Posts by Werdah Iqbal

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Wise words from the animal kingdom

Posted October 28, 2019

Sadly, we are down to the very last blog of my externship and what an experience it was!!! I loved every single day at the Gray County Veterinary Clinic, I couldn’t have landed at a better clinic. Quite honestly, I ended up at this clinic on a whim – I knew I wanted to complete my externship outside of Ontario but other than that, I was relatively open to where I ended up.

I had talked to a few upper years as to how I should go about finding a clinic but other than that, I was...

Vet Tank

Posted October 7, 2019

On this week’s blog post, I want to cover a topic that perhaps isn’t talked about as much as it should be: the business aspect of a veterinary clinic. I’m guilty of getting so wrapped up in the medicine component of a clinic that I forget being a veterinarian, in particular a practice owner, involves a great deal of business management. Running a clinic entails practicing good veterinary medicine but also, thinking about revenue, training and managing staff, keeping...

A day without surgery is a day without sunshine

Posted September 18, 2019

I’m about six weeks into my externship and at this point, I feel like I’m a character in Grey’s Anatomy. From emergencies to complicated surgeries, it seems as if I’ve seen and dealt with just about everything imaginable. With that being said, the highlight of my time here has definitely been the surgeries, whether it’s a neuter or an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) repair, I’m always pumped to scrub in and get my hands dirty. If I had to do a rough tally, I’ve led about...

YOVO (You Only Vet Once)

Posted September 5, 2019

At this point, I’ve mentioned tirelessly that I’m a city girl, which means that I didn’t grow up seeing or handling large animals and food animals – this includes cows, horses, sheep, goat, pigs and chickens. Aside from a sprinkle of goat, chicken and horse experience, my first time truly working with any of these animals was when I set foot at OVC. It’s safe to say, I didn’t feel comfortable being around any of these species let alone being able to know how to treat them. However, as time went on and we worked with large animals at OVC, I slowly started to trust myself with handling cows, horses and sheep. By the end of Phase III (third year), I was comfortable with dairy cows and horses and...

Once upon a pregnant cow

Posted August 14, 2019

There is no such thing as an “easy day” or “easy week” at the Gray County Veterinary Clinic – a morning packed with surgeries, an afternoon filled with appointments and a handful of off-hour emergencies is what I’ve gotten accustomed to. I wouldn’t have it any other way but after a 55-hour week of being on my feet and continuously using my brain, I typically look forwards to a Friday night of doing absolutely nothing. There was one particular Friday where I did the very opposite...

Jack of all Trades

Posted July 22, 2019

I’ve been a city girl for as long as I can remember. I was born in New York City and eventually when we moved to Canada, I was raised in/near Toronto. The dense population, fast-pace life, hustle and bustle is what I’ve always been accustomed to. So, when I made it to Pampa, Texas for my externship, a town with about 15,000 people, I experienced some very real culture shock. I quickly realized that there was no concept of unfamiliar faces in this town, everything was quiet and calm, and kindness oozed out of everyone. It was different but a good different. I always liked the idea of rural life, so I’m not surprised...

All Roads Lead to OVC

Posted July 15, 2019

 

Hi everyone, my name is Werdah Iqbal and I am entering my clinical and final year of veterinary school! I am thrilled to be participating in the 2019 Externship Blog project. Before I delve into the life a fourth-year student, I figured that a good starting point was to share my journey to veterinary school. My journey has been atypical to say the least, but I wouldn’t change a thing!

I was always passionate about science – from physics to biology, learning how things worked together to form complex biological systems kept me on my feet and wanting to learn...