Collin Meyer - Hawaii
This summer, I spent 3 weeks working for a small animal and exotics practice located in Kailua, a town on the windward coast of Oahu, Hawaii. Over my time at Makai Pet Hospital, I was able to experience a wide range of surgical, medical, and holistic cases- improving my technical skills while also learning more about the unique melting pot of Polynesian, American, Japanese, and military cultures present on the Hawaiian Islands. These various groups had different expectations and needs for pet care that played a major part in our daily clinical work.
There was also an increased demand for holistic medicine, which abled me to further my understanding of many integrative medicine techniques such as acupuncture, laser therapy, and herbal medicine. I also learned of a new technique called ozone therapy that was we used on wide range of inflammatory disease processes. During my stay we also happened to have an influx of kittens and a bulldog c-section that taught me a lot more about small animal neonatal care. The clinic normally takes 4th years, so they weren’t sure what I was capable and comfortable with at the start. So, if I were to change anything, I would try to be more proactive earlier on asking to get involved!
The connections I made at the practice also introduced me to multiple marine animal organizations, a field I am incredibly passionate about. I spent a day attending a training put on by the University of Hawaii Stranding Lab, where a small group of interested veterinarians from each of the islands flew to Oahu to meet with NOAA representatives and learn how to implement a stranding response. We used the same incident command system I learned at Davis for oiled wildlife and wildfires, which was exciting to see how I can apply the basics I learn at school to other species and scenarios. We also spent time working with live dolphins, learning anatomy, restraint, and sample collection techniques. We then moved on to mock scenarios with inflatables on the resort beaches, which must have been very amusing for the beachgoers.
Additionally, I was connected with veterinarians at Sea Life Park, where I got to shadow and assist with their various marine mammals and sea turtle reproduction projects. When meeting with their new graduate veterinarian I was able to learn a lot about what it takes to get into a field like this early on which was very beneficial when thinking about choosing rotations and externships for my fourth year. In my spare time I traveled the island hiking, going to museums, and attending the Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture. This is a large event held every 4 years and it was Hawaii’s first-time hosting so they wanted to make a good impression. I was able to meet not only Hawaiians, but people from all over Polynesia- including observing a ceremony by the prime minister of Fiji! None of this would have been possible without the generous funding from Global Programs and the support from all of the wonderful people at Makai Pet Hospital. Mahalo!