1 in 160 having

mitral valve disorder and almost all small dogs will develop it in their lifetime ((Menciotti et al., 2017). Certain breeds of small dogs, like Cavalier Kind Charles spaniel and Dachshund as well as older large breeds, high performing working dogs, and dogs exposed to heart worms should all be evaluated for heart condition.

Table 1. Cardiovascular conditions

Myxomatous mitral valve disease Mitral valve, also known as bicuspid or left atrioventricular valve insufficiency accounts to about 70% of all cardiovascular conditions. Myxomatous degenerative mitral valve disease (MMVD) occurs in 30% of small breeds and 20-25% of older dogs (9-12yrs) (Sisson 2002). MMVD is caused by degeneration of the valve tissues, whereby elastin and collagen bundles are disrupted and proteoglycan deposited, valve leaflets thicken, contract and lose flexibility. Dogs do not develop fibrosis and humans do (Markby et al, 2017).

Once the valve cannot close properly, it allows regurgitation back into the left atrium, which is heard on auscultation.

Heart compensates decreased contraction efficacy by enlarging, but over time unable to compensate the leak, clinical signs appear. In severe cases, the chordae tendineae may rupture,

damaging or causing the collapse of the mitral valve.

complete

Progression Asymptomatic to Severe Common clinical signs are anorexia, weight loss, breathing problems after long period of lying down or exercise, coughing and syncope. These, plus abnormal heart rhythm, weak or irregular pulse, jugular pulsation, warrant further diagnostic testing (Devi et al., 2009; MacPete, 2018). Quality of life and life expectancy can be improved with early diagnosis and treatment.

The American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) established a consensual classification system (Atkins et al, 2009) of four stages of heart disease and failure (Table 1), where A and B are asymptomatic and C and D are heart failure. With MMVD, many dogs will remain asymptomatic for an extended period even years, while other progress rapidly in a matter of months to cardiomegaly and congestive heart failure. Prevention of progression (Boswood et al. 2016; Atkins et al., 2007; Kvart at al., 2002) and prediction of onset of clinical signs are challenging and are of considerable clinical interest (LaroucheLabel et al, 2019; Reynolds at al., 2012; Zilberszac et al., 2018).

The results of Li et al, 2019 have demonstrated efficacy of the cardiac protection blend (CPB) in slowing and preventing the progression of early preclinical mitral valve disease in dogs. In a 6 month study, a blend of MCT oil, EPA and DHA, lysine, a mixture of sulfurcontaining amino acids (methionine, taurine, cysteine), magnesium, and vitamin E was able to improve cardiac function by reducing mitral regurgitation

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in 30% of MMVD dogs and decreasing left atrial size in 60%. Used in a multimodal approach, diet is proving powerful to counteract metabolic abnormalities of cardiac disease.

Nutrition Physiology of the Heart Transcriptomic and metabolomics research have shown that the pathways altered in dogs with MMVD are energy metabolism, inflammation, nitric oxide signalling and extracellular matrix homeostasis (Li at al, 2015; Kim et al., 2020). Energy for the heart function in the form of ATP comes from oxidation of glucose, lactate and other energy substrates. Energy deprivation of myocardium due to mitochondrial dysfunction and resulting oxidative stress is strongly associated with cardiac disease and failure in mammalian heart (Martin-Fernandez &amp; Gredilla, 2016; Kiyuna et al, 2018). Dogs with MMVD rely increasingly on anaerobic metabolism instead of fatty acid oxidation and ketosis.

Cardiac Protection Blend (CBP) nutrients Basic canine cardiac diets have adjusted levels of sodium (Na), potassium (K) and magnesium (Mg) and require veterinary consultation at start and every 6 month.

Magnesium is an essential mineral that has been shown to be cardio- and vascular protective. Mg deficiency is common and it’s predictive of poor quality of life and worse clinical outcome in later stages. Mg is a cofactor of over 300 enzymatic reactions including those regulating apoptosis, blood pressure, glycemic control, and lipid peroxidation

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(antioxidant). In is also is antiarrhythmic, protects against hypokalemia, arterial vasososapsm, increased catecholamine release, hyperlipidemia and intravascular hypercoagulability (Purvis et al 1992; Sheehan and Seelig 1984; DiNicolantonio et all, 2018; Mak et al, 2013; Ozturk et al, 2013).

MCT (medium chain triglycerilde) is a lipid where three 6 to 12 carbon-long fatty acids, e.g. caprylic acid (C8), capric acid (C10), are attached to a glycerol backbone. The fatty acids can cross mitochondrial barrier without carnitine and are rapidly oxidized. Cardiac protective effect of MCT supplemented diets have been shown in rats and proposed for clinical applications in humans (Saifudeen et al, 2017, Labarthe et al, 2008). MCTs provide alternative energy source for the myocytes.

Normally, LCFA (long chain fatty acid) oxidation provides more than 70% of energy for healthy mammalian heart (Lopaschuk et al., 2010). This process is compromised in MMVD (Li at al, 2015), at the level of LCFA transport into the cytoplasm, fatty-acid activation to coenzyme A (CoA) ester and oxidation as well as lower concentrations of acyl carnitines and carntitine precursor, deoxycarnitine. In contrast, the glucose uptake and anaerobic glycolysis were upregulated. Long chain omega-3 fatty acids, especially eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), help reduce inflammatory mediators and oxidative stress, cardiac arrhythmias, remodeling and dysfunction, as well as blood pressure (Freeman, 2010; Wall et al, 2010).

Out of four sulfur-containing amino acids, only methionine and cysteine incorporate into proteins. Both lysine and methionine are precursors of carnitine and are and are part of the CPB. Carnitine is essential for transfer of longchain fatty acids to mitochondria for subsequent β- oxidation. Carnitine conjugation decreases the number of acyl residues attached to CoA and increases the ratio between free and acyl-CoAs (Bieber, 1988).

Vitamin E, long known as a cellular antioxidant, also has anti-inflammatory properties (Pryor, 2000; Birringer & Lorkowski S 2019; Sozen et al, 2019).

Multiple studies have shown that vitamin E intake reduces risk for cardiovascular disease in humans (Sanderson, 2006).

Taurine, is an abundant amino acid with cytoprotective activity in the heart, involved in energy metabolism, cell signaling, such as calcium transport, ROS generation, ER stress, and protein phosphorylation. It is required for normal cardiac function, also serves as an antioxidant (Sanderson, 2006; Schaffer et al, 2010). Taurine also prevents sarcopenia.

Role of Nutrition in Treatment Nutritional assessment should be part of regular patient monitoring following MMVD diagnosis. There are many owners that would want to do more as prevention or in the initial stages, while others need to have a good explanation of the importance of food for breeds predisposed to the conditions and for newly diagnosed asymptomatic patients.

Client education that diet helps delay

progression of the condition with specific nutrients involved in cardiac metabolism that help heart function is very important as owner would need to commit to feeding only one food. It can also give owner a sense of control as an active participant in care after the diagnosis.

Once structural changes are apparent, food should be used approach of established medical protocol and nutritional care.

Effect of cardiotonics and diuretics on digestive system. Pancreatic beta cells have similar signaling as the cardiomyocytes, so, pimobendan augments insulin release in a dose dependent manner (Fujimoto et al., 1998). It also may have gastrointestinal side effects like poor appetite and diarrhea, where a highly palatable diet and easily digested diet with adequate fiber would be helpful. Diuretics decrease tubular reabsorption of Mg in addition to loses of calcium, potassium and sodium. Furosemide may lead to metabolic alkalosis due to hypochloremia and hypokalemia. These electrolyte imbalances also readily addressed by appropriate nutrition.

Anorhexia, Cardiac Cachexia and Obesity.

Maintenance of Ideal Body weight is critical for cardiac patients. The diet must be highly palatable as anorexia is common. Wet options are not always available. The limited offer of wet diets can be overcome with adding water to kibbles, especially to pets that have poor dentition for chewing properly, e.g post extractions. Patient’s body weight, body condition and muscle condition evaluated at every recheck and the owner can be

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taught to reliably check this parameters at home.

ProPlan CardioCare Purina® ProPlan® CC CardioCare TM is a complete dietetic pet food for adult dogs for support of heart function in case of chronic cardiac insufficiency. Diet is suitable for early stages of heart diseases to slow the progression from an early MVD to Congestive heart failure.

Conclusion There are many points in the treatment protocol of cardiology patients were general practitioner and specialist can incorporate nutrition with great success,

from maintaining patient in optimal body condition to providing nutrients critical for heart muscle metabolism and counteracting adverse effects of medications. Important to educate owners on benefits of nutrition for veterinary heart patients to reduce cardiac enlargement and improve cardiac function slowing disease progression.

Multiomics is a powerfull tool able to identify molecular and metabolic pathways. The derangments in energy metabolism, inflammation, oxidative stress, and extracellular matrix homeostasis as pathogenesis of MMVD should be addressed efficiently with nutrition to aid medical treatment to slow down disease progression.

Copyright Nestle Purina 2020 Table 1. ACVIM new consensual classification system of heart disease and heart failure

References Atkins CE, Keene BW, Brown WA, et al. Results of the veterinary enalapril trial to prove reduction in onset of heart failure in dogs chronically treated with enalapril alone for compensated, naturally occurring mitral valve insufficiency. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2007;231:1061‐1069.

Bieber LL. Carnitine. Annu Rev Biochem. 1988;57:261–283 Birringer, M., &amp; Lorkowski, S. (2019). Vitamin E: Regulatory role of metabolites. IUBMB life, 71(4), 479-486. https://iubmb.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/iub.1988 Boswood A, Haggstom J, Gordon SG, et al. Effect of pimobendan in dogs with preclinical myxomatous mitral valve disease and cardiomegaly: the EPIC study‐a randomized clinical trial. J Vet Intern Med. 2016;30:1765‐1779.

Devi S, Jani RG, Anne FK and Singh RD, 2009. Study on clinical symptoms in canine cardiac diseases. Vet World, 2(8): 307-309 DiNicolantonio JJ, Liu J, O’Keefe JHMagnesium for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseaseOpen Heart 2018;5:e000775. doi: 10.1136/openhrt-2018-000775 Freeman LM (2010) Beneficial effects of omega-3 fatty acids in cardiovascular disease. J Small Anim Pract 51, 462470. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1748-5827.2010.00968.x

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https://patents.google.com/patent/US20170332686A1/en?oq=US2017%2f0332686 Shimpei Fujimoto, Hitoshi Ishida, Seika Kato, Yoshimasa Okamoto, Kazuo Tsuji, Nobuhisa Mizuno, Satoko Ueda, Eri Mukai, Yutaka Seino, The Novel Insulinotropic Mechanism of Pimobendan: Direct Enhancement of the Exocytotic Process of Insulin Secretory Granules by Increased Ca2+ Sensitivity inβ -Cells, Endocrinology, Volume 139, Issue 3, 1 March 1998, Pages 1133–1140, https://doi.org/10.1210/endo.139.3.5771 Kim, Andrew & Xu, Na & Umeyama, Kazuhiro & Hulin, Alexia & Ponny, Sithara Raju & Vagnozzi, Ronald &; Green, Ellis & Hanson, Paul &amp; McManus, Bruce & Nagashima, Hiroshi & Yutzey, Katherine. (2020). Deficiency of Circulating Monocytes Ameliorates the Progression of Myxomatous Valve Degeneration in Marfan Syndrome. Circulation. 141.

132-146.

Kiyuna LA, Albuquerque RPE, Chen CH et al. (2018) Targeting mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress in heart failure: Challenges and opportunities. Free Radic Biol Med 129, 155-168. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6309415/ Kvart C, Haggstrom J, Pedersen HD, et al. Efficacy of enalapril for prevention of congestive heart failure in dogs with myxomatous valve disease and asymptomatic mitral regurgitation. J Vet Intern Med. 2002;16:80‐88.

Labarthe, F., Gélinas, R., & Des Rosiers, C. (2008). Medium-chain fatty acids as metabolic therapy in cardiac disease.

Cardiovascular drugs and therapy, 22(2), 97-106. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10557-008-6084-0 Larouche-Lebel É, Loughran KA, Oyama MA. Echocardiographic indices and severity of mitral regurgitation in dogs with preclinical degenerative mitral valve disease. J Vet Intern Med. 2019;33(2):489-498. doi:10.1111/jvim.15461 Li, Q., Heaney, A., Langenfeld-McCoy, N., Boler, B. V., & Laflamme, D. P. (2019). Dietary intervention reduces left atrial enlargement in dogs with early preclinical myxomatous mitral valve disease: a blinded randomized controlled study in 36 dogs. BMC veterinary research, 15(1), 425. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12917-019-2169 1 Li, Qinghong & Freeman, Lisa & Rush, John & Huggins, Gordon & Kennedy, Adam &amp; Labuda, Jeffrey &amp; Laflamme, Dorothy &amp; Hannah, Steven. (2015). Veterinary Medicine and Multi-Omics Research for Future Nutrition Targets: Metabolomics and Transcriptomics of the Common Degenerative Mitral Valve Disease in Dogs.

Omics : a journal of integrative biology. 19. 10.1089/omi.2015.0057.

Lopaschuk GD, Ussher JR, Folmes CD, et al. Myocardial Fatty Acid Metabolism in Health and Disease. Physiol Rev. 2010;90:207-258 MacPete, R. 2018. Dogs and Heart Disease: An Overview. IDEXX Laboratories Inc.www.pethealthnetwork.com Mak, I. T., Kramer, J. H., Chen, X., Chmielinska, J. J., Spurney, C. F., &amp; Weglicki, W. B. (2013). Mg supplementation attenuates ritonavir-induced hyperlipidemia, oxidative stress, and cardiac dysfunction in rats. American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, 305(10), R1102-R1111. https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/3841797 Markby GR, Summers KM, MacRae VE, Corcoran BM. Comparative Transcriptomic Profiling and Gene Expression for Myxomatous Mitral Valve Disease in the Dog and Human. Vet Sci. 2017;4(3):34. Published 2017 Jul 17. doi:10.3390/vetsci4030034 Martin-Fernandez B, Gredilla R (2016) Mitochondria and oxidative stress in heart aging. Age (Dordr) 38, 225-238. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5061683/ Menciotti G, Borgarelli M. Review of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Approach to Canine Myxomatous Mitral Valve Disease.

Vet Sci. 2017;4(4):47. Published 2017 Sep 26. doi:10.3390/vetsci4040047 Ozturk, N., Olgar, Y., Aslan, M., &amp; Ozdemir, S. (2016). Effects of magnesium supplementation on electrophysiological remodeling of cardiac myocytes in L-NAME induced hypertensive rats. Journal of bioenergetics and biomembranes, 48(4), 425-436. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Nihal_Ozturk/publication/303355242_Effects_of_magnesium_supplementati on_on_el ectrophysiological_remodeling_of_cardiac_myocytes_in_LNAME_induced_hypertensive_rats/links/5b9b8147299bf13e602dad30/Effects-of-magnesium-supplementation-onelectrophysiological-remodeling-of-cardiac-myocytes-in-L-NAME-induced-hypertensive-rats.pdf Pryor, W. A. (2000). Vitamin E and heart disease: Basic science to clinical intervention trials. Free Radical Biology and Medicine, 28(1), 141-164. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0891584999002245 Purvis JR , Movahed A . Magnesium disorders and cardiovascular diseases. Clin Cardiol 1992;15:556–68.doi:10.1002/clc.4960150804 Rebecca Wall, R Paul Ross, Gerald F Fitzgerald, Catherine Stanton, Fatty acids from fish: the anti-inflammatory potential of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, Nutrition Reviews, Volume 68, Issue 5, 1 May 2010, Pages 280–289, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1753-4887.2010.00287.x Reynolds CA, Brown DC, Rush JE, et al. Prediction of first onset of congestive heart failure in dogs with degenerative mitral valve disease: the PREDICT cohort study. J Vet Cardiol. 2012;14:193‐202.

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Saifudeen, I., Subhadra, L., Konnottil, R., &amp; Nair, R. R. (2017). Metabolic modulation by medium-chain triglycerides reduces oxidative stress and ameliorates CD36-mediated cardiac remodeling in spontaneously hypertensive rat in the initial and established stages of hypertrophy. Journal of cardiac failure, 23(3), 240-251. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1071916416311010 Sanderson, S. L. (2006). Taurine and carnitine in canine cardiomyopathy. Veterinary Clinics: Small Animal Practice, 36(6), 1325-1343. http://san_diagnostico_molecular.doc.evz.ufg.br/up/66/o/Taurina_e_Carnitina.pdf Schaffer SW, Jong CJ, Ramila KC, Azuma J. Physiological roles of taurine in heart and muscle. J Biomed Sci. 2010;17 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):S2. Published 2010 Aug 24. doi:10.1186/1423-0127-17-S1-S2 Sheehan JP , Seelig MS . Interactions of magnesium and potassium in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease.

Magnesium 1984;3:301–14 Sisson D. Valvular heart disease in dogs. Proceedings from the WSAVA 2002 Congress; October 3–6, 2002; Granada, Spain.

Sozen, E., Demirel, T., & Ozer, N. K. (2019). Vitamin E: Regulatory role in the cardiovascular system. IUBMB life, 71(4), 507-515. https://iubmb.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/iub.2020 Zilberszac R, Heinze G, Binder T, Laufer G, Gabriel H, Rosenhek R. Long-term outcome of active surveillance in severe but asymptomatic primary mitral regurgitation. JACC Cardiovasc Imaging. 2018;11:1213‐1221.

National Research Council (2006). Nutrient requirements of dogs and cats. Washington DC: The National Academies Press. https://www.rvc.ac.uk/vetcompass/learn-zone/infographics/canine,

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LIFE OF A VET STUDENT Series of Letters We asked IVSA members from different regions to provide a peek into their daily lives. Here's what they answered.

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By Alexander Del Bianco from IVSA Queensland Hi everyone! My name is Alexander Del Bianco and I am currently going into my final year of Veterinary Science at the University of Queensland, Australia.

I’m originally from Toronto, Ontario which is in Canada. I was given the golden opportunity to pursue my dream of becoming a veterinarian by moving to Australia and completing vet school at the University of Queensland.

These past four years of veterinary school have been the best four years of my life. During my time at vet school, I’ve gotten involved in many extracurricular activities, met amazing people and pushed through some difficult times to get where I am today.

In my first year of study, the program primarily focuses on basic concepts in science, anatomy and physiology. I’ve had the pleasure of studying veterinary anatomy and physiology in a great

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amount of depth through lectures and dissection labs with the guidance of excellent professors and tutors. This foundational knowledge prepared me for the upcoming years of the program.

During my first year, I’ve also discovered Special Interest Groups (SIGs) which have allowed me to meet people with similar interests. Most important of all, the clinical skills hub on campus became the most important resource to me not only in my first year but in the rest of my degree.

In my second year of study, we focused more on studying each of the body systems, reproduction, genetics and basic principles in pathology. During this year, I’ve started becoming more involved in SIGs by becoming the 2nd year rep for the Small Animal Medicine SIG and treasurer for the Emergency and Critical Care SIG. During this time, I’ve had the pleasure of working with amazing

veterinary students and hosting events within these fields. In second year, we are also required to complete a total of 10 weeks of placement with small and large animals. This placement gave us the chance to learn more about animal husbandry and the business side of things within those fields. I’ve had the chance to visit rural Australia and Canada to learn more about the various industries out there and how veterinarians play a role.

I’ve met some amazing farmers that have given me their perspective on the livestock industry and have treated me as part of their family. I’ve also had the chance to work with small animal veterinarians and equine veterinarians that have taught me amazing skills that will help me throughout my career.

My favourite year so far has been third year. This where we finally get to learn about pathology, basic clinical skills and invaluable concepts that are required in daily practice. We’ve had multiple practicals on performing clinical exams on the core species such as dogs, cats, horses, cattle, sheep and some exotic animals. We’ve also had the chance to learn basic skills in medicine and surgery which have help me throughout my degree. During this time, I’ve also became an OIE Junior Ambassador, executive member of multiple SIGs and committees, including IVSA. It was difficult at times to manage my extracurricular activities and school work but I’ve enjoyed every second of it.

Staying organized and making time for both made my vet school experience much more enjoyable.

I’m currently in my fourth year of study and it’s been great considering the circumstances. Due to COVID-19, we were stuck at home in Semester one watching online lectures. All of our practical classes were pushed to semester two. This made the semester very busy due to having multiple practicals a week, while trying to keep up with an exhaustive amount of content.

During this time, IVSA Queensland has hosted multiple online exchanges with different IVSA chapters that we are very thankful for. Somehow, me and my colleagues pulled through and we will be going into our final year of the program.

I have thoroughly enjoyed vet school by being involved in extracurriculars and meeting some of the most amazing people I have ever met in my life. I look forward to what the future has in store for me and the rest of my colleagues.

Article and photo provided by Alexander Del Bianco

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By Paloma O'Higgins from IVSA San Lorenzo, Paraguay

Por Paloma O'Higgins miembro de IVSA San Lorenzo, Paraguay

This is my last year at university so while making my thesis, I don’t have to go to classes anymore, so, I’ll be sharing my life as a vet student of last year.

My day started at 4:30am (since I live very far from my university), getting ready to go to college, normally my parents used to take me because after that they went to work. From the first year I was always the first student to arrive, so I was in charge of saving the seats for my friends.

We usually had two subjects per day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, and hospital practices two to three times a year. When I didn’t have to stay at the hospital, the classes tend to be very easy. Sometimes we had practices at

Este año estoy cursando mi último año de la carrera como tesista, y ya no tengo clases, así que voy a contar como eran mis días como estudiante de veterinaria del año pasado.

Mi día como estudiante de quinto curso, iniciaba a las 4:30am (pues vivo muy lejos de mi universidad), preparándome para ir a la facultad, normalmente mis papás me solían llevar pues luego iban a sus respectivos trabajos. Desde primer curso siempre fui la primera en llegar, así que me encargaba de guardar los lugares para mis amigos.

Solíamos tener dos materias por día, una por la mañana y otra por la tarde, y guardias en el hospital dos a tres veces al

the farm or in the laboratory. And I usually had 3 to 4 exams a week and a new project every day, so I hardly had time to rest.

The days I had to stay in the hospital were a little bit harder than staying in classes. The students had patients from 8:00 in the morning to 17:00 in the afternoon, alternating the days to enter surgery as an instrumentalist or third assistant of the doctors who explained the surgery to be performed step by step.

All kinds of animals usually arrived at the hospital, from puppies, to rabbits or goats, and the doctors guided you to finish with a good evaluation and with a patient already treated for what they came for.

Classes usually end at 17:00 p.m., but my day didn’t end there, first I had to take a ride of almost an hour to get home, though I was always with a classmate who took the same bus and we talked about anything, and when I got home I had to prepare to study for my exams for the week and finish some projects that I had pending.

Although now I work every day with animals and learn much more about the professional life, I miss my days in college a lot, because even though it was very exhausting, I shared almost every day with my friends.

año. Normalmente cuando no había guardias, las clases eran muy tranquilas, a no ser que fueran clases prácticas donde trabajábamos con animales, o dentro del laboratorio, y casi siempre tenía tres exámenes a la semana y todos los días un trabajo practico nuevo, así que casi no había tiempo para descansar.

Los días de guardia, eran un poco más difíciles que asistir a clases. Tenía pacientes desde las 8 de la mañana hasta las 5 de la tarde, alternando los días para entrar a cirugía como instrumentalista o tercer ayudante de los doctores que explicaban paso a paso la cirugía a realizarse. En el hospital suelen llegar todo tipo de animales, desde perritos, hasta conejos o cabras, y los doctores nos guiaban a mis compañeros y a mí para terminar con una buena consulta y con un paciente ya tratado para lo que vino a consultar.

Las clases solían terminar a las 17:00hs, pero mi día no acababa ahí, primero debía aguantar un largo camino de casi una hora, aunque siempre iba acompañada de algún compañero que tomaba el mismo bus y hablábamos de cualquier cosa, y al llegar a casa me preparaba para estudiar para mis exámenes de la semana y terminar algunos trabajos prácticos que tenía pendiente.

Aunque ahora ya trabajo todos los días con animales y aprendo mucho más sobre la vida profesional, extraño mucho mis días en la facultad, pues, aunque fuese muy agotador, compartía casi todos los días con mis amigos tomando tereré, almorzando juntos y básicamente pasando todos los días con ellos.

Article and photo provided by Paloma O'Higgins

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By Catherine Ross from IVSA UK&Ireland I am sure, as with many other universities around the world, a day in the life of a vet student at Glasgow has changed radically in the last couple of months. I will try to give you all an overview of some of what our standard day would look like and a bit of an insight into the food, places and people of Glasgow!

I am now in my 4th year out of 5 years (5 years is the standard programme length for all UK&Ireland vet schools).

With all our lectures being online and mostly pre-recorded, I try to spend the beginning of my week doing all my lectures. We normally have between 610 lectures every week. On top of lectures, we have practicals which we are fortunate to still be able to attend. Here is an example of a day from my last week: 8am-12pm: Practicing Bovine Clinical Exam (at a friend’s farm as I have an exam coming up soon)

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2pm-2pm: Time to spend with my horses and ride (I am fortunate to have 3 of my horses in Glasgow with me which allows me to have some study-free time and maintain a good work-life balance) 3pm-4pm: Live Lecture on fertility parameters measured in beef cows 4pm-6pm: Self directed learning – revision of cow reproduction 6pm-7pm: Dinner 7pm-9pm: Watched Pre-recorded Lectures I usually try to spend my evenings catching up on any work I haven’t managed to finish and do some IVSA work!

11:30pm: Read some of my book and went to bed, ready to repeat again the next day!

What is it like being an representative at my chapter? In words - fun, exciting and most rewarding. Being president of a

IVSA a few of all local

chapter doesn’t come without challenges, as with any role. With all the events we run, there is usually a bump in the road at some point. However, that is what makes it even more exhilarating and always an opportunity to learn. I am fortunate to have a couple of roles with IVSA and even more fortunate that my committee members at Glasgow are dedicated, hardworking and enthusiastic. All the roles I have within IVSA vary significantly and I think they exemplify how IVSA has something for everyone to get involved in, no matter what your interest is!!

In Glasgow I wouldn’t say we have any typical foods and I rarely eat traditional Scottish meals (especially considering the fact that I’m vegan - Glasgow is considered the vegan capital of Scotland).

A traditional Scottish meal is haggis, neeps and tatties (haggis with mashed up turnips and potato). Does anyone know what haggis is? I suggest you go and search it up! Other traditional meals include Cullen skink, black pudding and fish supper, but these are all things I defiantly avoid!

the community forest or canal, and cycling around the country roads here at our new house. These are the places that make Glasgow for me, but Glasgow is a versatile place, so I am sure this experience differs for all Glasgow students!

The people of Glasgow - if you didn’t know, there is a famous sign on the way into Glasgow which says the “people make Glasgow” as Glasgow has previously been voted the world’s Friendliest city.

Although we at the vet school are just a very small group of those people, our community is also a very friendly environment. Approx. 40% of Glasgow vet students come from North America and elsewhere in the world!

Article and photo provided by Catherine Ross

We have many places (for me, in the countryside) that make Glasgow feel like it is home. I am from the countryside in Aberdeen and for this year of university I moved back out to the countryside of Glasgow onto a farm. In my free time when I’m not studying or doing IVSA work, my hobbies are running, cycling, hiking and horse riding. Old Kilpatrick hill is my favourite local place to hike in Glasgow, which is only a 10-minute drive from the vet school! I enjoy a nice run along the old railway line in Kilbarchan, the community forest or canal, and

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‫ﻞ "ﺣﺎﺗﻢ‬ ‫ﺗﻤﺖ ﻛﺘﺎﺑﺔ ﻫﺬا اﻟﻤﺤﺘﻮي ﻣﻦ ِﻗ َﺒ ِ‬ ‫ﻃﺎرق ﻃﻠﻌﺖ إﺑﺮاﻫﻴﻢ" اﻟﻌﻀﻮ ﺑﺎﻟﺠﻤﻌﻴﺔ‬ ‫اﻟﻌﻠﻤﻴﺔ ﻟﻜﻠﻴﺔ اﻟﻄﺐ اﻟﺒﻴﻄﺮي ﺟﺎﻣﻌﺔ‬ ‫)‪ (IVSA Mansoura, IVSA Egypt‬اﻟﻤﻨﺼﻮرة‬

‫‪By Hatem Tarek Talaat‬‬ ‫‪Ibrahim from IVSA‬‬ ‫‪Mansoura, Egypt‬‬

‫ﻛﺄي ﻃﺎﻟﺐ ﻳﺒﺪأ ﻳﻮﻣﻲ ﻣﺜﻞ ﺟﻤﻴﻊ ﻃﻼب اﻟﻌﺎﻟﻢ‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ﺑﺪاﻳﺔ أﺳﻤﻲ‬ ‫ﺑﺈﺷﺮاﻗﺔ ﺷﻤﺲ ﻓﻲ ﺳﻤﺎء ﻻﻣﻌﺔ‪.‬‬ ‫ﺣﺎﺗﻢ‪ ،‬ﻣﺼﺮي اﻟﺠﻨﺴﻴﺔ ﻣﻦ ﻣﺪﻳﻨﺔ اﻟﻤﻨﺼﻮرة‪،‬‬ ‫ﻃﺎﻟﺐ ﺑﺎﻟﻔﺮﻗﺔ اﻟﺜﺎﻟﺜﺔ ﻓﻲ ﻛﻠﻴﺔ اﻟﻄﺐ اﻟﺒﻴﻄﺮي‬ ‫‪).‬ﺟﺎﻣﻌﺔ اﻟﻤﻨﺼﻮرة )ﺿﻤﻦ ‪ ٥‬ﺳﻨﻮات دراﺳﻴﺔ‬

‫‪As any student in the world my day starts‬‬ ‫‪with the sun rising over the twinkling sky.‬‬ ‫‪First of all, my name is Hatem, Egyptian‬‬ ‫‪from Mansoura, and a 3rd year vet‬‬ ‫‪student (3 of 5) at Mansoura University.‬‬

‫ً‬ ‫ﻋﺎدة ﻳﺒﺪأ ﻳﻮﻣﻲ اﻟﺮوﺗﻴﻨﻲ ﺑﻐﺴﻞ أﺳﻨﺎﻧﻲ وﻣﻦ ﺛﻢ‬ ‫اﻹﻓﻄﺎر واﻗﻮم ﺑﺎﻟﺮﻳﺎﺿﺔ اﻟﺼﺒﺎﺣﻴﺔ ﻣﺆﺧﺮا ً‪.‬ﺑﺎﻟﻨﺴﺒﺔ‬ ‫ﻟﻲ أﻓﻀﻞ اﻟﺬﻫﺎب ﻟﻠﻤﺪرﺳﻪ ﺳﻴﺮا ً ﻋﻠﻲ اﻻﻗﺪام ﻷن‬ ‫ﻫﺬا ﻳُﻨﻌﺸﻨﻲ وﻳﺠﻌﻠﻨﻲ ﻧﺸﻴﻄﺎ ً ﻃﻮال اﻟﻴﻮم‪ .‬ﻫﺬه‬ ‫اﻷﻳﺎم وﺑﺴﺒﺐ اﻟﺠﺎﺋﺤﺔ اﻟﻌﺎﻟﻤﻴﺔ ﻧﺄﺧﺬ ﻣﻮادﻧﺎ‬ ‫اﻟﻌﻠﻤﻴﺔ ﺑﻤﻌﺎﻣﻞ اﻟﻜﻠﻴﺔ ﻳﻮﻣﺎن ﻓﻘﻂ ﺑﺎﻻﺳﺒﻮع‬ ‫وﺑﺎﻗﻲ اﻟﻤﺤﺎﺿﺮات ﻧﺄﺧﺬﻫﺎ ﻣﻦ اﻹﻧﺘﺮﻧﺖ‪ .‬ﻛﻄﻼب‬ ‫ﺑﺎﻟﻔﺮﻗﺔ اﻟﺜﺎﻟﺜﺔ ﻧﺪرس ﻣﻮاد ﺷﻴﻘﺔ ﻟﻜﻨﻬﺎ ﻣﻠﻴﺌﺔ‬ ‫ﺑﺎﻟﺘﺤﺪي ﻟﺬﻟﻚ ﻳﺠﺐ أن ﻧﺬاﻛﺮ ﺟﻴﺪا ً ﻹﺳﺘﻴﻌﺎب ﻛﻞ‬ ‫‪،‬اﻟﻤﻌﻠﻮﻣﺎت‪ .‬اﻟﺒﺎﺛﻮﻟﻮﺟﻴﺎ‪ ،‬اﻟﺒﻜﺘﺮﻳﺎ‪ ،‬اﻟﻔﻴﺮوﺳﺎت‬

‫‪Usually my day starts with a routine,‬‬ ‫‪from brushing my teeth then having‬‬ ‫‪breakfast and lately I've been working‬‬ ‫‪out too. I prefer to go to the university on‬‬ ‫‪foot as that's really refreshing and makes‬‬ ‫‪me active during the day. Nowadays, we‬‬ ‫‪just take the practical sessions in‬‬ ‫‪laboratories for two days a week because‬‬ ‫‪of the pandemic and for the rest of the‬‬ ‫‪lectures we take them online. As 3rd year‬‬

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vet students we have interesting but challenging subjects, as we have to work hard to embrace all the information.

Pathology, Microbiology, Parasitology, Animal Nutrition and Pharmacology scary names but interesting and bewitching to look into though. Going home after finishing classes and nothing like a delicious lunch after a hard day's work. I check out what we have to do in the Publication Committee in my MO (IVSA Mansoura). As a member in the Publication Committee, I'm really having fun and benefit from working in the team to create content, designs and videos as well. Hopefully we're delivering scientific information in a fabulous catchy way.

Then I study for a bit and after that I do my two favourite things, drawing and playing video games, as for me, that's exceptionally entertaining. So this is the end of my day. I'm going to bed and use my Deluminator to take out the lights, and nighty night :)

، ‫ ﻓﺠﻤﻴﻌﻬﺎ‬،‫ ﺗﻐﺬﻳﺔ اﻟﺤﻴﻮان و اﻷدوﻳﺔ‬،‫اﻟﺪﻳﺪان‬ ‫أﺳﻤﺎء ُﻣﺨﻴﻔﺔ ﻟﻜﻨﻬﺎ ﺳﺎﺣﺮة وﺷﻴﻘﺔ ﻟﻺﻃﻼع رﻏﻢ‬ ‫ ﻣﻊ رﺟﻮﻋﻲ ﻟﻠﻤﻨﺰل ﺑﻌﺪ إﻧﺘﻬﺎء اﻟﻴﻮم اﻟﺪراﺳﻲ‬.‫ذﻟﻚ‬ .‫ﻻ ﺷﺌﺄﻓﻀﻞ ﻣﻦ وﺟﺒﺔ ﻏﺪاء راﺋﻌﺔ ﺑﻌﺪ ﻳﻮم ﻣﺮﻫﻖ‬ ‫أﺗﻔﻘﺪ ﻣﺎ اﻟﺬي ﻳﺠﺐ ﻋﻠﻴﻨﺎ ﻋﻤﻠﻪ ﻓﻲ ﻟﺠﻨﺔ‬ publication ‫ واﻟﺘﻲ ﻫﻲ ﺟﺰء ﻣﻦ‬IVSA Mansoura. ‫ اﻧﺎ ﺣﻘﺎ‬،‫ﻛﻌﻀﻮ ﻓﻲ اﻟﻠﺠﻨﺔ اﻟﻤﺬﻛﻮرة‬ ‫أﺣﻈﻰ ﺑﺎﻟﻤﺮح واﻹﻓﺎدة ﻣﻦ اﻟﻌﻤﻞ ﻣﻊ اﻟﻔﺮﻳﻖ‬ ‫ﻹﻧﺸﺎء اﻟﻤﺤﺘﻮى واﻟﺘﺼﺎﻣﻴﻢ وﻣﻘﺎﻃﻊ اﻟﻔﻴﺪﻳﻮ‬ ‫ أﻣﻞ ﺣﻘﺎ أﻧﻨﺎ ﻧﻘﻮم ﺑﺈﻳﺼﺎل اﻟﻤﻌﻠﻮﻣﺎت‬.‫أﻳﻀﺎ‬ ‫ ﺑﻌﺪ ذﻟﻚ اذاﻛﺮ‬.‫اﻟﻌﻠﻤﻴﺔ ﺑﺸﻜﻞ ﺟﻤﻴﻞ وﺟﺬاب‬ ‫ﻗﻠﻴﻼ ً ﺛﻢ أﻗﻮم ﺑﻌﻤﻞ أﺷﻴﺎﺋﻲ اﻟﻤﻔﻀﻠﺔ ﻣﻦ رﺳﻢ‬ .‫وﻟﻌﺐ اﻟﻌﺎب اﻟﻔﻴﺪﻳﻮ ﻷن ذﻟﻚ ﻣﻤﺘﻊ ﺑﺎﻟﻨﺴﺒﺔ ﻟﻲ‬ ‫ اﻷن ﺳﺄذﻫﺐ‬،‫وﺑﻬﺬا ﺗﻜﻮن ﻫﺬه ﺧﺎﺗﻤﺔ ﻳﻮﻣﻲ‬ ‫ أﺣﻼﻣﺂ ﺳﻌﻴﺪة‬.‫ ﻟﻠﻔﺮاش‬:)

Article and photo provided by Hatem Tarek Talaat Ibrahim

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By Samuel Oluwaponmile from IVSA Nigeria I am a final year veterinary medical student, and it is a Tuesday in Vet Medical school. I’m taking eight courses generally as a final year student. Courses include: Medicine, Surgery, Theriogenology, Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Diagnostic Clinics, Veterinary Pharmacy and Clinical Seminar. Under each course are sub courses. Medicine - Poultry, Small Animal Medicine, Large Animal Medicine.

Surgery- Surgical Principles, Anesthesia and Diagnostic Imaging, Digital Diseases and Operative Surgery. Theriogenology includes Andrology, Artificial Insemination and Small Animal Reproduction, Obstetrics, Gynecology and Udder Management.

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I have to get to school early so that I don't miss my 8am class, on some other days at 7am. I arrive at 7:15 a.m. most times and on early classes, 6:30a.m. I use this time to work ahead in some of my classes, check the course outline to revise what was thought the previous class, but I end up talking with my classmate and a couple of other students who are also here early.

From 8a.m. to 10:30a.m., I have medicine class, small animal internal medicine to be precise. It is a very braintasking course, so it is usually fixed early in the day and leaves my brain open for studying for the rest of the day.

Same for my 10:30a.m. to 12p.m. class, Surgery. Taught by one of my favourites, orthopedic surgery classes on Tuesdays.

The way he explains leaves not just me, but many of us in class stunned and in love with surgery. He usually makes our Tuesday afternoons fun.

My study meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, so during lunch (1:00-2:00 p.m.)

I go to the foyer to meet with my study group. I take my brunch most times during this meeting.

Public Health class spans from 02:00 p.m.-04:00 p.m. Today, we are just discussing with our lecturer, but sometimes during this class we do group activities and serious interaction. Public Health classes, because of the class time, tend to make me and others sleep in class. Hence, the lecturer ensures the class is as interactive as possible.

Now it’s the end of class lectures, so while doing my best to stay strong for the next drill of the day, I get something to eat (snacks).

At 9p.m. I arrive in my room. I rest for about 2hours, have a shower and then go to the library or class to study. There's always something to study in vet school.

I love to listen to music while studying till day break.

The TDB as it is called (Till day Break) ends by 3:30 a.m., and I chat with some friends till about 5am then we walk down to our rooms, where I sleep for about an hour then prepare for Wednesday's lecture which starts at 8:00 a.m.

Vet school has always been an epitome of stress in disguise as hard work, but it pays off at the end to be referred to as a qualified veterinary surgeon.

The process might be tough but the reward is better. ,

Article and photo provided by Samuel Oluwaponmile

After eating, I march to the teaching hospital for my clinic rounds till 8p.m.

Clinic rounds are like another regime of lectures, with just an addition of practicality. I am assigned to a consultant who instructs me on what to do. I also have to watch him as he attends to cases in the hospital, as well as carry out basic clinical works- blood sample collections, injecting, restraining, assisting in surgery, etc...

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By Bela Citra Aqidah and Maulida Salsabila Amru from IVSA Indonesia

Oleh Bela Citra Aqidah and Maulida Salsabila Amru dari IVSA Indonesia

On the busiest days, mornings start super early. The first class begins at 7 am, followed by the next class, and the class after that, until it all ends at 12 pm. Vet students rush to morning classes in the best and the worst of moods. On one hand, getting to learn in the morning when the students still have all the energy and focus in the world is awesome. On the other hand, the lack of sleep is so hard to recover from. After a night of assignments and deadlines, going to a 7am class is a challenge in itself.

Before the pandemic, students could be seen bringing their coffee or tea to class and sneakily have little snack bites to hold them up until the 10 minutes break time arrived. Today, students could tune in for the online class without turning the camera on and eat a full meal breakfast as the lecture goes on, and no one would know.

Pada hari-hari yang paling sibuk, pagi dimulai sangat dini. Kelas pertama dimulai jam 7 pagi, diikuti dengan kelas selanjutnya, dan kelas yang berikutnya lagi, hingga kelar terakhir selesai pukul 12 siang. Mahasiswa kedokteran hewan di kelas pagi hari hadir dengan semangat yang terbaik atau rasa lelah yang terburuk. Di satu sisi, belajar di pagi hari ketika mahasiswa masih memiliki energi dan fokus penuh itu luar biasa. Di sisi lain, rasa lelah karena kurang tidur menjadi masalah yang sulit diatasi. Setelah menyelesaikan tugas dan memenuhi deadline di malam sebelumnya, masuk kelas pagi pukul 7 menjadi tantangan tersendiri. Sebelum pandemi, mahasiswa dapat terlihat membawa teh atau kopi ke dalam kelas dan secara sembunyisembunyi memakan camilan yang mereka bawa untuk menahan lapar hingga jeda 10 menit pergantian kelas tiba. Sekarang, mahasiswa dapat masuk ke kelas online tanpa menyalakan kamera dan

Indeed, times are changing. While

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mornings are for lectures, afternoons are for laboratory practice and hands-on learning. After the last class of the day ends at 12 pm, or, on some days, 12.50 pm, students get to have a break before the lab starts at 1 pm. Before the pandemic, that short lunch break produces major drama. Vet students rush out of class to do whatever it is that they can choose to do before the lab; which varies from person to person. The options are: lunch, pray dzuhur (afternoon prayer), or study for a pretest. It really is a rush against time, because students can’t be late for a lab!

Most labs won’t allow students to come in late, and the consequence could be doing the lab alone at a rescheduled time and paying for it, or worse, not passing it at all and have to retake it next year.

A typical lab activity starts with pretest; some labs are more difficult than others. After the pre-test, there would be an explanation session from the lab assistant, letting the students know the agenda for the day in the lab and the learning objectives.

After the explanation they announce the pre-test scores, and if any student scored below the standard score for that lab there would be consequences. The consequence varies from lab to lab; some labs would send the student home and have them re-do the lab towards the end of the semester, some labs give extra assignments to make up for the score, and some would give a test retake. These pre-tests make studying before the lab important, ultimately, to get the students ready for the hands-on learning. After the explanation and the score

menyantap sarapan lengkap selama kelas berlangsung, dan tidak akan ada yang menyadarinya. Memang, masa pandemi adalah eranya tersendiri.

Pagi hari memang adalah waktu untuk perkuliahan, namun siang hari adalah waktu untuk praktikum di laboratorium dan praktik pembelajaran secara langsung. Setelah kelas berakhir pukul 12 siang, atau terkadang, pukul 12.50 siang, mahasiswa dapat beristirahat sejenak sebelum praktikum dimulai jam 1 siang.

Sebelum pandemi, waktu istirahat sejenak yang sangat pendek tersebut dapat menjadi drama tersendiri.

Mahasiswa segera keluar dari kelas dengan terburu-buru dan harus memilih apa yang ingin mereka lakukan sebelum lab dimulai; setiap orang berbeda-beda.

Pilihannya adalah: makan siang, salat dzuhur, atau belajar untuk pre-test.

Benar-benar berlomba dengan waktu, karena mahasiswa tidak boleh terlambat hadir untuk praktikum! Kebanyakan lab tidak memperbolehkan mahasiswanya untuk masuk jika terlambat, dan konsekuensinya bermacam-macam, mulai dari melakukan praktikum sendiri pada waktu yang dijadwalkan, atau kemungkinan terburuknya, tidak lulus dan harus mengulang mata kuliah tersebut dari awal di tahun depannya.

Praktikum di lab umumnya diawali dengan pre-test; beberapa lab lebih sulit dari yang lainnya. Setelah pre-test, akan ada penjelasan dari asisten lab, memberitahukan mahasiswa agenda praktikum hari itu dan tujuan pembelajaran praktik. Setelah penjelasan mereka akan memberitahu skor pretestnya, dan jika ada mahasiswa yangmendapat skor dibawah standar lab maka akan ada konsekuensi tersendiri.

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announcement, the lab activity and hands-on learning begins!

The lab ends at 3 pm or 4 pm. After the lab the students are usually very exhausted from the day and are just ready for something fun or relaxing.

Some would go home; some would go out to hang with friends. Some would head back out immediately to do nonacademic activities such as student organizations, work, or whatever is on the menu. Indeed, there are many different types of vet students. During a period that is busy with reports and assignments, students in Indonesia still like to take part in organizational activities, and one of them is IVSA. IVSA is more than just an association, it’s a family.

Through the journey in knowing and understanding IVSA, students are able to get experiences that help us grow and find our passion. The veterinary profession is very needed in society, but unfortunately in Indonesia, many people are unaware of its importance.

Sometimes, this stigma disheartens some of the freshmen to continue the study to become veterinarians. IVSA can help students find the true value of being a veterinary student.

They provide students with information about veterinary subjects, animal welfare, and one-health through IVSA webinars, events, workshops, journals and many more.

IVSA gives the members chances to meet many great people from various countries by joining IVSA events and becoming a part of MO. These people are

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Konsekuensinya pun beragam di setiap lab; beberapa akan memulangkan mahasiswanya untuk kemudian mengulang lab tersebut mendekati akhir semester, beberapa akan memberikan tugas tambahan untuk memperbaiki skornya, dan beberapa memberi tes ulang. Pre-test menjadikan belajar sebelum lab penting, tujuannya untuk membuat mahasiswa siap melaksanakan praktikum dan pembelajaran langsung.

Laboratorium berakhir pada pukul 3 atau 4 sore. Setelah lab biasanya mahasiswa sudah sangat lelah dan siap melakukan sesuatu yang menyenangkan atau bersantai. Beberapa akan pulang, dan beberapa memilih kumpul bersama teman-temannya. Ada juga beberapa yang akan langsung keluar untuk melakukan aktivitas non-akademik seperti organisasi mahasiswa, pekerjaan sampingan, atau apapun yang bisa diagendakan hari itu. Memang, ada banyak tipe mahasiswa kedokteran hewan.

Selama masa sibuk dengan laporan dan penugasan, mahasiswa di Indonesia masih senang untuk berandil dalam kegiatan organisasi, salah satunya adalah IVSA. Lebih dari sekedar asosiasi, IVSA adalah keluarga. Selama perjalanan mengetahui dan memahami IVSA, mahasiswa bisa mendapat pengalaman yang membantu perkembangan diri dan menemukan semangat. Dokter hewan adalah profesi yang dibutuhkan, tapi sayang, di Indonesia masih banyak yang belum memahami pentingnya peran dokter hewan di masyarakat. Terkadang pemikiran ini menurunkan semangat mahasiswa baru untuk melanjutkan belajarnya untuk menjadi dokter hewan.

IVSA dapat membantu mahasiswa

supportive, and they are able to give advice and suggestions to help students improve each day. IVSA officials and members all have their hardships as students as well, but they support each other through it all. Caring for others, being mindful and kind, building tolerance, and being able to bring out the best version of a person are things that can be learned from IVSA. During these online learning days, nonacademic student activities, including organizations, all turn to online gatherings. Not only that, lab activities have also become virtual learning.

Hands-on activities become video tutorials, too. Even hanging out with friends has now become a video call. It’s tough, but during these periods of tough times when everything becomes only a click away on the screen, maintaining any sense of normalcy by keeping on going, regardless of how, is essential.

It’s not over yet! No day as a vet student is complete without homework and lab reports. Before the pandemic, students in Yogyakarta loved to do it at 24-hour student café with friends.

"Because why suffer through the homework alone, when you can suffer together while you sip your tea or coffee with friends?" they said. Yogyakarta is known as The City of Students in Indonesia, there are plenty of 24-hour café designed for the night owls in the town. Students can go on ‘til midnight and beyond at these cafés. When the assignments are done, they finally actually go home and sleep.

During the pandemic students just do it on their own at home, or together on a

menemukan arti penting menjadi mahasiswa kedokteran hewan. Mereka menyediakan informasi seputar berbagai topik kedokteran hewan, kesejahteraan hewan, dan One-Health melalui webinar, acara, workshop, jurnal dan banyak lagi.

IVSA memberikan anggotanya kesempatan untuk bertemu dengan banyak orang hebat dari berbagai belahan dunia dengan mengikuti kegiatan IVSA dan menjadi bagian dari MO. Mereka senang membantu, dan mereka dapat memberi saran dan masukan untuk memajukan mahasiswa tiap harinya.

Pengurus dan anggota IVSA juga mengalami suka duka menjadi mahasiswa kedokteran hewan, namun mereka memberi dukungan pada satu sama lain.

Peduli sesama, menjadi perhatian dan baik hati, membangun toleransi, dan membantu satu sama lain agar menjadi diri terbaiknya merupakan nilai-nilai yang dapat dipelajari dari IVSA. Selama masa belajar dari rumah saat ini, kegiatan mahasiswa dan aktivitas organisasi semuanya harus dilakukan secara daring. Bukan hanya itu, aktivitas lab pun saat ini menjadi pembelajaran virtual. Praktikum langsung pun juga kini menjadi video tutorial.

Bahkan, berkumpul dengan teman juga harus melalui video call. Sulit memang, namun selama masa sukar dimana semua hal menjadi di layar hitam ini, menjaga kebiasaan untuk terus melakukan hal-hal yang harus dilakukan, bagaimana pun caranya, menjadi sangat penting.

Hari belum usai! Tiada hari sebagai mahasiswa kedokteran hewan yang lengkap tanpa adanya tugas dan laporan praktikum. Sebelum pandemi, mahasiswa di Yogyakarta senang untuk mengerjakannya di kafe 24 jam bersama

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video call from their own homes. Of course, there’s nothing like meeting up and spending time together in real life.

But being there for each other right now, even just through the screen, is more important than ever. Sure, students miss the busy days when they actually get to come out and be there for the entire vet student experience, with friends, on campus. The days were so vibrant and fun. Right now it feels dull, as students wake up in the same place every single day and just be on their laptop all day.

But it’s a learning process nonetheless, and vet students all over Indonesia still have a lot to be thankful for.

Though the days are long and hard, and the nights feel isolating, the journey will be worth it once we emerge out of it victorious, as veterinarians, ready to save animals.

Article and photo provided by Bela Citra Aqidah and Maulida Salsabila Amru

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teman-teman. Karena, untuk apa bersusah payah mengerjakan tugas sendirian di kos, ketika kamu bisa minum teh dan kopi bersama teman dan bersusah payah bersama di kafe? ungkap mereka.

Yogyakarta dikenal sebagai Kota Pelajar di Indonesia, ada banyak kafe 24 jam yang didesain untuk mahasiswa.

Mahasiswa bisa terus mengerjakan tugas hingga tengah malam dan bahkan lebih ketika berada di kafe-kafe ini. Ketika tugas selesai dikerjakan, akhirnya mahasiswa bisa pulang dan tidur.

Selama masa pandemi ini mahasiswa melakukan semua itu sendirian di rumahnya masing-masing, atau bersamasama melalui video call. Tentu saja rasanya tidak akan pernah sama dengan bertemu dan menghabiskan waktu bersama secara langsung, namun, tetap ada untuk sesama saat ini walau hanya melalui layar menjadi lebih penting dari pada sebelumnya. Mahasiswa memang rindu akan masa sibuk ketika mereka dapat keluar rumah kapan saja dan benar-benar hadir di kampus, mencari pengalaman dan belajar di kedokteran hewan bersama teman-teman. Hari-hari tersebut memang sangat menyenangkan, sementara hari-hari di masa pandemi terasa hampa, bangun di tempat yang sama setiap harinya dan berada di depan laptop sepanjang hari. Namun itu lah tantangannya, dan itu tetap merupakan proses pembelajaran yang harus dilalui.

Mahasiswa kedokteran hewan diseluruh Indonesia masih memiliki banyak hal yang dapat disyukuri.

Meski hari-hari terasa panjang dan sulit, dan malam terasa sepi, perjuangan akan terbayarkan ketika kita berhasil melaluinya, lulus menjadi dokter hewan, dan siap untuk menyelamatkan hewan.

MO CORNER

ivsa bucharest

IVSA Bucharest decided to contribute to making 2020 a better year for everyone, and therefore came up with the idea of an online congress that could be accessible to vet students all around the world, for free. Take it as a Christmas gift, from Bucharest to the whole world. Lots of big names from the veterinary world agreed to help, and we will always be so thankful to them for making this possible and bringing the magic back to life.

There were 97 participant places available, and participants had the opportunity to win really amazing prizes from the sponsors (1 EVECCS 2021 Congress ticket, one scrub top and hat from @iloveveterinary and others). The VIP List was fully booked in less than 2 hours!

With lectures on Surgery, Emergency and Critical Care, Neurosurgery, Fluid therapy, Brachycephalics, CPR, imaging, mental health and many other topics, we wanted to create a great learning opportunity for vet students from all over the world and set an example of a more united future generation of vets.

Those who are interested can read more about our event on our Facebook page.

@ivsabucharest

ivsa bahawalpur IVSA Pakistan, Bahawalpur organised the International Conference on One Health, together with FV&AS IUB Bahawalpur; IVSA Rampur, Nepal; IVSA Portugal; IEEE EMBS UCET IUB Pakistan and IFMSAPakistan FMU LC. The conference was held online over two days on 3rd-4th of November, 2020.

Around 350+ students from 35 countries participated in this conference, where speakers such as Dr. Umar Farooq, Dr. Aneela Durrani,Prof.Tehreem Awan, Prof. Patrici Poeta, Prof.Sramika Rijal, Dr. Muhammad Bilal and Nabeelah Rajah spoke about different areas of One Health.

The purpose of this event was to provide an opportunity to undergrad students to learn the most they could from great experts, professors and researchers. They highlighted the importance of communication, coordination and collaboration among partners working in animal, human, environmental health and other linked sciences like Biomedical Engineering.

IVSA Pakistan, Bahawalpur 47

IVSa thessaloniki

The event was crowned with great success, since the 100 participants left with the best feedbacks! This is definitely an action that should be introduced in the annual program of IVSA Thessaloniki and repeated every year, equipping young veterinarians with skills necessary to start their professional career.

@ivsathessaloniki In Greece, IVSA Thessaloniki in cooperation with PURINA (animal food department of Nestle) and EFFECT (platform to tackle huge social issues by transforming education) organized a virtual event titled “Youth business lab for vets”. The event addressed undergraduate veterinary students and recently graduated vets. The purpose of this event was to equip the audience with business knowledge and skills in order to make the best decision about their working career.

In order to achieve this goal, renowned professionals presented their point of view on key issues concerning young veterinarians, such as veterinary ethics, the first steps in opening a veterinary clinic, what it is like to work in a company, the employer's perspective and finally the main steps to make the perfect resumé.

During the event, some interactive games were conducted. In this way, contestants acquired useful skills such as teamworking and time-management, while they knew each other better. As a result, this event provided the audience with important knowledge and useful information about how to start a career as a veterinarian and how to cope with different obstacles through interesting speeches and presentations.

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IVSa pookode

With the pandemic hovering over us, we realized it was about time we took responsibility for our present and started working towards a healthier future. On the 26 th of October, our MO was launched through a Google meet conversation with the release of our logo.

The logo of IVSA Pookode is inspired by that of IVSA Global with several additions of our own to celebrate our university, state, profession and one health.

As World Rabies Day was approaching, a talk on ”Rabies: mission impossible or probable” was conducted, followed by an interactive session, both of which were very well received by the audience. Thus, began our journey as a member organization of the largest veterinary students’ association in the world. Learn about our event on our Facebook page.

IVSA Pookode

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S AND NG ST T ANDI I NG COMMI T COMMI TT TE EE EON ON ANI MAL F AR ANI MALW WE EL L F ARE E I N T R O D U C T I O N Thes t r engt hoft het eam i seachi ndi vi dualmember ,t hes t r engt hofeachmember i st het eam!

We,atI VSA St andi ngCommi eeofAni malWel f ar ewer eont heout l ookf or pas s i onat ei ndi vi dual swhos har edcompas s i onf orani mal sanddet er mi na ont o i mpr ovet hei rwel f ar e.Andwehavefinal l yf or medanew t eam whos emember s hai lf r om al lovert hegl obef ort heyearOct ober2020t hr oughOct ober2021.We ar ever yexci t edt oi nt r oducet hem t oyou!

O u rT e a m Mái r í nRuaNíAodha-Chai r

Rua i sf r om t he l and ofSai nt sand Schol ar s ,I r el and!Shei si nher6t hyear ofVet er i nar y medi ci ne f r om Wr ocl aw Uni ver s i t y ofEnvi r onment aland Li f e Sci ence,Pol and.Fi s har et hecr eat ur es s hehol dscl os es tt oherhear t ,wan ng t os peci al i s ei n fis h wel f ar e.She has al waysbeenai malobs es s ed,asachi l d s he changed hername t o Madr aRua ( t r ans l a on=gi nger dog) ,t o convi nce herpar ent st o al l ow hert o adopta doggo!

Her ambion i st o i ns pi r e mor e vet er i nar i anst opr omot ebe erani mal wel f ar e,es peci al l yf orfis h!

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AnushkaTul adhar-Educa onOfficer Anus hka comes f r om t he l and of Hi mal ayas ,Nepalandi si nher5t hyear ofvet er i nar y medi ci ne f r om Wr ocl aw Uni ver s i t y ofEnvi r onment aland Li f e s ci ences ,Pol and!Anus hkas aysi twas hermot herwho i ns pi r ed hert o have pas s i on f orani mal s !She wast he one who t aughtAnus hka t o be ki nd and compas s i onat e t owar ds bei ngs who coul dn’ ts peak our l anguage! Whi l e gr owi ng up,t oget her ,t hey us ed t o r es cueani mal sf r om t hes t r eetorf r om peopl e who us ed t o abus e ornegl ect t hei rani mal s .Sher ecal l s ,atonepoi nt , t hey had 16 di ffer entani mal si n her home!

Anus hka want s t o f ol l ow her mot her ’ sl egacyandbecomet he‘ voi ce f ort hevoi cel es s ! ’

ment al l yar ef ul fil l edands hewant st o cont r i but et or ai s i ngawar enes sabout ani malwel f ar et hr oughSCAW. She bel i eves t hat i f we can col l abor at et oget her ,wewi l lbeabl et o maket hi swor l dwor t hl i vi ngi nf oral l l i vi ngcr eat ur es .

Mar i n

Ar t hurCobayashi-Soci alMedi a Manager Ar t hur comes f r om t he i ncr edi bl e l and ofcar ni val s and Amazon f or es t , Br azi l !He i s a 2nd year s t udent of Vet er i nar y Medi ci ne at Uni ver s i t y of SãoPaul o,Br azi l .

Ar t hur i ss peci al l y i nt er es t ed i n wel f ar e appl i ed on ani malpr oduc on. s pr operwel f ar e ofani mal ’ s Anus hka He want l i f e,f r om bi r t ht os l aught er hous e.And hes ayst oens ur et hat ,weneedt ohave Mar naMar i na-Soci alMedi a pl ent y ofdat a and publ i s hed ar cl es manager affir mi ngwecanonl yr ai s eandpr oduce Mar i ni sf r om t he t r opi cali s l and ani mal si n as us t ai nabl e and heal t hy count r yofI ndones i a!Shei sa3r dyear way. vet er i nar ys t udent i n Gadj ah Mada Uni ver s i t y,I ndones i a.Gr owi ngupi na count r y wi t h enor mous bi odi ver s i t y, Mar i n devel oped herl ove f orani mal s s i nces hewasaki d,es peci al l yf ort hos e whol i veunder wat erands heas pi r est o hel pt hem bybecomi ngavet .

She t r ul y bel i eves t hatal lani mal s des er ve t he s ame r i ght t o have t he bes tqual i t yofl i f epos s i bl e.Ashuman bei ngs ,i t ' s bot h our pr i vi l ege and r es pons i bi l i t yt o ens ur et hatani mal s ' Ar t hur wel l bei ng, bot h phys i cal l y and 52

Somnat hAr yal-Medi aManager Somnat h,who hai l sf r om beau f ul Nepali sa2ndyearVet er i nar ySci ence and Ani mal Hus bandr y s t udent at Agr i cul t ur e and For es t r y Uni ver s i t y, Rampur , Nepal . Whi l e gr owi ng up, Somnat h wi t nes s ed a l ot ofhel pl es s ani mal s wander i ng i nt he pur s ui t of l i f e, s t r uggl i ng f or es t abl i s hment of t hei r nat ur al behavi our . Looki ng at t hem,i tmade hi m r eal i s et hey need car e,l oveandhel paswehumanss har e among us . He bel i eves as we ar e es t abl i s hed ass oci albei ngs ,we have t o t ake r es pons i bi l i t y f or t he wel l bei ngoft hos ewhocan' ts peakf or t hems el ves .

Mor ei mpor t ant l y,bei ng t he f ut ur e vet er i nar i an, he wi l l have t he educa on and s ki l l st oi mpr ove t he l i vi ng s t andar ds of ani mal s and he t hi nks wor ki ng f or t he wel f ar e of ani mal s s houl d be hi s pr i me r es pons i bi l i t y and dut y.When he i s t aki ng abr eak f r om al lt hevet er i nar y and wel f ar e wor k, Somnat h enj oys pl ayi ngbas ket bal lf orhi suni ver s i t y!

We ar ei n an er ai n whi ch we t r your bes tt o pr ovi de t hem wi t ht he be er qual i t yofl i f eandal t hought her ei ss l l al ong way t o go,s he t hi nkswe ar e movi ng f or war d by addr es s i ng al lt he wel f ar e i s s ues . She i s happy and commi edt obeabl et owor kont hem!

Kar i na

Mubar akAl i yu-AmbassadorManager Mubar aki sf r om t heGi antofAf r i ca, Ni ger i a! He i s an under gr aduat e s t udyi ng Vet er i nar y Medi ci ne f r om Uni ver s i t y of Mai dugur i , Ni ger i a.

Mubar akhopest ohel pbr i dget hegap bet ween ani mal wel f ar e/ r i ght / f r eedom and t he communi t y / i ndi vi dual /gover nment /pol i cy ac on needed t o achi eve s us t ai nabl e ani mal wel f ar e.

Hehasonet r uepas s i onandt hati s t hepas s i onf orani mal s .Notonl ydoes he l ove car i ng f or t hem,he enj oys wor ki ngf ort hem t oo!I nhi sf r ee me, Mubar akl ovesmee ngpeopl ef r om al l over t he wor l d and l ear ni ng mor e aboutt hem andt hei rcul t ur es .

Somnat h

Kar i naAr ci l aSi abat o-Ambassador manager Kar i na comesf r om t he gat eway of Sout h Amer i ca,Col ombi a and i n her 3r d yearatt he Uni ver s i t y ofCal das .

She l ovesani malwel f ar e becaus es he fir ml ybel i evest hataspeopl ewemus t r es pectandt akecar eofourani mal s .

Mubar ak

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Ma hi asGr embl er -Resear chand Dat aAnal yst Ma hi as i sf r om t he count r y of poet s and t hi nker s ,Ger many.He i s s t udyi ng i n hi s 4t h year i n Muni ch, Ger many.

Ma hi as ’ s pas s i on f or ani mal wel f ar e al r eady exi s t sf or hi s whol e l i f e.He want st oi mpr ove t he l i vi ng condionsofani mal sandhel pani mal s i nneed,t hat ´ sal s ot her eas onwhyhe s t ar t eds t udyi ngvet er i nar ymedi ci ne.

Ma hi as

O m Al vi nJ ohn-Pr oj ectManager O m i s a pr oud Ugandan f r om Maker er eUni ver s i t y.Accor di ngt ohi m, Ani mal s ar e of gr eat advant age t o humans i n var i ous ways .Some have become bes tf r i ends t o humans ,l i ke dogs .Somear eas our ceofr evenuet o t he count r yt hr ough t our i s m, s ome maket heenvi r onmentbeau f ul .A er cons i der a on ofal lt he gai nswe get f r om ani mal s ,Ani mal sr eal l y des er ve be erheal t h,s hel t er ,f ood and l ove f r om humans .

O mf eel shi scont r i bu ont omake Ear t habe erpl acewoul dbet owor k onani malwel f ar e.

RavenPut r aAnant a-Resear chand Dat aAnal yst Raficomesf r om t heEmer al doft he Equat or ,I ndones i a! He i si n hi st hi r d year of s t udy at Gadj ah Mada Uni ver s i t y, Yogyakar t a. Rafi al ways s eeks ac vies t o enhance hi ss ki l l s andknowl edger el at edt ot hewor l dof vet er i nar y medi ci ne.Ot hert han t hat , heal wayshasani nt er es twi t hani mal s ofal lki ndsandhopi ngt hathecoul dbe t hei rl i f es averi nt hef ut ur e.

For Rafi,t he wor ds and t er ms of “ ani malwel f ar e”have al waysbeen on hi smi nds i ncet hedayhefir s ts t udi ed i n vet er i nar ys chool .But one event t hatr eal l yi ns pi r eshi mt oactonani mal wel f ar e waswhen hevi s i t ed a zoo i n hi s count r y. He f ound t hat ani mal s wer enotl i vi ngt hewayi twasmeantt o be. He was wor r i ed about t hei r wel l bei ng i ns i de t hei rencl os ur e and wonder ed i ft hi s way of l i vi ng was nor mal f or al l ani mal s , cap ve or noncap vear oundt hewor l d.

Fr om t hatmoment ,her eal i zedt hat ani mal sdes er vet obet r eat edj us tt he s ameaswear e.Theydes er vef r eedom, f r ee f r om anyt hi ng t hatmi ghtf earor hur tt hem.I tr eal l yur geshi mt ol ear n mor e aboutani malwel f ar es o he can make a di ffer ence when t he me comes .

Rafi O m

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Gl obalVoi cesProj ect Launch : Wen e e dy o ut ot e l lu sa b o u ta n i ma l we l f a r ei s s u e si ny o u rr e g i o n ! s t or i esoft heani mal si nyourar ea.We want t o bui l d a net wor k of ani mal l over s ,who can hel p us under s t and how ani mal sl i vei ndi ffer entr egi ons .

Gl obalVoi cesi sanew pr oj ect ,t he goalofwhi chi st oampl i f yt hevoi cesof t hos e wor ki ng t o i mpr ove ani mal wel f ar e.Youwi l lbeourl ocalexper t s , youwi l li nt r oduceust ot hechal l enges ani mal sf acei nyourar ea.

We wantt oi nt er vi ew peopl ef r om al lovert hewor l d.Wewel comepeopl e f r om al lcul t ur esandbackgr ounds .You don’ tneed t o be an I VSA membert o par ci pat e.

I nt er na onalPl a or m

Bet heVoi ceoft heVoi cel es s

“Ourl i vesbegi nt o end t hedaywe becomesi l entabout t hi ngst hatmat t er. ”

“Therei sno power f orchangegreat er t han a communi t y di scoveri ng whati t caresabout ” Mar ger etJWheat l ey .

Gr eatj our neyss t ar twi t has i ngl es t ep.

I n ourcas e,we wantt os t ar ts har i ng -Mar nLut herKi ngJ r . l ocalknowl edgeonagl obals cal e.

We wi l ls end you a s hor t ,gener al W hatki nd ofl i vesdo ani mal sl ead i n l i s tofques ons .Pl eas e ans wert hem yourcount r y?Have you s een ani mal s t ot he bes tofyourknowl edge.Don’ t s ufferi n yourcount r y,ci t y,t own or be af r ai dt o as k ot herpeopl ei n your even s t r eet ?Ar eyou l uckyenough t o communi t yt ohel pyou.Youdon’ tneed s eeani mal sl i vi nghappy,beau f ull i ves t os peak Engl i s h per f ect l y.You al s o ar oundyou?Weneedyout ot el lust he don’ t need t o be an exper t on t he

55

s ubj ect .Wear ei nt er es t ed i nyou,t he per s on,andyourexper i enceofani mal wel f ar e.Yours t or yandyourvoi cewi l l bet hef ocusofourfir s tconver s a on.

So,f orexampl e,you ar ei nt er es t ed i nt al ki ngaboutt hel i vesofs t r eetdogs i n your homet own. A er our fir s t conver s a on we mayi nvi t eyou t o be par tofaGl obalVoi cest eam,whowi l l wr i t e ar epor tabouthow s t r eetdogs andcat sl i vear oundt hewor l d.I nt hi s way we wi l l get a cl ear er , mor e compr ehens i vepi ct ur eofhow t heyar e t r eat ed by t he di ffer entcommunies t heyi nt er actwi t h.

We wi l lal s o expl or e whatpeopl e have done t o hel p i n di ffer ent count r i es .I nt hi swaywewi l ls t ar tt o s ee t he bi ggerpi ct ur e;ar et her es pay and neut erpr ogr ammesr un byNGOs orgover nment st hatr eal l y hel ped t o cont r ol t he popul a on? Ar e t her e f eeder s on each s t r eet who get t o know and car e about t he ani mal s ?

Does t hi s make t he s t r eet ani mal popul a onheal t hi er ?

Wewantt opr epar eI VSA member s , vet er i nar i ansgener al l y and al lani mal l over sf ora f ut ur et hati s ki ndert o ani mal s .Todot hi swemus tl ear nf r om ani malwel f ar edi s as t er sl i ket hes pr ead ofAf r i canSwi neFever ,t hecul lofmi nk i nDenmar ket c.

By s t udyi ng t hes e event s we can i den f ywhatmi s t akeswe mus tavoi d t o pr ot ectani mal si nt he f ut ur e. f r om al lcul t ur esandbackgr ounds .Youdon’ t need t o be an I VSA member t o par ci pat e. he t opi cswe ar ei nt er es t ed Some oft i n;

•I ndus t r i alAgr i cul t ur e •Aquacul t ur e-Fi s hWel f ar e •Labor at or yAni mal s-Reduc ons& Repl acement •Rel i gi ous& Ri t ualSl aught er •Ani malWel f ar ei nZoos& Aquar i ums •HumaneSl aught er-Whatdoesi t meanf orani mal s ?

•Compani onani mal s-how canwe hel pourpet sl eadhappy,heal t hy Wewantyout of eelpar tofagl obal l i ves ? ng& Wi l dl i f eCons er va on t eam.We wi l lwor kt oget hert o hel p •Poachi r eetdog& catpopul a ons ani mal sal lar oundt hewor l dbys har i ng St youri ns i ght sandl ocalexper s e.Your wor kwi l lbes een bypeopl ewi t hj us t asmuchpas s i onasyou.

I fyou woul dl i ke t o be par t oft hi s pr oj ect , pl eas e emai l us and put “ Gl obalVoi ces ”ast hes ubj ectofyour Tal ki ngAboutToday,Thi nki ng emai l .Wear es o exci t ed t o hearf r om AboutTomor r ow you!

“Theworl d aswe havecreat ed i ti sa processofour t hi nki ng.I tcannotbe changed wi t hout changi ng our t hi nki ng. ” -Al ber tEi ns t ei n

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@ani mal wel f ar ei vs a s caw. medi a@i vs a. or g @i vs a_ani mal wel f ar e

Chair

O U R T E A M

Izabela Bacławska (IVSA Krakow, Poland) Head of the team, coordinating all the awesome ideas and plans for SCoCA!

Zane Zvirgzdina (IVSA Latvia)

TNT COORDINATORS

Managing Soft Skills Marathon & Soft Skills Academy at this time Lovina Ikwe (IVSA Nigeria)

SCoCA ADVISOR

Vera Gonzalez Committee advisor providing us with deeper knowledge on Trainers' Network and collaboration with other student's associations.

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Public Relation Coordinators & Social Media Managers

Jade Li (IVSA Sao Paulo, Brazil)

Committee advisor providing us with deeper knowledge on Trainers' Network and collaboration with other student's associations.

Gyan Kwesi Yeboah John (IVSA Kumasi, Ghana)

Secretary & Trainers Librarian

Malik Mudasir (IVSA Kashmir, India) Responsible for the Survey project and future webinars addressing its results.

TRAINERS NETWORK Managers

Rheanna Cherian (IVSA Mumbai India)

Responsible for blog articles and research on highly desirable topics Avnish Gala (IVSA Mumbai, India) 58

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Training? An Academy? TNT? What Does it All Mean?

Quick Glossary to SCoCA Projects: TRAINING

You are probably familiar with various forms of

TNT

– lectures, workshops, conferences, panel

participants to educate future trainers.

events you could have joined before through IVSA

discussions. But what exactly is training, and how

to get the most out of it for yourself?

Training is an interactive session focused on

specific goals. Trainers usually do quick research

through participants to get to know their

backgrounds (for example, year of studies, level

of knowledge on the presented topic, expectations,

similar event attended before) to prepare the most

tailored session. Due to the pandemic, most of our

training sessions will be held online over the next

months, so it's crucial to keep communicating

through a camera, microphone, and chat with the

Trainer during the session.

ACADEMY

During the Academy, students can attend various

training sessions, get personal feedback from

Trainers and improve themself through interactive

tasks presented in a group of participants. It's a

series of sessions finished with a certificate proving

your involvement over a few months.

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Training New Trainers is an event where

experienced trainers transfer their knowledge to

A TNT event broadly aims to guide Candidate

Trainers into discovering who they are, what they

want to achieve, and how to share this newfound

knowledge with other individuals. In the first

portion of a TNT, workshops are focused on

candidates’ self-discovery and self-improvement

through the utilization of specific outlined tools

d e l i v e r e d b y t h e p r e s e n t i n g Tr a i n e r s .

The second part of a TNT focuses on utilizing this

newfound self-development to instruct and guide

other individuals toward achieving this same

self-development (how to train others). In the end,

the candidates deliver a graduation workshop to a

group of individuals not associated with the TNT.

5 G O O D R E A S O N S T O C O N C E N T R AT E Y O U R E N E R G Y O N S O F T S K I L L S As we are all already aware, studying veterinary medicine gives you many chances to acquire hard skills, specific technical and manual skills required to carry on with your job efficiently. However, employees are looking for something more than well-learned hard skills. They are looking for personal attributes that will enable you to interact with other people in your work environment. No matter if you want to be a clinician, researcher, work in a laboratory, food inspection or follow any other career path - soft skills are more important than ever: 1.Hard skills are not essential if soft

s k i l l s d o n o t f o l l o w t h e m

Soft skills include: how well you communicate

with your coworkers, how you talk to clients,

how well you can express yourself. Without

those features, everything that you learn in

university might be merely useless.

2 . S o f t s k i l l s a r e h a r d t o l e a r n

Eventually, after hours of practice and years

spent in your area of expertise, you will be

able to follow the most complicated tasks and

learn how to master your skills. Learning how

to adapt to changes, how to resolve conflicts;

talk with a difficult client; how to think

critically might take you a bit more effort and

time than you can imagine. Why not start

now?

3. The modern workspace is interpersonal

The modern workspace requires innovative

approaches and solutions. If you focus during

your studies on developing mostly hard skills

quickly after starting your career, you may

realize how behind you are compared to

others and how crucial it is to network and

catch up with those soft attributes.

4 . C l i e n t s d e m a n d s o f t s k i l l s

Have you noticed during your clinical rotations

and internships how significant it is to work

under pressure? To think outside of the box? To

show empathy to your clients and their pets?

Therefore, the ability to find a connection with

people in your surroundings is a vital factor

impacting you personally every day.

5. Your future workspace will rely on soft skills

Automation and artificial intelligence will result

in a greater proportion of jobs relying on soft

skills. Over time tasks that require hard skills

are continuing to decline, making soft skills

critical differentiators in the workplace.

Following, the only thing that makes sense is to

adapt to what is needed. Here’s a list of the top

s o f t s k i l l s o f t h e f u t u r e :

• C ommunication (oral and written) • C reativity, originality and initiative • P roblem-solving • R esilience, stress tolerance and flexibility • A ctive learning and learning strategies • L eadership and social influence • L earning from criticism • A nalytical thinking and innovation

Even though the internet is full of useful soft

skills content, not all of it can apply to our

profession. You can improve your veterinary

related soft skills by taking an active part in

SCoCA personal development courses, trainings,

networking with people both inside and outside

IVSA and challenging yourself to progress.

follow us on social media IVSA Standing Committee on Career Attributes

@ivsa_scoca

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STANDING STANDING COMMITTEE COMMITTEE ON ON VETERINARY VETERINARY EDUCATION EDUCATION

Diana Teixeira

Florencia Chandrika Halim

Almujaddidi Innina Mananguit

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Damilare Paul Dosunmu

Dana Tsuchida

Catarina Santiago

Kristina Almazidou

Saroj Ojha

Khushi Jain

Lielie Viljoen

Dauda Onawola

Boldianu Adrian Pradyumn Devaiah

Alexander Del Bianco

Dikshya Khanal

Shiu Tung Yee

Pisit Sanjan

Pramod Kumar Chaudhary

Mumtasya Karima Putri

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Is covid-19 making you desperate to get more resources to make up for the practical lessons you lost? Did you already try our EDU + platform?

bit.ly/scoveEDU Are you actually amazing at finding resources in the internet and you would like to share them with other IVSA members? You can always email us your suggestions at scove.research@ivsa.org.

Did you ever dream about making a Ted talk? Well maybe your time didn’t come yet, but meanwhile you can participate on Vets Talks. Send us an email at scove.media@ivsa.org for a chance to be featured or just to suggest a topic you're interested in.

In case you just want to watch the existing videos, just head on to our Youtube channel!

bit.ly/VETtalks

To celebrate the World Rabies day, SCoVE, in collaboration with SCOH and SCAW released a new workshop that was presented for a Nepali High school. Soon the new SCoVE workshop will be available for all our ambassadors to present in their local communities!

TOGETHER we can end Rabies!

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The second edition of Journal of Veterinary Education (JVE) on the topic of “Innovative technology in Veterinary Medicine" is out! Within the pages, you can find some academic articles, artwork, SCoVE's latest projects, opinion articles, survey results on “Financial Burden on Veterinary Students”, editor's, end of term and chair's notes, the social media section, ambassador reports and the Ambassador of the Month interview.

bit.ly/scoveJVE2

We launched a survey to harvest opinions about creating a mini-course to expose veterinary students to more resources on first aid and emergency medicine. Due to the responses, we have put together an online course on First Aid and Emergency Medicine in Animals on Google Classroom.

To access the course: 1) go to classroom.google.com, 2) on the top right corner, click on the '+' icon, 3) click on join class, 4) enter class code: usncp6m and you are in!

ivsa.org/scove @thescove

@ivsa_scove @ivsascove

Equine Community

IVSA Equine Community is now expecting many future equine vets and horse lovers to join them due to all year open recruitment! If you have always loved horses and are planning to work with those incredible animals, or you appreciate their beauty and power but are not sure how it is to be an equine vet – join the Community! Meet other students with common interests, share your experience, tips and doubts – here you can feel you are not alone in this equine world!

bit.ly/equinecommunity

We share learning opportunities and scientific resources such as articles, webinars and conferences often few times a day in our Facebook Group! All the posts in the Group are categorised within Learning Units – you can easily find there all the webinars, internship placements opportunities and written resources. All the events can be found in IVSA Equine Google Calendar after you integrate it to your own calendar this way you will make sure not to miss any of the upcoming events.

We share learning opportunities and scientific resources such as articles, webinars and conferences often few times a day in our Facebook Group! All the posts in the Group are categorised within Learning Units – you can easily find there all the webinars, internship placements opportunities and written resources. All the events can be found in IVSA Equine Google Calendar after you integrate it to your own calendar this way you will make sure not to miss any of the upcoming events.

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The Equine Community held its first online conference in December, 4th-6th.

Each day was devoted to a different clinical topic: Equine Dentistry, Internal Medicine of Horses, and Equine Surgery.

The Equine Community hosted a large international crowd during this conference!

The Equine Community is currently working on organising first physical, 5day Congress in September 2021. IVSA Morocco has been chosen to host this event whose character will be dependent on epidemiological situation in the world.

The event will consist of educational lectures, workshops and cultural events prepared by IVSA Morocco.

Follow our social media to learn more!

Interactive quizzes are organised weekly on IVSA Equine Community Instagram stories. The questions are based on educational materials which are share with Community members beforehand. All the quizzes are prepared by the Team members and the Community members who want to practice active learning and contribute to the Community. The day after publishing the quiz the answers are reviewed and shared on Instagram stories. All the previous quizzes – respiratory tract, cardiology, endocrinology, dentistry, neonatology, reproduction, blood work, orthopaedics, gastrointestinal system – can be found in Instagram highlights on our account.

Follow our instagram to learn more!

Journal club meetings are regular gatherings of active IVSA Equine Community students to discuss a scientific paper. One or two members of the club present a summary of the chosen paper that the whole group has read.

Then, the discussion begins. It helps to stay always up-to-date and to make best choices when it is time to decide for your own patient. The meeting are being organised every second Sunday and the most active members of the Community are invited to join them.

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IVSA Equine Community @ivsa_equinecommunity

STANDING STANDING COMMITTEE COMMITTEE ON ON ONE ONE HEALTH HEALTH Standing Committee on One health (SCOH) aims to promote interdisciplinary collaboration, as well as educate and inform veterinary students on the concept and importance of One Health. The committee aims to promote the importance of One Health and the interdisciplinary collaboration between vets and other One Health related scientists as well as awareness of the role of Veterinary Public Health. SCOH is important for IVSA and its members, as it broadens the collaborations of vets, spreads knowledge of veterinary public health, provides opportunities in this sector and promotes activity of the members within local and global projects.

Mutiat Adetona I'm from Nigeria, 500 level student in the University of Ilorin. I love animals most especially birds and cats.

Ifteqar Hassan I am from Bangladesh. Currently, pursuing my DVM degree at Chattogram Veterinary And Animal Sciences University.

One Health concept is very much exigent in this current era and so, I feel my obligation to promote One Health concept. I am fond of companion animals.

Suwaibatul Annisa I am a fourth-year student at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Airlangga University. I have a huge interest in One Health, especially Comparative Research. While striving to translate my passion in biomedical research and public health, I also am excited to learn bioinformatics and programming. I do love tortoise!

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Ateeq Iqbal I'm from Pakistan. I'm a 4th year student. I'm studying in Faculty of Veterinary & Animal Science FV&AS in Islamia university of Bahawalpur. I'm serving as Secretary Event management in IVSA Pakistan, Bahawalpur. I have interest in medicine and surgery. I love cats and horses.

Puspa Rai I'm from Nepal, 4th year veterinary student in Agriculture and Forestry University. I am the winner of OIE Junior Ambassador 2019/20. I have love for all animals especially Rabbit.

Rabina prajapati I am from Nepal. I am 9th sem vet student in HICAST. I was SCOH coordinator in my local chapter. I am also SCOVE Ambassador. I am interested in zoonosis and one health. I love all the animals.

Andreas Pappas I am from Greece. I am Veterinary Medicine student in the University of Thessaly. I love animals.

Abdullah Al-Awal I'm from Nigeria. I'm a 5th year student from the University of Ilorin and also a member of IVSA UNILORIN. I love animals especially horses and cats.

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Rebecca Sim I’m a Singaporean undergraduate at the Royal Veterinary College and I am currently intercalating in Comparative Pathology. I am very intrigued by One Health for its systems thinking elements. I am also a big dog lover

Konstantinos Karachristos I am from Greece. I study veterinary medicine in the University of Thessaly. I'm also member of IVSA Thessaly and a part of its board member as one health officer. Love all the animals but especially cats.

Ashwini Kumar Jha I am from Nepal, studying B.V.Sc & A.H. in Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science, Tribhuvan University. I am the Exchange Officer (EO) of my local chapter IVSA Paklihawa. I love all the animals, especially dogs are my favourite.

Hanifati Husna I am an Indonesian and currently a veterinary medicine student in IPB University. I love animals especially horses and cats.

Pema Sherpa I'm from Nepal. I am a 3rd year veterinary undergraduate from Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science under Tribhuvan University. I am the Standing Committee Chair of my local chapter, IVSA Paklihawa. I have interest in companion medicine. Love all the animals but especially cats.

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Syed M Zain Habib I am from Pakistan. Study in University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences Lahore.

I love animals most especially Cats.

Zakariya Maryam I'm from Nigeria. I'm a 5th year student from the University of Ilorin and also a member of IVSA UNILORIN. I love animals especially rabbits.

Anish Balchhaudi I'm from Nepal. I am a 2nd year veterinary undergraduate from Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science,Tribhuvan University. I love all animals.

Nayerlys Gómez Navarro I am from Colombia, I am in my third year of university at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics, I studied at the University of Córdoba, I have also studied at the University of Edinburgh on animal welfare,I am part of IVSA Colombia, my areas of interest are animal welfare and behavior, and wildlife research.

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What is the Veterinary Public Health Journal (VPHJ)?

It is a scientific journal that features all One Health related articles written by Veterinary Public Health enthusiasts— ranging from students to professors to other partners!

The VPHJ was established in 2014 and we have produced 18 issues to date!

Each journal explores a specific One Health topic such as: Climate change Zoonotic infectious diseases Mental Health Antimicrobial Resistance What is the aim of the Veterinary Public Health Journal?

It is a scientific journal that features all One Health-related articles written by Veterinary Public Health enthusiasts— ranging from students to professors to other partners! Through the scientific journal, we highlight current events and raise awareness on specific One Health issues.

Want to learn more?

bit.ly/scohVPHJ

Do you have what it takes to end dog-mediated human rabies by 2030?

World Rabies Day is marked on September 28th every year and to commemorate this year’s efforts to raise awareness and fight against rabies, SCOH and the Global Alliance for Rabies Control (GARC) have partnered together to launch a year long rabies campaign competition. This competition is open to all IVSA Member Organisations. Here's a chance to show us how enthusiastic and ready you are to join the fight against rabies!

Follow our social media for more info!

To celebrate the World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW) 2020, SCOH collaborated with World Healthcare Students’ Alliance along with other collaborating partners including IADS, IFMSA, IPSF and IAAS to conduct the first-ever global AMR Youth Summit. The Summit was a 3-day virtual event from 20th to 22nd of November where youths around the world came together to discuss, learn, and get empowered about various AMR related topics and challenges.

ivsa.org/scoh @thescoh

@thescoh

@ivsa.scoh

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STANDING STANDING COMMITTEE COMMITTEE ON ON WELLNESS WELLNESS

Chair: Naveesha Kaur Shergill, IVSA Selangor, Malaysia Hey you! My name is Naveesha and I have been given the humble opportunity to Chair this awesome Committee! My interest in wellness piqued some time in 2018 when I was in my second year of vet school and started struggling with my own mental health issues. Instead of allowing it to consume me, I started fighting through it and slowly I began to see a glimmer of hope. Of course, this is not something that can be achieved overnight and frankly, I am still fighting but I made a promise that I was going to educate myself on wellness and do everything in my power to help those who are struggling with their mental health. Therefore, as Chair of the Standing Committee on Wellness, my team and I assure you that we will work effortlessly throughout this term to create projects and events that will increase the spread of mental health awareness while creating a safe space for all IVSA members to express themselves.

You are not alone

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Secretary: Anushka Advani, IVSA Mumbai, India Hello there! My name is Anushka Advani, a student of Mumbai Veterinary College. Wellness plays such an important part in our lives and yet, it is generally put on the back burner.

Wellness itself has several aspects, including physical as well as mental health, wherein the latter is usually overlooked or stigmatized. As students, and to-be veterinarians we go through a lot of stress on a daily basis and are often unequipped to deal with it. I’m excited and grateful to be a part of this wonderful team that will spread awareness and also bring to you interesting projects related to mental health and well being. Let us be kind and lift each other up!

Swarangee

Anushka

Public Relations Coordinator & Graphic Designer: Swarangee Chavan, IVSA Mumbai, India Hey there, I'm Swarangee, a third year vet student from Mumbai, India. Mental wellness is something that has become increasingly important to me over the recent years, so the moment I learned about SCoW, I just knew I had to be a part of this wonderful committee. I couldn't possibly leave an opportunity to work toward the welfare of our own lil vet community, considering the physical, mental and emotional toll that our profession takes on us. I'm really glad to be on the team and I'm hoping by the end of our term, we will have created a safe space for vets and vet students from all around the globe!

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Mehal

Project Manager: Serena George, IVSA SAVMA Hello! My name is Serena and I am a second-year veterinary student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine. I’m proud to be entering into a profession so dedicated to the care of animals, humans and our planet, though I have found this responsibility can make it difficult to put that same dedication into care for ourselves. However, to deliver the best veterinary care we can offer, we must first be physically, mentally and spiritually healthy! I hope the projects we help to organize can remind us that we are complete people, not just “veterinary students”; our worth does not stem from our career or success, but our inherent value as people. I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve on this committee and am excited to connect with all of you, my global veterinary colleagues :) 74

Project Manager: Mehal Punjabi, IVSA Mumbai, India Hi everyone! I'm Mehal, a third year veterinary student from Mumbai, India.

As a budding veterinarian, I've realised the need to destigmatize mental illnesses and work on improving our mental health, in a field as stressful and challenging as ours. With SCoW, I hope to work for the wellness of students, take steps to improve my mental health while ensuring to create a safe and inclusive space for everyone! :)

Serena

Mentor-Mentee Officer: Sarah Jaeggli, IVSA Zurich, Switzerland Hey there! My name is Sarah and I am in my third year of studies at the University of Zurich, Switzerland. While studying, I have noticed that most of the students, including me, get to a point where they are overwhelmed by the pressure and expectations that are put upon them. That is why wellness and mental health are crucial for me. Because if we do not take care of ourselves first, how are we supposed to perform in any aspect of our lives?

Shubham

Sarah

Mentor-Mentee Officer: Shubham Khutwad, IVSA Mumbai, India Hey guys! I'm studying in my 3rd year at Mumbai Veterinary College.

Awareness and actions for mental health issues has been a very personal topic to me. These past few years have been a bit difficult. But if you know where to look, you always find hope. As a part of SCoW, I want to help all those who are struggling with their mental health, the way I was or still am somewhere and to make sure everything has someone to share these things with. We at SCoW aim to create an open and safe space for everyone to share their experiences, problems, and issues! Here's to better health, to wellness!❤

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Wellness Toolkit Editor: Julia Rybczyńska, IVSA Wrocław, Poland Hey hey! My name is Julia Rybczyńska and I am a third year student at the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences. To me, issues surrounding mental health and wellness are crucial to maintaining a healthy balance in life and we cannot dismiss them on our vet journey. I firmly believe we need to continuously raise awareness on these topics because it is truly life saving. That being said, I am incredibly grateful and happy to be a part of this wonderful committee and I am excited for the future!

Julia

Kshitij Wellness Toolkit Editor: Kshitij Pimpale, IVSA Mumbai, India Hello! I am Kshitij Pimpale, a veterinary student from Mumbai Veterinary College, India. Wellness was, is, and will be an important aspect of my life. After experiencing the daily stress a vet student has to go through, I was more convinced of SCoWs' importance for us! I am thrilled to be a part of the committee and hope that we could assist our fellow mates however we can! #wellness

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Nabil

Wellness Ambassador Coordinator: Shimthi Singh, IVSA South Africa Hey there! I'm Shimthi Singh, a student at the University of Pretoria in South Africa. There is a major stigma with mental health in our profession, and I want to help change that. Prevention is better than cure, and if there were proper wellness education and opportunities available, we would be better equipped to take on the challenges that being a veterinarian brings. Wellness determines the health, quality, academic performance and longevity of our future Vets and it's for that reason, in conjunction with my personal experiences that I am so passionate about wellness.

Wellness Ambassador Coordinator: El Habib Muhammed Nabil, IVSA Morocco Hi everybody, my name is Mohammed Nabil El Habib, but i go by Nab too ! I’m in my third year out of six at IAV in Rabat, Morocco. When I first got introduced to wellness, I really felt like it was meant to be (no kidding). I just felt deeply connected with the notion and I knew I had to learn more about it. Now becoming a Wellness Ambassador Coordinator, I hope I can spread everything that I’ve learned about wellness efficiently and help raise awareness about mental health because I’ve learned something : mental health matters !! Good night.

Shimthi

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This project is a collaboration between SCoW and Alumni which serves to pair current vet students with final year students, fresh grads and practicing vets in order to foster a learning partnership between the two. This partnership creates an open environment for the mentee to seek advice on studies, career options and even emotional support while mentors will be given the opportunity to pass down useful knowledge and tools to their mentees!

This is also a great way to not only maintain but to strengthen the bond between vet students all over the world Although the opportunity to apply for a mentor or mentee has passed for this term, follow our social media for a chance to apply next year!

The Ambassador program is the very first of its kind in the Wellness committee! The main purpose of this program is to increase the outreach of mental health awareness in MO’s worldwide.

How? A Wellness Ambassador will encourage the spread of mental health awareness by relaying all of SCoW’s projects and events to their respective MO, giving us feedback on said projects and events, telling us about wellness issues their campus is faced with and ultimately, what we can do to help. Essentially, they will be bridging the gap between the Wellness committee and their MO!

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Our Wellness Toolkit website is our ‘playbook’ on everything wellness! We have spotify playlists, wellness challenges and articles too. One thing we are working on currently is to update the toolkit in regards to suicide hotlines worldwide. This is where we need your help, in order to gather as much info as we can on operating suicide hotlines in every country. This way, if ever a fellow member of ours needs someone to talk to, the option is readily available for them. Please do not hesitate to contact us at scow@ivsa.org if you know of any suicide hotlines in your region!

ivsa.org/scow @ivsawellness @ivsa_wellness

WORKING WORKING GROUP GROUP ON ON ALUMNI ALUMNI The Working Group on Alumni is happy to present the project: LIFE AFTER IVSA! The aim of this project is to show to IVSA students all around the globe how’s going to be life after finishing vet school. It can be hard to face “adult life” sometimes but it could be easier if Alumni, especially people who lived a full IVSA experience, can give witness and talk about their life after IVSA: job experience, research, moving to other countries, good times and bad times as a Veterinarian. Sharing is caring and those experiences can be helpful both to students and fellow vets to get inspiration and courage to face the vet profession.

You can also share your job experience on social media with the hashtag #lifeafterivsa and we’ll repost it!

What's your name?

Pieter de Villiers.

Tell us about your experience in IVSA. I became involved with my local chapter (IVSA South Africa) in 2016 as the Junior Exchange Officer and later on the year the Senior Exchange Officer. I attended my first global IVSA Congress in Malaysia in 2017 during which I was elected as Secretariat to the External Relations Officer and held the Sponsorship portfolio of the Organizing Committee of the 66th IVSA Symposium in South Africa end of 2017. I was then elected to the External Relations Officer to the Executive Committee during the IVSA Congress in Poland in 2018 and

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worked on various projects and sponsorship deals throughout my term. I was also privileged to attend the Symposium in South Korea in 2018 and the Congress in Croatia in 2019 and had meetings in both Rome and Utrecht in between that time period.

Vet school: what's your best memory and your hardest time? (if you have any) To be honest I spent more time on committees, sport and cultural activities than I should have during vet school, but looking back I am really glad that I did, as most of my best memories came from outside the academical field. It is difficult to really point towards one specific event, but if I do need to single out one, it will probably be my trip through Africa when I was part of the Vet Books for Africa team in 2016. We delivered veterinary textbooks and equipment to 6 veterinary universities in 6 different South Eastern African countries, with the trip spanning 42 days and over 10 000 km. The hardest time in vet school for me was probably in my third year (2016) when I almost failed Pathology, mostly due to the fact that I spent very little time studying because I was too busy with other committee-related stuff. In South Africa, if you fail one subject, you fail the whole year and have to repeat everything the next year. I really had to step up my game and study super hard for my oral exam to be able to pass, which put me under a lot of stress that I wasn't used to.

Luckily I did pass in the end, but it made me realize that I need to focus more on my academics moving forward as I was, in fact, studying to become a vet. :)

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Now you're a vet! In which branch of veterinary medicine you work? Tell us about your job and daily routine.

I am currently busy with my compulsory community service year where I am working for the government of which our work scope is mostly production animals.

I am also locuming in my free time at a small animal practice where we mostly work with dogs and cats. I am trying to gain as much exposure as possible as I believe that the first couple of years out of vet school are crucial to develop strong clinical skills that will build a solid foundation for the rest of my career.

Work life balance is really important to me and I aspire to develop myself in a holistic way, focusing on a healthy mentality, physique, spirituality and personal development. I have also started a YouTube channel ("Dogtor Pete") where I share my passion and knowledge with the world with the hope of building an international community of responsible pet ownership.

What tips would you give to people wishing to get into your area of veterinary medicine, either new graduates or those just looking for a career change!

Veterinary Science is tough, I won't sugar coat it! It takes many years of hard work, sweat and tears. Once you graduate you will be faced with many challenges that vet school probably didn't prepare you for. You will have to deal with difficult clients, frustrating cases and every now and again have to decide to end an animal's life.

These can all collectively become a heavy burden that causes the demise of many veterinarians around the world every year. With that being said, veterinary science can also be extremely fulfilling as you have the chance to be the voice for those who cannot speak for themselves.

Just as you will lose a patient every now and again, you will have the privilege of saving thousands of lives every year.

Statistically you are more prone to suffer from depression due to compassion fatigue somewhere down the line, but if you make an effort to maintain a healthy balanced lifestyle and if you surround yourself with people that have a positive impact on you, this profession will definitely be worth all the hard work.

Having a love for animals is unfortunately not enough to decide to become a vet as you rarely work with healthy, happy animals. But if you have a passion for making a positive change in animal's lives, even when it means that a life will need to be ended, then you can be sure that veterinary science is a good career to pursue. :) What was the biggest struggle as a vet? (finding a job, moving to other countries...)

Seeing that I only graduated last year, the biggest challenge for me was to apply my theoretical knowledge to my practical skills. Luckily I have a great team that I work with and thus the transition hasn't been too bad so far.

In your opinion, how did being a member of IVSA contribute to your future career as a veterinarian?

Getting involved with IVSA has been one of the best decisions of my life and taking that first small step to get involved with my local chapter, really evolved to such an extend that I was able to make a difference on a global scale, something I hadn't even dreamed would be possible.

The IVSA community, or rather family, really opened a world of opportunities to me as I was able to meet so many great students from different backgrounds, cultures and upbringings that were united with a common goal: to benefit the animals and people of the world by harnessing the potential and dedication of veterinary students to promote the international application of veterinary skills, education and knowledge. I am truly grateful for every single person I met along my IVSA journey and can probably write a book with all the great memories I made. I am sad that I am at the end of my IVSA chapter, but I am hoping that I would still be able to influence and inspire the younger generation of vet students to also become part of this diverse, dynamic and prestigious group of international veterinary students. I have grown tremendously during my time at IVSA as it encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and explore the way that others around the world are viewing veterinary science. I have gained a lot of personal confidence and am now equipped to take on this industry by storm, be it as a clinical vet or in the corporate world. Your passion can easily be influenced by those around you, so why not surround yourself with thousands of vet students that are 81

passionate about improving the lives of animals around the world?

Last but most important, what's the best thing of being a vet?

To be a voice for those who cannot speak for themselves. As veterinarians, it is both our duty and our privilege to speak up and educate pet owners on matters that can improve, and in some instances, even save the lives of thousands of animals around the world. :)

What's your name?

Panagiotis Galatsanos.

Tell us about your experience in IVSA. My story began long ago before the corona times, back on 2012 when I visited Naples in order to participate on an event about water buffalo and mozzarella. It was my first opportunity to

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leave Greece and to meet students from other countries. I suppose I found it a nice experience, because starting next year I started attending all major IVSA events. I had the pleasure of going to the Netherlands, Indonesia, Romania and Austria for the Congresses which took place there, and to Turkey, UK and Taiwan for the Symposia. In addition to that, I was in the secretariat on 20142015 and served as Treasurer with a wonderful ExCo on 2015-2016. At the same time I was being active in the local MO of IVSA Thessaloniki, going through various positions in the board from 2012 until 2014.

Vet school: what's your best memory and your hardest time?

When it comes to best memory, I think that I cannot think of anything related to veterinary medicine, like an extraordinary case which gave me excitement, or a piece of knowledge which changed my life. The things I treasure the most are without doubt memories about people I associated myself during my studies (and IVSA trips), and some funny or wholesome things we went through together.Without a doubt, the toughest memories I have from my school years are during the exam period.

The stress while having to learn an enormous chunk of knowledge, the time pressure I was feeling, the lack of sleep because of all these, the doubt about whether I will manage to make it out of it or that I even want to keep on doing it, make it a period I will never want to go back to.

Now you're a vet! In which branch of veterinary medicine you work? Tell us about your job and daily routine.

After the studies were over, I tried a couple branches of the veterinary medicine, and ended up in the Food safety sector. I am working in the Dutch public sector, supervising the work being done mostly in the slaughterhouses. We are safeguarding the food safety and the animal welfare by ensuring the compliance to the European rules and regulations. A working day consists of controls in the all aspects of the slaughterhouse with every time another getting a deeper check, ante mortem controls, so whether an animal is healthy enough to be slaughtered and that it is being done in the most humane way possible, and post mortem, which is simply a control on whether the karkass is having signs of a disease or any situation which would make the meat not suitable for human consumption. There is the possibility to control products which are meant to be exported in regards to the requirements of the importing country. Finally, there are lists of administration tasks which need to be done, so lots and lots of time is being spent on paperwork.

What tips would you give to people wishing to get into your area of veterinary medicine, either new graduates or those just looking for a career change!

I still consider myself as a new person in my field, so I cannot stroke my beard and spread advices. I can say though what I try to force myself to do, which is to constantly be active. In the are I am, but in all others, there are currently way too

many things to learn and every day new information or trends are being brought on the surface. If you stay still for a moment, you are reducing your professional value but also missing opportunities to be the best professional you can be.

What was the biggest struggle as a vet? (finding a job, moving to other countries...)

The biggest problem I had to face was the choice of field I would follow. As a veterinarian we have access to a plethora of career paths, with the most popular being small or large animal practice, and even in those paths there are still many choices to be made, like the country you will go. There are many people who have a plan made long before they graduated.

Unfortunately I am not one of these people. I was hoping on in addition to the degree, receiving enlightment and realising what I should do after finishing my studies. Spoiler alert, this did not happen. So I had to deal with deciding what I would do with the rest of my life. If you add to the mix the insecurity created from the fact that I realised that I was far from being able to deal by myself to the most requirements, you have a cocktail of pessimism and fear for the future, and I was drinking liters of it every day for a lot of time.

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In your opinion, how did being a member of IVSA contribute to your future career as a veterinarian?

If it were not for IVSA, I know I would be a completely different person than who I am now. Through my involvement with IVSA in a local level, I had my first experience of working with other people to achieve a common goal. Then I started familiarising with the world outside Greece, by being in foreign environments and meeting people from completely different backgrounds through IVSA in an international level. Considering I am currently working abroad, I suppose it would be quite harder to find the courage and mental power to make this step if it were not for IVSA. In addition, I have obtained much knowledge on the topic of veterinary medicine but also many soft skills by copying and being influenced by amazing people (ExCo 2015-2016) which without a doubt gave many skills I am using every day. Finally, IVSA had a big spot in my CV when I started looking for a job, and I suppose it helped open some doors.

Last but most important, what's the best thing of being a vet?

While I mentioned it as a disadvantage, I think that the vast number of available career paths for a veterinarian is the best aspect of being a veterinarian. The freedom you are getting to create the best life you want to have, is something I think few people can have.

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As an IVSA Alumni, you will have access to a global network of veterinarians, a post-graduate database of job opportunities around the world, and Alumni events!

To be eligible for membership, you have to be a graduated veterinarian. alumniapplication@ivsa.org alumni@ivsa.org

ivsa.org/alumni @ivsa.alumni @ivsa_alumni

Follow us on social media!

@ivsapage @ivsa_global @ivsa_global

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