Summer Travels with the Healthy Pet Surgical Suite

kalamazoo . . . sounds like fun!

2009-08-16T19:34:00.008-04:00

Last but definitely NOT least on the "regular" tour schedule of the 2009 HPSS (before the live surgery display in Chelsea): The Kalamazoo County 4H Fair!

We pulled into Kalamazoo at about ten o'clock on Thursday morning and it looked like it was going to be a beautiful day for the fair. The fair board was very excited to see us and even offered us a stray kitten upon our arrival (we sadly had to refuse). At first it looked like we were going to set up just outside the rabbit barn . . . but then we found Dr. Rowher and he created an exceptionally great location for us right in the Circle of Life tent! Erin even backed her truck in so that the large animal porta-vet display sat right next to the HPSS tent and the rest of the exhibit. We really think it was our best set-up yet - I guess we saved the best for last!

As soon as Christina cracked open the Pathology bin (maybe its the smell?), a line started forming to check out the HPSS! It took us an extra long time to set up with all of the excitement around us, but we loved your enthusiasm right from the get-go! I think we got some of our very best questions these past few days. Here are a few examples and the answers we came up with:

"Is a turtle shell made out of bone?" Yes, the shell is composed of hard bony plates covered by scutes. The scutes are made of keratin (like hair, nails, and hooves of other animals).

"Isn't there one type of cat that can't retract its claws?" Yes, cheetahs are the only member of the cat family that have non-retractable claws.

"Why is it that dogs and cats get tapeworms after swallowing a flea?" Flea larvae consume the eggs of tapeworms and are then infected with tapeworm larvae. By the time the flea is an adult, the tapeworm is ready to infect a dog or cat.

"I can count eight legs on this tick (under the microscope) . . . are ticks related to spiders?" Yes, all arachnids have eight legs. Arachnids include spiders, scorpions, ticks, and mites (as well as many other species).

Wow you guys are smart! Thanks for all of the great questions and for always keeping us on our toes. It was really fun being in the Circle of Life tent because the other exhibits in the tent stimulated even further discussion and new questions for us to talk about. I think the hottest topic at the fair must have been the debate on whether or not goats can see in color . . . sorry we couldn't help you out more with that one!

Unfortunately, we never did witness the "circle of life" in our three days at Kalamazoo. The animals where smart and farrowed/calved/lambed in the early morning when it was coolest. However, we did love coming in each morning to greet the newborn animals. And no, we were not a part of the "udder chaos" when the pregnant cow broke free and bolted toward the midway on Wednesday. We are pretty sure she was just looking for the HPSS exhibit, and wish we could have been there a day sooner!

Thank you to the fair-goers of Kalamazoo for an excellent fair, and for being brave enough to try the bovine rectal palpation demo - you ran Erin clean out of Tootsie Rolls. It has been a great summer, and the student coordinators are really grateful that the "regular season" ended on such a good note!

Until next week in Chelsea . . . we will be practicing our suture patterns! See you there!

part of the gang

2009-08-12T22:01:00.008-04:00

It’s a busy week for the Healthy Pet Surgical Suite and your 2009 student coordinators! After finishing up in Ingham late Saturday evening, we packed up the trailer and took off for the Sanilac County 4H fair on Sunday morning. Fortunately, we left the rainy weather behind in mid-Michigan as we made our way to “the thumb”. Unfortunately, we were met by the ferocity of the famous mid-August Michigan heatwave that never fails to bring high temperatures accompanied by even higher humidity levels!

That being said, one of our first stops was at the local supermarket where we stocked up on water and sport drinks to stay well hydrated and feeling our best for the Sanilac County fair-goers. (With the excessive presence of liquids, this might be the very first fair where Christina avoided spending money on that oh-so-delicious fair lemonade.)

It turns out that our first day in Sanilac was also opening day for the Sanilac Country 4H Fair. So the HPSS was there for the crowning of the Sanilac 4H Queen, the assembly of the ferriswheel, and the final warm up for the Sanilac Shining Star (similar to American Idol) contestants. We set up next to the petting zoo, just downwind of the pigs and across from from the port-a-johns. It was an ideal location for a couple of sweaty student coordinators and our lovely smelling pathology specimens.

However, the odors of the fair did absolutely nothing to deter you from coming to check out our exhibit! We even caught up with a few carnival friends from earlier fairs this summer, including the pirate (who is always an excellent source of enthusiasm for the HPSS)! Whether or not it’s a good thing (we think it is), the student coordinators are really starting to feel like a part of the carnival gang now!

Once again, we really liked the way fair-goers learned from us and then came back and taught friends – you were excellent teachers! It was really great to learn with you and hear your stories as well. We especially noticed an interest in the anesthesia machine, and thought it was very cool and very impressive when you asked such insightful questions. Thanks to Sanilac for another memorable fair, and good luck to the girl’s softball team (we hear you made it to the World Series!) – the HPSS is behind you all the way!

bring 'em to ingham

2009-08-09T12:29:00.005-04:00

The HPSS played the 2009 home opener this past Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in Mason at the Ingham County Fair - and there's certainly no place like home! Once again, we talked to a record number of people! In fact, on Thursday we talked to over eight hundred of you!

It was great to see a few familiar faces and a lot of Spartans in the crowd, and just as in Ionia, we got a lot of help from local veterinarians. Dr. Meining came out on Friday and she was excellent! She brought a bunch of great radiographs and went through them with some very smart fair-goers. There are certainly a lot of future radiologists in the Ingham County area!

On Saturday, Dr. Rode came out to check out the HPSS 2009 and I think its safe to say that she was quit impressed! Of course, Dr. Rode jumped right in with the student coordinators (and was awesome highlighting some of the very cool aspects of veterinary medicine) and led some of you through the pyometra spay surgical video.

Midway through a couple of delicious elephant ears on Saturday . . . the Ingham County fair director came by with some exciting news: The lieutenant governor of Michigan wanted to come by and check out the Healthy Pet Surgical Suite (how cool!). The student coordinators plus Dr. Rode made short work of the elephant ears, brushed off any remaining cinnamon sugar, straightened up the demos, properly folded down their lab coat collars, and put on their very best welcoming smile for the lieutenant governor himself! He did come by as promised, and he wasn't disappointed (not that we were worried). He even stuck around to get his picture with us!

Now Saturday morning was actually a VERY rainy morning, but we are starting to think that a little bit of rain must just get Erin's creative juices flowing. She came up with an awesome bovine rectal palpation demonstration that actually allows fair-goers to don the full-arm-glove and reach into the rectum of a Holstein cow (made out of posterboard of course)! The best part is . . . she included a delicious tootsie-roll-like surprise inside! What a sweet idea, and a great way to teach you more about large animal veterinary medicine.

Well we are off to Sanilac today (in about five minutes actually)! We will continue to keep you posted and keep you excited about veterinary medicine and the many adventures of the 2009 HPSS!

world's largest

2009-07-26T18:33:00.009-04:00

Stop #4: The Ionia Free Fair - The World's Largest Free Fair (although parking will run you six bucks). Boy did this fair live up to its reputation too! For starters, we were located right next to the elephants (yes, real elephants - the world's largest land mammal!). These elephants might also have been the world's cleanest, as they were bathed via power-washer every morning just as the coordinators set up the HPSS tent and prepared the specimens for display!

The student coordinators were, admittedly, a bit nervous before the Free Fair. We weren't sure how we were going to handle a fair of such magnitude. However, local veterinarians from the Ionia area turned out for the fair and offered a helping hand to the HPSS - and they were great! Dr. Darcy Sobel arrived just as the extreme heat and humidity was starting to get to Ryan and Christina on Tuesday afternoon (a day on which no amount of lemonade could keep you cool). Dr. Sobel rejuvenated our enthusiasm and she even brought her own collection of specimens! The arrival of new radiographs, the world's largest (sensing a theme here?) bladder stone, tiny kitten embryos, and the ever-famous eyeball provided Ryan and Christina with shiny new items to share with the Ionia fair-goers!

Then on Wednesday, Dr. Jane Kapalczynski came by for the afternoon. Dr. K spent most of the afternoon taking fair-goers into the surgical suite to go through the surgical process with them - something they definitely enjoyed and the coordinators appreciated her doing! On Wednesday evening, Dr. Sobel returned to once again lend her expertise to the HPSS. So needless to say, the student coordinators had plenty of help! Why were we so worried?

With our extra real-vet helpers, we were able to talk to record numbers of you on Tuesday. The fair just grew more and more crowded as the night went on. We took advantage of the booming night life and showed off our radiograph view-boxes! Something about those bright lights really gathers attention.

On Wednesday and Thursday we had to deal with rain drops. We tried to keep our microscopes dry and held an umbrella over them as if they were our little children. A few times we actually moved the table inside the tent to keep everything else dry. Erin simply slid everything into the drawers of the bowie-unit - very handy. The drizzle let up though, and the crowds certainly didn't so we kept at it! The rain didn't damper the mood, and once again we heard from you, "This is the best thing I've seen at the fair" ! Although our favorite quote had to be, "I think I'm going to be sick . . . and I thought the rides were bad . . ."!

Thank you Ionia for another excellent fair! We hope we lived up to the greatness that is the Free Fair, as we aspire to be the World's Greatest Healthy Pet Surgical Suite!

how many stomachs does a cow have?

2009-07-20T13:33:00.005-04:00

The Eaton County Fair - our biggest production thus far! Each of our (Ryan, Christina, and Erin) clickers passed the big 400 mark (we pulled out the camera for the magic moment), only to pass over 500 people before we were packed up on day one!

Between the thunderous roars of the tractor pull and the grinding of the woodcarver's chainsaw, we kept up with a very steady crowd of fair-goers. Everyone had a story to tell (you all had such great things to say about your vets!) and a lot of interest in the veterinary profession. More than any other fair, we found ourselves hitting the books to reference some of your very intriguing questions and comments!

Of course we had our own little disasters here and there, but that's what keeps it interesting right? We arrived on Thursday about an hour ahead of schedule, and it turned out to be a good thing because we found ourselves table-less! After Christina tried unsuccessfully to borrow a table from the hot dog stand, Bingo tent, and firefighter pavilion . . . Ryan made a quick trip to Walmart to pick up a table for the HPSS to call its own.

Then on Friday, just about everything that could break, did break. Our famous equine mandible with the abscessed tooth was clearly split in two when we pulled it from its box on Friday morning. The now unbalanced bone was stabilized by a jar of roundworms (Parascaris) for the remainder of the day (since our display simply wouldn't be the same without it). Then, since things always seem to "happen in threes", the light bulb on our microscope finally died and our cat skeleton lost a limb. Fortunately, friends of Christina (Linda and Amy) came by with crazy glue and our specimens looked good as new. And not to worry Ionia fair-goers - we have a replacement bulb for the microscope as well!

On Friday we dealt with our first rainy afternoon, but it certainly didn't damper the mood at all. Erin decided to fill the large animal plasma bags with Verners for effect, and she provided a good laugh for Ryan and Christina as she struggled to syringe the very fizzy and bubbly solution. After giving it her all though, the bags were filled and looking very much like plasma bags (although still with a few bubbles). Meanwhile, Ryan fell in love with the baby donkey in the petting barn next door. Her sweet little eyes really were pretty irresistible.

And through it all, the fair-goers of Eaton were great! When parents asked, "Are you ready to go?", we loved hearing you yell back "No way!". Then you showed your parents and friends everything you had learned, and they didn't want to leave either. One of you even exclaimed, "Well I guess I learned something during the summer, and it was cool!". The question on the sign that read "How many stomachs does a cow have?" was an especially big hit, and Erin was overloaded with interest in the rumen, reticulum, abomasum, and omasum!

The Eaton County Fair came to a close amid our spectacular radiograph lightshow (an excellent send off in our opinion). Many thanks to Eaton for making it another great one. See you at the Ionia Free Fair tomorrow morning!

almost famous

2009-07-15T21:29:00.006-04:00

Well we could not wait to roll into the Montcalm County 4H Fair in Greenville because we had a shiny new exhibit to set up and show off. Our large animal veterinarian bowie-unit came complete with another great and knowledgeable veterinary student coordinator - Erin! Erin had spent the better part of June power-washing, painting, and stocking the bowie-unit so that she could better display a very vital part of veterinary medicine - large animal medicine! And boy did the fair-goers of Greenville eat it up. You guys kept us all busy with your interest and enthusiasm, particularly in your 4H animals.

In Greenville, we especially liked the way some of you spent awhile with us learning about anything and everything veterinary, and then you came back again later to teach your friends and family! You helped us save our voices, and did a great job teaching! I think there might be a few budding science teachers and professors scattered in with all of the future veterinarians we got to know so well.

Now the fair-goers of Greenville will have to forgive Christina, because she left her digital camera in East Lansing, and therefore the student coordinators were stuck with a disposable camera as they tried to capture the fair atmosphere via photographs. Fortunately, you were all good-looking enough that the pictures still turned out fairly well despite the poor quality!

On Wednesday, the coordinators all set personal records as we clicked our clickers counting the number of people we talked to. We each talked to over 350 of you! Wednesday was "Kids Day" and even though we were not one of the required stations to stop at on route to a new bicycle helmet, you all made sure you checked us out anyway! We were excited to hear that many of you thought we were the best thing at "Kid's Day", and even more excited to hear you tell everyone what learned from us on your way out of barn!

Last (but certainly not least!), the HPSS took another small step in the direction of international stardom. The Daily News featured a story on the exhibit and it appeared on the FRONT PAGE of the Tuesday newspaper (not that we were surprised though, right?)!

Thank you to all of our friends in Greenville for making our experience a memorable one! Tomorrow we steer toward the Eaton County Fair for our third stop on the HPSS 2009 summer adventure!

a sweet debut

2009-07-12T12:25:00.015-04:00

I can't believe how fast those three days in Croswell flew by! I guess time flies when you are having fun, right? And that's exactly what we did at the HPSS's first fair of the summer - had a blast!

We pulled into Croswell, MI on Thursday July 9th and we were greeted by the Pioneer Sugar factory - How sweet is that? The towering "Pioneer" letters atop the factory looked out over the railroad tracks and fields upon fields of what Ryan and Christina had to assume were sugar beets. It was really quite fitting that we were pioneering the 2009 HPSS in Pioneer Town!

We quickly set up our tent upon arriving at the beautiful Croswell Fairgrounds, and we were really pleased with our location because we were right next to the dunk tank. Throughout our time at the fair, the dunk tank provided great entertainment, a cool splash every now and then, and worked as a great draw to fair-goers. Warning to future dunk-tank volunteers of Croswell: The girl's softball team can throw a very accurate hard ball!

There sure are a lot of future veterinarians in Croswell, and most of you already have a lot of great farm experience and are so knowledgable (we were really impressed)! You also have a great sense of humor. Some of our favorite quotes from Croswell include:

"That (the horse cyclops) looks like my uncle."

"The toy dinosaur inside the dog on that x-ray is definitely a Stegasaurus. I can tell, definitely."

"Wow, if he (my son) becomes a veterinarian then I will be the happiest mom in the world."

"I want to be a veterinarian when I grow up, and I am making a scrapbook page about this exhibit."

"This is, by far, the best thing at the fair!"

"It's really great to learn about this stuff, because people get so removed from their food source."

"The next time I show my chickens, I am going to tell the judge that chickens have nucleated red blood cells! That'll really blow him away!"

Our second day in Croswell was definitely the busiest. We talked to almost 250 of you! We had a feeling things were actually going a little TOO well . . . but the strong Croswell crosswinds of Lake Huron took care of that early Saturday morning. Our faithful tent simply could not handle the ferocity of the winds, and we found it in quite a mess and certainly not standing on Saturday.

Fortunately, Ryan and Christina are great repair people and had it standing again in no time (with the help of blue duct tape and a couple of zip ties). The fix probably isn't permanent but it made it through the rest of the very windy day . . . something our banners and very attractive signs (See a flea at 10 times normal size! Check out the horse cyclops! Heartworms! Count the puppies on a pregnant dog's x-ray!) couldn't manage to accomplish no matter how much we supported them.

All in all though, the debut of the HPSS 2009 in sugar town was certainly a sweet one! We hope to see a lot of you again at the Sanilac 4H Fair! Impress those judges with everything you learned about your animals!

Now it's time to get back on the road and ready for the Montcalm County Fair in Greenville! See you there tomorrow morning!

pack it up, pack it in!

2009-07-07T22:01:00.006-04:00

Wow, we are getting so close and so excited/nervous now that we can't even sleep - feels like the first day of school! We only have a few last loose ends to tie up before we hit the road on Thursday and make our big debut in Croswell, MI!

Just before the 4th we got a couple of new microscopes that work GREAT! Dr. Stickle picked us up in her fun new car and together we traveled over to Fee Hall to see what we could find. You will certainly be in for a treat when you gaze into the eyepieces of these fabulous pieces of equipment! The fleas seem to come to life (careful)!

Dr. Stickle and Christina picking out the two best microscopes in Fee Hall

Your HPSS student coordinators finally made it over to the MVMA office today and cleared out the basement! After we got everything we needed together, we realized how much we had and we decided to go back and get the trailer! It turns out Ryan is an EXCELLENT trailer driver, and he even backed it into his garage! The only problem is that neither Ryan or Christina has mastered the very important skill of packing the trailer yet . . . and we had a few things topple over on our way back from the MVMA office today. No worries though, our goal tomorrow is to find a perfect packing method before we leave for the long drive on Thursday! We might even pack the fragile objects with some of everyone's favorite packing material - bubblewrap!

Take 1: The packing disaster (stay tuned for a picture of our second attempt).

We've got another long day ahead of us tomorrow, but we know we will be ready by Thursday. We CAN'T WAIT to hit the road and come meet all of you. We especially can't wait to show off all of these amazing veterinary tools and models we've been collecting over the past couple months. See you all on Thursday July 9th at the Croswell Fair!

getting warmer . . . hot!

2009-06-24T21:37:00.013-04:00

Perhaps inspired by the extreme heat and humidity, your HPSS student coordinators are off to a HOT start! We all got together for an HPSS pow-wow at a great little coffee house in Stockbridge, Michigan. Christina (who has an awful sense of direction) got lost in Hamburg on the way to the meeting, but finally she made it just in time! Ironically, as she was passing a sign for Hell, Michigan on the way home, she was pulled over by a policeman who claimed she hadn't paid for the gasoline she had just pumped. Not to worry though; there was simply a mistake made by the gas station attendant as to which pump she had used, and they quickly let her carry on her way after straightening out the mix-up.

Erin, Christina, Ryan, and Dr. Rode in Stockbridge

After a very productive meeting, everyone did eventually arrive back in East Lansing safely and we once again set to work! We met with Dr. Stickle in the veterinary hospital's clinical pathology laboratory, and she was very excited to help us teach you about blood! Dr. Stickle also helped us find a new microscope to call our own this summer, which was much needed! Now you will be able to take a look at fleas, ticks, and microfilaria up close and personal!

Christina checking out the great posterboard Dr. Stickle made in the clinical pathology laboratory.

We were also able to get you the newest issue of Perspectives Magazine, and we will be passing those out at the HPSS very soon (along with a very cool veterinary coloring page)! Ryan has been building up his biceps this summer taking care of nine Bernese Mountain Dog puppies (in between all of our HPSS adventures), and he was therefore so ready to pack up the magazines into our HPSS vehicle!

Ryan loading up the very heavy Perspectives Magazines!

Until next time, we will continue gathering anything and everything veterinary to bring your way this summer!

just around the corner

2009-06-14T22:16:00.014-04:00

Phewee! Your veterinary student coordinators have been working extra hard this week! We are gathering what we think are some really awesome specimens for us to bring your way this summer (starting July 9th in Croswell)! We first visited Dr. Patterson at the Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health (a really cool place to visit!), where he let the HPSS borrow a few excellent examples of veterinary pathology. Having just finished our pathology courses, we recognized a lot of the specimens from pathology lab (and from our tests) and can't wait to teach you all about them!

Dr. Patterson and Ryan with a model of the equine airways and a horse cyclops.

After DCPAH, we made our way over to the College of Veterinary Medicine, which felt a little strange at first since we are technically on our last summer break. We quickly remembered where everything was though (which wasn't difficult, considering we've spent the last two years there) and bumped into a few of our favorite professors who were more than happy to help with the HPSS!

Now we don't want to spoil the fun, but we will tell you that some of your old favorites are back from last year, as well as a lot of brand new models and surprises! I hope you've all brushed up on your parasitology and especially anatomy this past year . . . because we've certainly come up with a few fun challenges for any future veterinarians out there!

Christina looking very strong carrying a box of anatomy models headed to the HPSS!

Ryan having fun with one of our largest new additions!

Lastly, we wanted to introduce all of you to our new Flickr page where we will be posting all of the photographs we take on our adventures with the HPSS. On the right hand side of this blog, there is a link to the HPSS Flickr site where you can view every photograph we take this summer (even the ones we take on bad hair days . . . that don't make it to the blog)!

We have many more places to visit in the next few weeks (including radiology!) where we will continue to gather the best of the best veterinary demonstrations for the HPSS fans out there! Let us know if you have any requests, and we will keep you posted as usual!

ready, set, go!

2009-06-02T13:20:00.032-04:00

Good afternoon fair-goers, friends, and veterinary enthusiasts!

As the Michigan fair season is just around the corner, you'll be very excited to hear that the Healthy Pet Surgical Suite team is once again busy preparing the exhibit for its 2009 debut! Your 2009 student coordinators (Christina and "the other Ryan") will be testing out the waters at the Croswell Agricultural Society Fair, July 9-11 (that's only one month and six days away, not that we're counting)!

Christina (light blue bandana) and Ryan (white bandana) with their vet-school dodgeball teammates!

Ryan, Marcia (a fellow veterinary student), and Christina enjoying Sonic ice cream at the Veterinary Symposium

We (Ryan and Christina: see our pictures above!) have been working very hard to get the exhibit ready for you, and we've added a few improvements and new demonstrations that you'll certainly want to check out! We have recieved a plethora of resources and advice from the MVMA and the 2008 student coordinators (thank you!), and we think we have everything we need to make the 2009 HPSS the greatest show on earth!
.
As you are reading this, we are collecting and assembling all sorts of creatures, instruments, and awesome veterinary displays. We would like to thank our many friends at the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) for letting us use their amazingly fun learning materials! We think its awesome that our professors are just as excited as we are to bring the very best and most interesting specimens to all of you (who don't get to see them every day like we do)!

We would like to keep you posted on our progress as we travel throughout the wonderful state of Michigan this summer (and as we get ready to do so). Be sure to check back for more exciting updates here, and also to check out the HPSS website! We can't wait to meet you!

another (off-season) happy birthday!

2008-12-16T18:14:00.000-05:00

Happy 24th Birthday to Lindsey, HPSS coordinator extraordinaire!!

blondie and twinkletoes cross the straits

2008-07-30T23:38:00.010-04:00

Mackinac Island Summer Conference. One for the books: luxury and fanciness, nature and recapturing childhood, networking like mad, and a breather on the marathon race to the end of the summer with HPSS. In short, lots of fun, and lots of fudge!

[on the ferry]

Lindsey, being a horrible Michigander, had never been to Mackinac Island before, and was very thrilled to be going up with Dr. Rode (Paula), Ryan, and Rachel (a prodigy of Dr. Rode's, an anatomy partner to the valiant HPSS duo, and a roommate to Lindsey) to such a fabled idyllic place. After a short night of little sleep post-calving in the Thumb, the caravan left bright and early, and arrived on the Mackinac City shore just in time to catch the last ferry to get to the MVMA Executive Board meeting on time. Pulling a quick Superman-esque change in the rental condo, we as a trio headed to the Grand Hotel to present about the summer's successes and the future of the project to the MVMA Executive Board.

Lindsey and Ryan gave a enthusiastic and well-received presentation to representatives from regions across Michigan, the Dean of the MSU CVM, AVMA representatives, MVMA Preseidents past and future, and many other important movers and shakers in the world of organized veterinary medicine. After many questions and congratulations, the meeting continued through the afternoon. Desperately in need of a nap and/or some food, we pushed on and made it to the President's Reception later that evening, where we all were able to talk about the HPSS (among other things) at length with folks from the afternoon's meeting. All in all, a great day for helping to secure the HPSS as an MVMA exhibit in upcoming fair seasons!

Day two consisted of educational neurology lectures, a little shopping 'downtown' and a very formal reception on the porch of the Grand Hotel. Everyone was dressed to the nines as we took in the view from the historic hotel and were assisted in networking by the fabulous Dr. Lloyd, a favorite professor of ours from MSU. At dinner, we made some connections and hatched plans for a possible spay-neuter trip around the Virgin Islands post-graduation... now that would be a treat! Even as early in the stay as this, Dr. Rode's aunt Marcia had established (and frequently used) her own nicknames for the two of us- Blondie (Lindsey) and Twinkletoes (Ryan). If only we had a nickel for every time we heard these through the trip... we could pay off our vet school loans!

On the third day, we were able to recapture our childhood and break away from the conference. The three of us students rented bikes and took a leisurely ride around the Island, stopping along the way, of course, to take in the sights such as Arch Rock, the bridge, and banks of wildflowers growing along the shore. We also, Rachel in particular, spied and were fascinated by the towers of rocks built along the water's edge in so many places. At a stop near the end of our ride, the urge to contribute to the trend was just too great and we took time to build our own mineral masterpieces (some more complex and time-consuming than others...)

Another urge struck after we had purchased fudge and met back up with Paula that afternoon, where both she and Ryan broke down and bought kites to fly in the breeze in a local park.

It was straight out of a postcard as the new high flyers took off into the wind... except for the rain that rolled in and later ended our kite-flying spree, but only marked the perfect time for us to head back for our final dinner on the Island. And a delicious one at that! Best sweet potato french fries EVER! (not that we've had a lot in our lives...) Our last stop was the animal-themed party back at the Grand Hotel. LOTS of zebra stripes, feathers, and fur flying to the jungle beat of tunes mixed by the lovely Karlene!

After a long and relaxing weekend on the gem of a destinantion that is Mackinac, we headed back to get right back on the tour. Time to stay close to home at Ingham County Fair - look out, Mason!

all-star break

2008-07-18T11:06:00.000-04:00

Sadly for all you lovely people of Michigan, Lindsey and Ryan, given their positions in the Student AVMA, are currently enjoying the mid-summer heat and humidity of the South with America’s pastime: business vacation. Your favorite HPSS Student Coordinators will be enjoying a taste of the bayou at the AVMA Conference in New Orleans from July 19-22.

Beforehand, each has an extra objective: Ryan in Florida visiting friends, Lindsey with a group of MSU veterinary medical and technology students volunteering to help rehabilitate animal shelters still in need of repair in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Then it’s time to reconnect for meetings with friends and fellow leaders from veterinary schools around the country, not to mention eating delicious creole food and enjoying all the Big Easy has to offer!

Once home, it’ll be intense laundry action, repacking, and straight back over to the Thumb for the Sanilac County Fair in Sandusky, MI. We hope to see some familiar faces from Croswell, among others, there on July 24-26! See you there!!

a new decade

2008-07-11T11:20:00.002-04:00

Happy Birthday to HPSS Radiology superstar, Max, the YOUNGEST student on the team, who turns 20 today! Have a good one, youngin'!

cyclops is the new black

2008-07-08T22:09:00.000-04:00

Kids Day at the Eaton County Fair - A huge opportunity for a busy day at the exhibit...And was it ever! We were able to talk to just under 400 people- adults and children alike- as the weather held out through the afternoon. Everyone wanted to see what we were all about, and get a hands-on experience with the tools and excitement of vet med. We were able to teach a lot of people about parasites, fractures, animal restraint, and everything in between. We also quickly found the plasticized pathology models from Dr. Patterson to be a great addition to the exhibit, and a huge hit with the crowds, particularly one group of young men who were fascinated with the equine cyclops: One wouldn’t even touch it, while others stared, covered their mouths, and were, essentially, floored. It was enthusing to see nearly grown fellas show such interest. It was more disconcerting to be offered $50 for it, which, of course, we had to decline. :]

We also were fortunate enough to be graced with the presence of special visitors Jeff and Kyle, who knew Lindsey from undergraduate time at MSU and also thoroughly enjoyed all the exhibit had to offer in additon to catching up a bit.

The day ended in fireflies and mosquitoes once again, and after a final show of radiology as the light faded, we packed up and tucked in after a memorable nonstop day at the Fair.

"when in doubt, swing it out"

2008-07-07T00:23:00.001-04:00

Back out on the beat with the HPSS!

We have been gearing up to get back on the fair circuit since our first highly successful jaunt to Croswell. Fixing the broken tent, adding new displays, and securing all the proper pieces of the surgical mock-up for the rest of the summer have been on our agendas since our return in mid-June.

Next on the schedule, a short drive down to Charlotte, MI for the Eaton County Fair. Seeing as how it was after a long holiday weekend, we first had to pick up the trailer (as the supplies were an extremely tight fit in the SUV without the surgery equipment) for the rest of the tour, which was stored at the Lansing Airport. George, being the great trailer-lending guy that he is, met us there to set us up.

[Here is an excellent time to point out that none of us have even a bit of experience with driving, hauling, or maneuvering a trailer. One might imagine this could cause a bit of apprehension. More on that later.]

George informed us, upon arrival, that we would need a new ball hitch to fit the trailer. Lucky for us, there happens to be a specialty trailer store just down the street: "Hitches & More." Special thanks to the employees there for helping us do a quick change-out and get us back on track. After a little (ok, a lot) of adjusting and fanagling, we lined up and hooked up the trailer appropriately, got the electrical connections working (back down at Hitches & More), and started back to East Lansing to pack her up. Our final piece of advice from George: "Be good, and when in doubt, swing it out." Advice well taken.

Once everything (and we mean everything- quite a load we have amassed!) was packed, a severe line of storms complete with absolute downpour stopped us in our tracks and we waited out the deluge in East Lansing. Finally, in the late afternoon, we were able to pull out and head down the highway (shakily and with completely deliberate sluggishness) to the charming town of Charlotte.

Theo of the Fair Board met us there on the grounds as we entered, and we were lucky enough to find that he had big-rig experience: so lucky, in fact, that he was able to maneuver the vehicle into our exhibit space like a true pro. In intense post-rain humidity, we set about putting up the display, with care taken to support the wounded tent, the replacement frame for which we had not yet received. The IV pole inside the surgical tent got to serve double duty as a strut, and more creative taping and splinting went a long way to keep everything in working order and looking snazzy.

Fully set up, finally, we got to meet the fine people of Eaton County! All evening, under heavy mosquito attack, we were able to share the wonders of vet med with about 100 kids, families, and many an interested passerby. The nightfall helped in showing off the illumination our x-rays and we found ourselves busy with plenty of visitors! Even with the unexpectedly late start, we had a grand opening day at Eaton, and look forward to another with everyone tomorrow at Kids Day!

cast-a-rate

2008-06-16T11:01:00.006-04:00

After battling with Friday the 13th, the HPSS team cautiously took a morning of relaxation, heading into nearby Lexington to see the sights, take in Lake Huron, and catch lunch before the last day in Croswell. We found plenty of fun- a beautiful shore, a beach wedding setup, families relaxing, and, of course, a photo opportunity of unforeseen proportions. A kind man visiting from Texas offered his photography services, and made sure we were believable as heads on bodies:

We had hoped to see him at the Fair later that day, but sadly, he never stopped by.

After a casual sightseeing morning and lunch at the local tavern, we approached the fairgrounds, playing “Final Countdown” at full volume (of course), from Lindsey’s iPod, transmitted on FM, with Max tailgating precariously close to the rear bumper to receive the signal and get pumped up, too. The friendly gate attendant greeted us as usual, but also had a bone to pick with us: last night, her grand-daughter came up to her and asked what ‘cast-a-rate’ meant, and the woman told us she could have just strangled us for opening that can of worms. Testes were NOT something she was planning on discussing that evening, ha.

Without the threat of rain, we had another fantastic day, talking with many more people about pets, parasites, veterinary medicine, and life. We even were fortunate enough to get our hands on some animals when the box of kittens we were promised to meet showed up for sexing- four girls and one boy- and we got some adorable fuzzy baby kitty time. We also were introduced to three ducklings that needed sexing, and Lindsey’s imdergraduate summer as a goose bander -slash- herder living at the Bird Sanctuary of MSU’s Kellogg Biological Station came in quite handy.

We also got to see some of our hard work pay off as we noticed repeat customers to the exhibit. One in particular, a boy of about 9 named Hunter, stopped by to learn about everything we had to show, and promptly ran off to bring his mother back to teach her (almost verbatim) everything all the displays, and then again with an aunt or anyone he could find, showing off over and over again just how much of an adorable smartypants he really was.

Finally, as the light started to fade, it was time to say goodbye. Jeff of the Fair Board came to wish us off as we started to pack up, and brought his family to check out the goods we had, as one of his daughters wanted to be a veterinarian and he knew she would love . everything we had to offer. However, her mother explained, she is highly allergic to pet hair, and they’re pretty sure she couldn’t be a veterinarian because of it, so she’s trying to figure out what else to be when she grows up. Well it just so happens they found the right people to talk to, as Lindsey explained that there are veterinarians whose job it is to look in microscopes or work in offices as teachers or researchers, or senators or public health officials, and they all went to vet school. Even though they don’t treat animals every day, they still help animals stay healthy in lots of different ways by learning about disease or how we should feed animals or almost anything! You should have seen her eyes light up upon learning she can still follow her dream of becoming a veterinarian... that's what makes this so worth it.

And if that wasn’t enough, as we were about to close up the completely (COMPLETELY.) full vehicle, an older woman came up to us to tell us that she just had to find us to thank us, because her grandkids were so excited about the things we showed them yesterday that they told her it was the best part of their day at the Fair. She said that she couldn’t get them to slow down about everything they saw, and the enthusiasm in their learning was unbelievable. It was a perfect ending to the first outing for our tour.

As we drove back to East Lansing in an inspiring lightning storm, we discussed just how much we look forward to meeting more people all around the state and spreading the fun and excitement of veterinary medicine- it’s been so fun for us so far. Til next time!

Friday the 13th

2008-06-14T00:14:00.015-04:00

"What day of the week is it?"
"Friday."
"And the date?"

"The thirteenth."

"Exactly."

In true superstitious fashion, the day of grim misfortune struck the HPSS in full force. Lucky for us, it tangled with good humor and those able to laugh about the ensuing string of ridiculous near-catastrophic failures...

As we prepared to leave our hotel for lunch and setup at the second day of the fair, we received our first indication that today might not go exactly as planned: a phone call from the fair board informing us that our tent was found perilously flipped and crumpled a few hundred yards from where it had been all night. With dropped jaws and on empty stomachs, we rushed to investigate the damage:

...which was, to say, quite extensive. If we're honest, it hurt to look at it. We sheepishly gathered ourselves and set in on deconstructing the wounded beast, removing each panel and attempting to keep the frame in its proper orientation. We found that two support struts were broken, snapped off at their hinges, and one corner was badly bent. Thankfully, having just finished our stint in fourth semester Musculoskeletal, we were able to use some ingenuity (in the form of stakes and copious duct tape) to fixate the fractures above and below the affected joint (shout out to Dr. DeCamp), and got our girl back up on her feet pretty well in just under an hour.

Not too shabby. For our efforts, we found a local mexican restaurant and decided to take our lunch leisurely, applauding our damage control efforts and laughing at the irony of our day thusfar. Upon our return, we were ready for more hours of bringing veterinary medicine to fairgoers, and started to set up our displays. Almost immediately, one of our two glass-framed spay-neuter posters fell out of our hands and shattered. Pausing for effect, we rolled our eyes and finished putting out our supplies in the gale.

We soon found out that we would be wrangling with the wind for the rest of the afternoon. It decimated our stuffed animals, put our skeleton mascot in harm's way, made us tape down the radiographs, find makeshift paperweights for just about everything, and continue to keep an eye on the tent, which was billowing and shifting as it filled and flounced in the gusts. One particularly strong breeze took hold of our second poster and slammed it down against the back of a chair, spreading glass shards once again.

Well then. This was no ordinary day. We were 0 for 2 on posters, and 0 for smooth success on just about anything. With frustrated smiles, we went on wholehearted.

However, after all of our blood pressures had increased enough with worry for the day, we made the executive decision that the tent, for it's own sake, needed to be packed up for now, so as not to sustain any further wind damage. We removed our splints and carefully took down each piece to keep the frame stable. Packing away the collapsible construct, we began to fold the tent material for storage, which, let me tell you, was no easy task. This was like fighting with some kind of diabolical parachute. As the wind filled the fabric like a sail, one particular side went rogue and headed for our displays- Lindsey had to jump onto and roll herself into it to avoid certain disaster:

With that, we finally let go and had a good laugh at just how hilariously badly today was going, and as we packed away the last pieces of the tent, we felt raindrops, grinned knowingly, and ran around to bring the majority of our non-waterproof exhibit into the trailer for protection. As the rain continued, we decided we now had an excellent reason to explore the animal barns and rest of the fairgrounds, and met a very lazy and sleepy goat kid, plenty of sheep, brown swiss, and a fellow exhibitor who needed some advice about orphaned raccoon kits. It was great to be able to take in the ambiance of the fair, even under the rainy conditions. Croswell is a great place.

Shortly thereafter, once we were able to truly take a breather and contemplate (over elephant ears, the great inspirer) in the crowded trailer, we decided we would not just roll over. No way, Friday the 13th. We can take you. A little creativity and perserverence go a long way, as we made the effort to morph the HPSS exhibit into more than something that can be taken out by some wind and rain. We set up our displays and goodies inside the trailer, and invited our onlookers inside for a peek at what we had to offer. It felt a little more crowded, and a lot more effort, but we were proud to have soldiered on despite our drawbacks.

It was a much slower and harder-to-bear day, but as we wrapped up, we were reflecting in fondness the way we handled adversity and came out on top. And, of course, we still listened to "Final Countdown" on the way back to the hotel. It was a good day.

kicking off the tour

2008-06-12T23:28:00.005-04:00

Finally, the day of our shining debut for the HPSS!

We had spent much of the night prior getting prepped and attempting (and eventually succeeding, through many feats of spatial reasoning and ingenuity) to fit all of the equipment and exciting demos into the vehicle. On little sleep, we left East Lansing bright and early this morning, headed eastward, and arrived in Croswell just after 9am to meet with the rest of Team HPSS: Drs. Rode and Steep, Max, and Dr. Rode's daughter, Anna, in tow.

With everyone's help, we got everything- the tent, the tables, the banners, the first pictures- all squared away and were ready for business by noon. Everyone around us was interested in just what exactly we were all about, and we were happy to start talking with those who stopped by.

Throughout the beautiful day until we shut down at around 10pm, we talked with about 200 fairgoers about everything we brought along to show off--- jars of all sorts of parasites, microscope slides, unusual radiographs, and the setup inside the tent (complete with our surgical patient for the weekend, Ryan's stuffed tiger, who was a real crowd-pleaser!).

We also were offered the chance to perform a goat castration on a local caprine (which, being veterinary students without liscences, we had to politely decline), and Ryan got to make use of his exotic medicine books in a discussion about husbandry and nutrition for pet iguanas. In all of the excitement, we forgot about the sunscreen for a few high-sun hours, and had to make an emergency run for SPF when some of the fairer-skinned members of the team started looking well-done. (We heard a lot of "oh my, did you get some sun" and "wow, are you really red"... oops.) During the evening, we were amazed by the genius of our budding veterinary audience in a presentation of radiology rounds with some of the most interesting x-rays in our collection.

After an excellent day at the fair representing the most excellent profession there is, we packed up in the trailer (special thanks to Jeff Butler of the Croswell Fair Board for providing such a great space!), we headed out to our hotel, halfway between Croswell and the lakeside town of Lexington. Max, having been there earlier in the day to check in and pick up the keys, had no trouble, but when Ryan and Lindsey found themselves staring at Lake Huron, decided they had maybe gone too far. A quick call to Max ("It's the only well-lit parking lot on the route"), and all was well. Well, except for not being able to find the actual hotel keys. Dang. After a return trip to the fairground proved unsuccessful, the keys were found in the duffel bag of a certain sunburned invidual (who shall remain nameless). Sleep was nearly instantaneous after an exciting first day on the tour. Can't wait for more.

a quarter century!

2008-06-08T11:29:00.001-04:00

Happy 25th Birthday to our OLDEST Student Coordinator: RYAN!
Have a great day with your family, buddy!

ready to launch

2008-06-06T23:44:00.001-04:00

Hello!

The Michigan fair season is about to begin, and as leaders of the traveling HPSS exhibit, who will be out there in the trenches, criss-crossing the state and spreading all the excitement of the veterinary profession to as many of Michigan's people as possible, we are both anxiously awaiting the first stop on our summer tour in just under a week: Croswell Agricultural Society Fair, from June 12-14th.

We have been working hard to prepare the exhibit for its debut, and know that you will all enjoy what we have prepared. Personally, we can't wait to show off what we've done! The MVMA has put many resources behind us to help us succeed, and we couldn't have made this what it is without their support (of all sorts)! Many thanks to everyone involved thusfar for believing in the project.

Additionally, thanks to our many friends at the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM), we have assembled a great variety of touchable, interactive, and unbelievably fun educational materials that will bring the aspects of vet med that we love so much to all of you out there who don't get to experience it every day as we do!

Visit our home site, healthypetsurgicalsuite.googlepages.com, to see our tour schedule and find out when we'll be in a community near you! Please come out and see us at one of our summer venues, as we're excited to meet new faces and get to know each unique region of our state.

See you all in Croswell, and then on to the rest of the state!
Lindsey and Ryan