A veterinary student’s experience at the Provincial Veterinary Laboratory

by Stephen Momberg

II am a veterinary student who has just finished my five-year-long theoretical studies at the University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, Hungary.

To complete the Veterinary degree, we must do a six-month rotation dealing with various topics of veterinary medicine. I spent two weeks of this rotation at the Western Cape Provincial Veterinary Laboratory (WCPVL) in Stellenbosch.

I started at the Serology Department. The technologists explained the tests they do and how they receive their samples. It was fascinating to watch how quickly and meticulously they got through all the samples they receive daily.

The rest of the first week I spent time at the various other departments, including Biochemistry, Histology, Parasitology, Bacteriology and Virology. All the staff members and technicians were very friendly and helpful.

The second week involved post-mortem examinations and histology. The veterinary technologist in Histology showed me how to make my own slides using H&E staining. Normally we did the post-mortem cases in the afternoon, where I learned the “SouthAfrican way”.

They showed me how to take samples (lots of them) and prepare them for histology, bacteriology, PCR testing, toxicology, etc. We had a few cases where the diagnosis was easy and others that were conundrums, which I enjoyed the most.

Acknowledgements

I want to thank every person in the lab that assisted me in becoming a better veterinarian and the WCPVL for allowing me to do my rotation here. Lastly a special thanks to Drs Stroebel, Lau and Anthony. They are very passionate and always eager to help and answer questions. AP

For more information, contact Dr Tasneem Anthony: