Postville Vets

So last week was spent riding around with various vets from the Postville Vet Clinic on their farm calls. In short, it was a really good time! I got to see a lot of different farms, and it made me realize that the ones we were on this summer really are pretty up-to-date in comparison to most. I also got to see several different styles of vet work. Some I liked more than others, but none were particularly bad - I think they all had clients who favored them. There were many, MANY DA surgeries. (DA = displaced abomasum for those who don't know, although that may not help you much. Basically a compartment of the stomach gets stuck where it isn't supposed to be and fills with gas and has to be surgically deflated and returned/stitched to a healthier spot. Google it or IM me if you're really curious.) I got to practice my suturing skills to close up several of those DA incisions. That was pretty fun. I will never, EVER complain about how thick and tough cat skin can be after having to repeatedly pass a big needle through cow hide (aka LEATHER - literally) to close up the incisions. There were also three calf hernia surgeries. They all had their own complications (one had incarcerated bowel, one required a really large hole and a lot of tension-relieving sutures, and the other was on a much older calf who weighed about 800#!) to make for an eventful afternoon. Yes, they were all on the same day. They let me do some suturing there, too. It was a bummer that the first calf I ever helped pull (the uterus had twisted, so we untwisted things and then pulled the calf out) ended up never taking its first breath. She just didn't get any blood flow stuck in there for so long. However, that's part of what you have to deal with as a vet. I definitely think I learned what I wanted this summer and am much more confident in bovine (cow) medicine now. I was even able to diagnose one of the DAs on a farm when one of the vets (she's new and only just turned 24) wasn't super sure about things. That made me feel good. I think I'll complile a list (probably lengthy but not exhaustive) of things I've learned this summer sometime in the next couple weeks. Perhaps you guys can compile some COMMENTS!! :-P

Nice Long 4th of July Weekend

As promised, I thought I'd take some time to share about my holiday. My parents came up on Friday afternoon, and after I had showered off the cow-ness they picked me up for dinner. Mmmmm... steak! Hadn't had any of that since the last time I saw them (aka right after school got out), I think. Then I showed them the Dairy Foundation at NICC. They were milking in the parlor, so they got a nice show from the observation deck. We even saw some humorous manure-splattering of one of the milkers by a little Jersy cow. Then I showed them some pics of my summer and answered lots of questions. I wore them out, and they went to their B&B just a few minutes before Ryan arrived. Yay!

Saturday morning we all went biking - Mom and Dad brought their bikes and rented a couple for Ryan and I from Decorah Cycles. They were nice bikes overall, but rather lacking in the "Seat Comfort" department. Oh well, we all managed a 12 mile ride anyway. Then we went to Will Baker Park for a picnic lunch followed by the climb up to Pulpit Rock. I think they were all as impressed with the view as I was. I was also able to show them the "air conditioner in the woods," which is actually a really nice cold air leak coming from the crevice-filled rocky cliffs. Next we went to Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum. It was nice to see a little more about the culture, because Decorah really does seem to revolve around their annual Nordic Fest. We took a quick hike down the road to the Chick Hatchery, but there were hardly any cute babies left out that close to closing time. However, I did convince my parents to get a "Quality Chick" t-shirt as a b-day gift for me. Dinner was a tasty buffet at a local Chinese restaurant, followed by dessert at The Whippy Dip. We rounded out the evening with a trip to the oh-so-gigantic 3-screen Viking movie theater to see "Cars". Man, talk about a pleasant surprise!! I was expecting a cheesy kiddie flick, but that movie was SOOO hillarious! If you haven't seen it, be sure you do - it's a crowd-pleaser, as is the short beforehand.

Sunday morning Ryan and I went to church, then met my parents for lunch at a little cafe. After that, my parents left for home (Dad had to work on Monday) despite my pleadings to show them Dunning's Spring first. I really hope they can get back here some time to see it. Ryan and I's plan for the rest of the day was to rent some tubes and float down the Upper Iowa River, have a picnic dinner, and maybe hike on some park trails. We went home to change and get ready and I called Decorah Bicycles about tubes - and all their tubes were already out on the river! They expected some to be back around 3, though. Lucky for us it took us awhile to get all covered in sunblock and pack up the dinner, so we arrived just after 3 anyway. However, still no tubes. We were about to head out for a short trail hike to kill time when we saw a van-load of wet people returning tubes. Score 2 tubes for us! We had an interesting float down the river - what with people floating with their dog and separate tubes for floating their coolers, people using a giant raft to hold the whole family, shallow and rocky rapids, nibbling fish, etc it was a very amusing adventure. The weather was great - warm and sunny but not boiling. After we climbed out of the river (and it truly was a climb - my feet got quite dirty in the process) we headed for Dunning's Spring. (See pic for an impression of how cool this place really is.)

Once there, Ryan washed my feet in the chilly spring water, teasing me that I better not be like Peter and ask to have the rest of me washed, too. Then we had a delightful picnic dinner and just chatted for a long time. There's something about a picnic blanket + free time that just = a good talk for Ryan and I. Then we went to the Ice Cave, which stores up cold air in the winter, catches spring thaw water and freezes it, and keeps ice in it til late summer. (Or so they say, I just think it looked like drippy wet walls. Maybe it's just dirty ice that's melting.) Next we went to Palisades Park, where I had not previously ventured. We did a little driving up the hill and then hiked along the cliff-edge trails. Wow, there were some cool views from there! After that it was late and we were tired, so we went back to the apartment for some sleep.

Monday was yet another big hiking day. We started out with my favorite trail that winds its way from the very lovely Phelps Park all the way out to a scenic cliff-top view of highway 52. Now I know you're thinking "What's so scenic about a highway?!" Trust me, this one is - beautiful cliffs, a spring-fed stream and waterfall, lush wild vegetation, bright sun and a nice breeze... Need I say more? After that, we did a shorter trail (the first I ever went on and one of my side-trip adventure spots). Next we headed into town for a late lunch at Mabe's pizza. Mmmmhh... Canadian bacon and pineapple!! Then we contemplated a dip in the pool, but ended up taking a really long nap instead upon returning to the apartment. When we finally woke up, we headed over to play some football at the high school field right next to my apartment. Yes, I actually play football, although pretty much only with my favorite coach, Ryan. He gives great pointers. Ryan tells me I'm pretty good at it, although he is probably biased. :-P

Please ignore how pasty my legs are in that pic! After that we had a late dinner and relaxed while watching some funny TV shows.

On Tuesday morning, we had to face the fact that the toilet was rather clogged. You'd think there'd be plenty of suction and gravity to help you out when you live on the 3rd floor, but apparently that's not true. Others in my group have had similar problems, and this was the second time mine had backed up. Sadly, there was nobody around to borrow a plunger from this time. After an extended Quiet Time at the football field, Ryan and I ran to Wal-Mart and he bought me one. ;-) Then we went to the Decorah Fish Hatchery, where we fed some really excited rainbow and brown trout. As a bonus, they had a cute little waterfall over the dam that redirected water to the hatchery. Then we went home for a hotdog lunch. Sadly, that had to be the end of Ryan's time with me, as he was already late leaving for home. We really did have a great time, though. I think he worded it best as he reflected on the time later: "It was like our first vacation together!" It was certainly fun and memorable, and I look forward to future "vacations" like this one!

That night I watched the Spillville fireworks from the window of my apartment. They were really nice for such a small town. Alas, but then it was the end of the holiday and dairy farm work called in the morning...

Various photos

Here are some of those promised pictures.



This is the view from my apartment.















This is the view from Pulpit Rock.















This is a motorized roller brush that the cows just love to play with at the last farm. Note how her head is up and her face just says "Aaaaaaaahhhhhh..."













This is Spunkie the cat with her 4 adorable babies - they're about 4 days old in this picture. Too bad the little ones seem to have disappeared over the holiday. The dog is a prime suspect. :-(










This cute little squirt is known as "Peanuts' baby". The pic really doesn't show how cute she is, so you'll have to trust me. ;-)

Well, those are some of the best pics of recent farm/area things. Perhaps I'll blog more later about my holiday weekend - it was great! Hope your 4th was fun too!