The 7th Semester Banquet...

One of the last fun things that you do with your classmates once you reach 7th semester is enjoy a nice night out with them, the 7th semester banquet. This semester I was lucky enough to be invited to the 7th semester banquet by my bestest hallmate ever, Kim. It was a really funny night, everyone gets super dressed up and then tells stories about what happened when this person fell down and that person asked a stupid question or whatever. But it is also sad since it means that lots of my friends are leaving St Kitts for good! But geesh... Two days in a row I am posting pictures of me all dolled up... This is NOT normal vet school behavior!!

But here is the gang, of all the people that that are leaving for their clinical year in the states. They will be missed!

End of Semester Awards Ceremony at Ross

End of the semester is a stressful time; finals, wrapping up classes, packing to go home; a sad time; 7th semester friends are leaving, terminal surgeries; and a happy time; 7th semester banquets, awards ceremonies and PARTIES to make us feel better after all that studying!!

Well, at the end of this semester I had the honor to present an award as president of ZEW club to a very deserving individual who has worked down at the zoo for all 7 semesters that she has been here! It was a little nerve racking to be up on stage, but it is always nice to get dressed up and see everyone.

Here I am with my little crew for the night. From left to right Bill, Moi, Jess D (my date), Andy, and Anne-marie. For geeky vet students, we really do clean up nicely!!

EARTHQUAKE IN THE CARIBBEAN

Imagine me, looking through a microscope and trying to determine whether the exudate from a pedal lesion is blastomycosis (enough medical jargon you goof!!) and the whole class starts swaying!!

At about 3pm (Carib time) today, a 7.3 earthquake hit about 300 miles from St kitts. What we felt was no way near the 7.3, but it was pretty surreal to be on a volcanic island and to feel that movement... A little scary to tell you the truth!! I mean, we all know that hurricanes can hit, but volcano?!? I certainly did not sign up for that!

For more info, check out this site http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsus/Quakes/us2007kha5.php And keep your fingers crossed that there arent any more!!

New Oopslaan Pictures

Now if you can imagine these images in a super fast flip book, then you could see the playful Oopslaan that I have been trying to capture on film, but once I move, she darts under the bed. She really is coming out of her shell and warming up to me. I am so used to dogs who will love you immediately, that the subtle nuances of the feline are a challenge to me. Cant wait to introduce her to my grandma, I know that they will be best of friends immediately.
Here she is dozing, after a nice play session with my pen. She has actually told me that she is taking over my study chair, and like a good owner, I have let her stay in this chair while I am studying and brought one from the kitchen for myself. And you think that Rockstar the pug is spoiled??

Home with the tortoises!!

Finally, after a fun filled weekend of monkey surgery, hashes, and dog jogs, it is time for home and studying and of course, hanging out with the tortoises.

Be home 3 weeks from today!!

The Dog Jog

So, one of the campus clubs had a really fun activity, the DOG JOG. It is to raise money for the animals on campus such as the kennel dogs and the tortoises. Everyone gets together for a light stroll with their pets and there is lunch, a bakesale, and a raffle. Everyone has fun, including the dogs and the parents get to relax a bit and let their puppies get all tired out.

Well, as you can see, Rockstar was dressed up in his finest (not for the whole time). I was announcing the raffle winners, so Rockstar wanted to represent how fancy he was!! Of course, everyone thought that I was crazy, but that is nothing new!!

Poor Wilfred Day 1 After Surgery

So, here is Wilfred, all banged up one day after surgery. He looks a wreck, but he is still jumping about, playing around and being a goof ball. We have been treating his pain with everyday aspirin, but crushing it up in some juice and giving him that. Starting tomorrow he will go on some oral antibiotics in bananas too!

A Hash?? What is a Hash??

Since I have been here in St Kitts I have heard about these "hashes" and never really knew what they were... Well yesterday Kim and I took the time to find out. Turns out they are this super fun hike with lots of students and locals. There is one every three weeks and if you go to them you get to see all different parts of the island and meet cool new people!!This weeks hash was on the far side of the island, on the Atlantic side. The meeting site was an old sugar plantatation. Here is Rockstar and Lola posing in front of one of the old smoke stacks.The views were amazing. This is looking inland. The highest peak on the left hand side is Mount Liamuga, the dormant volcano and highest elevation in St Kitts (and I still havent hiked it, what is wrong with me!?!)The view looking out to the ocean isnt too shabby either. This is the Atlantic side of the island, an area that I have seldome explored.
Never mind about the sites, Rockstar had a BLAST. Lots of people bring their kids for a fun Saturday afternoon activity and they flocked to the pug! One of the boys thought it would be fun to see if his hat looked nice on Rockstar... One of my professors daughters Cassie was running Rockstar around during the time before the hike and after the hike... Rockstar loved romping with her and I loved that he passed out once we got home last night!!

Even some of the smaller children were playing with Rockstar. He is so good with kids!!

And Lola made some new friends too (Although definitely NOT with the kids!!) Here she is with her new boyfriend Romeo! He is our friend Amy's super sweet pit mix.

So I guess that I should have more pictures of the scenery during the hike, but the pug was pulling me so fast that I could barely get one picture in! It was a really interesting walk since the cows that roam free in the area were pretty weirded out about seeing rambunctious dogs and screaming children. One black and white cow was charging and everything!! In the end, it was a great workout, a fun walk, and nice time with friends, but there was a surprise. Noone told us "Hash virgins" that there was an initiation rite!! You have to chug a beer while you are introduced to the crowd and then they pour beer over your head while you are chugging. So here are the very surprised "hash virgins": Me, Kim and a classmates wife Bri.

Another Monkey Surgery at the Zoo

Yesterday I get the call that there was a "cage malfunction" at the zoo and that two of the monkeys got cut up while fighting over the broken cage!! (WHAT ANIMALS!!)

So, I called the monkey vet once again, an amazing vet that graduated from ROSS that is willing to help us out with things like this and a GREAT teacher. So we had to fix the cage, drug each of the monkeys and then stitch them up as well as give them tetanus vaccines and some antibiotics. It was quite a bit of work. IN the background in the cage behind him you can see his buddy, Wilfred waking up from surgery, so he is laying on the ground...

What you are seeing here is the second monkey, Joe after a bit of a shot of sedative. He is getting drowsier and drowsier and then my friend Bill grabs him so that we can treat some of his wounds...

Vet school is AWESOME!!

Rocks and Oopslaan

Well, at least they are not fighting!

Finals are Coming!!

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Do Tortoises Like Shoes??

So, every day to every other day, the tortoises get to roam around an area of my apartment after their baths. It allows them exercise and mental stimulation, plus Rockstar loves it as well. But they tend to find lots of hiding places that I have realized over the weeks and have blocked off to them.

Well, last week, while the tortioses were out, Rockstar and I went out for Rockstars walk. We were gone about 20 minutes and when I came back, Fluffy was there waiting for me, but I could not find Opal!! I had the flashlight out and was all over the place looking for this little girl!!

Turns out, she likes shoes! She had crawled into my closet and climbed into a pair of my heels!!

Now, all the websites say that you cannot tell (without dissection) what sex tortoises are until they are 7 years old, but I am pretty sure that Opal is a girl!!

Introducing....... Oopslaan

Ok, there are alot of stray animals in St kitts, they always tug at the heart strings, but I always knew that it would be impossible to get a home for all of them, and that my resources were limited, so I was never one to be adopting every stray animal. But one night about 3 weeks ago, I am leaving the marriott, and there is a cute cat laying on the ground purring... Now most of the cats at the marriott love tourists if they have food, but are not too keen on them if they have known. I reached down and this cat purred louder... Then as I walked away after petting her she actually followed me!

The other thing that you must know is that I am not a cat person. Most cats are too independent, too finicky, too mean for me. But this cat was acting so dog like!! I instantly fell in love with her and after she followed me almost half way home I scooped her up and brought her home.

Now, these pictures are from that night, you can tell that she was DIRTY! I gave her 3 baths in a row (that was fun!!) and the water was black! Her ears had material that I thought didnt even exist (well maybe I was hoping that it didnt exist!!)

But after the initial cleaning and feeding and getting of basic supplies, it hit me... What am I going to do with her (by now the name Oopslaan had become hers - and she liked it instantly)? Mondo is allergic to cats, I am not supposed to have another pet in my apartment, and I have neither the time or the finances for another mouth to feed!! But, alas, everything happens for a reason. And the reason that theis sweet cat would come to me was for my great grandmother! My grandmother has not had a cat for about 4 years now, but is terribly lonely for one! Oopslaan would be perfect for here (GEESH - I hope that she does not read this!)

So, the adventures of Oopslaan will go a bit like this, a stray on the streets of st Kitts, to the home of Krista and Rockstar, flying to the USA, and then to the loving home of G. Gram!!

But there is lots to do before then, vaccinations, flight information, ect... So check back in soon!!

Rockstar the Pug Loves his Tortoise Siblings

The tortoises are really the cutest thing, and I enjoy feeding them and having "play time" every day. I usually put them in the bathroom or living room and let them run around for about an hour each day for play time. They eat during this time (and chase Rockstar!) and then when they start to look for hiding places, they go back in their cage for nap time!












Well Rockstar enjoys this time as well even though he still hasnt quite gotten used to the "walking rocks" around his bathroom. This is his "what the heck is that mom?" Face.

But, the tortoises, and especially Fluffy are very inquisitive and not afraid of Rockstar at all. Here is Fluffy greeting Rockstar (Rockstar was making his whiny noise - so cute!) And not long after that, Rockstar was following Fluffy around the bathroom like a he was his best friend... So cute...
For those of you who own tortoises and are reading this, no dog should ever be trusted around a tortoise unsupervised. Rockstar is a gentle, adult pug with no chase or prey instincts and as a veterinary student I have assessed his personality in this way. Other dogs that frequently chase toys, squirels, ect, should NEVER be around tortoises in this way... I will not disgust you with horror stories of injuries and deaths caused in this way.

The Life of a Pug in the Hood!

Just a reminder, dont mess with pugs!!

This is, by the way, Rockstar's alternate ego for sure!!

Sorry for the lack of posts!! It is all my fault... I have been TA-ing and tutoring and studying and fufilling my ZEW club Presidential duties, but I have not been posting about all those things.... I am thinking that perhaps after this weekend Ill have more time... We will see...

But in the mean time, The pug and I will be hitting American Soil in 32 Days!!