with Leo's dog Dina
This week I did my first solo surgery! It was a spay on a cat with no name. It took over an hour and a half, but it felt like 15 minutes. Diego said my sutures are beautiful (porque la mano de la mujer es más linda y mejor para coser)and I'm just happy that the cat survived. It came in the next day for its second antibiotics shot and, thankfully, looked great.
the finished product
In the same day, I learned a Japanese acupuncture trick through Diego of all people. We were amputating the infected toe of a Basset Hound when it died on the table. Diego ran and got a needle and poked it in the dog's nose, which apparently stimulates the respiratory system. The dog came back to life. It was amazing--probably something I won't learn in the States but a trick I'll never forget.
The rest of the week was quite sad. A dog broke his spine, a bird came in with a tumor in its mouth, a puppy named Max has parvovirus, and we had to tell a lady her cat has leukemia and everyone (EVERYONE) started crying. Compare this to last summer, where basically all the animals at the clinic I worked at came in for vaccinations or ear infections.
I'm so glad that I came to Ecuador and that I'm learning so much; it really has been the perfect program for me. I'm getting tons of experience hours and seeing the country at the same time. I truly love this place and I think I'll be back someday.
My internship is almost over, but that means it's almost time for my mom and aunt Annie to come see Quito and go to the Galápagos, the islands with more species of animals than anywhere else on earth. I'm so excited!
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