Prep for 2 Hour Presentation

So, I decided to take on the task of making my presentation room look like the inside of a dog's body. I cut up some swimming noodles today and some newspaper  to paper mache the noodles to look like ribs. I'm going to mount the ribs on the wall to imitate the thoracic cavity of a dog.

Cancer of Cuteness

So, obviously, these kittens don't have a whole lot to do with my senior project, but they do have the cancer of cuteness, so that should kind of count. 

These first two pictures are from the first week that I had the kittens. Conor, the tabby, had a bacteria infection when I first found him. I had to isolate him from his brothers for a few days, make him special formula with extra vitamins, and pretty much rock him to sleep every night because he was so restless. He eventually got better after a week or so. 

 These are more recent pictures of the kittens. They are about five/six weeks old here. 

Taking care of these kittens has been draining to say the least. For the first two weeks, I barely got any sleep because I had to wake up every two hours to hand feed them with a little bottle. Although they don't have to be hand fed anymore, they require so much love and attention. As soon as I come home after school, they crawl all over me and hand onto me so I can't get up. It's going to be really difficult giving them away to new homes, but this has been an amazing experience that I will never forget. 

Blog 25: Mentorship

Literal:

Mentorship Log

Southern California Animal Hospital

Dr. Kumar

(626) 330-4558

Interpretive:

The most important thing I have gained from volunteering at Southern California Animal Hospital is learning more about the veterinary field. I learned how to mix vaccines, administer vaccines, learned the names of medications, learned how to give medications, acquainted myself with veterinary clinic procedures, and other such things. I think all of these things I have learned will give me an advantage when I pursue a career in this field. 

Applied:

Although I haven't had much experience with cancer while working at SC Animal Hospital, there was one cat that was being treated there for leukemia. I was able to work with the doctor when he was giving the cat her chemotherapy. The chemo therapy that the cat was receiving was called Ocreotide. This was initially going to be one of my answers, but after seeing the affects that it had on the cat with leukemia, I decided against it. 

Blog 24: Exit Interview

1. Question: What medical treatment gives a senior dog diagnosed with stage two Insulinoma the best quality of life before its passing? 

Answer: If surgical removal, somatostatin, and diazoxide with predinose can treat a dog with Insulinoma, then the best medical treatment is diazoxide with predinose because this combination of medication not only alleviates the symptoms brought on by hypoglycemia, but it also slows down the progression of the cancer. 

2. I chose diazoxide with prednisone as my best answer because of my extensive research on the topic and the experiences I have had with my own dog who has Insulinoma. Belle, my dog, was on many different medications before we tried treating her with diazozide with predniosone. When we switched her over to this medication combination, we saw an instant change in her mental and medical health. 

3. The hardest problem that I faced was trying to find mentorship. Most veterinarian clinics require that their volunteers be 18 or older because of liability issues. At first, I settled for volunteering at a dog shelter called Beagles N Buddies, but it wasn't giving me the experience and knowledge that I really needed for my senior project. Fortunately Reann told me about a vet clinic where she volunteered, Southern California Animal Hospital. I was able to start volunteering there immediately and gained much more experience volunteering there than at the dog shelter. 

4. One of my most important sources was a case report from the National Center for Biotechnology Information called Improved Survival in a Retrospective Cohort of 28 Dogs with Insulinoma. This case report gave me valuable information that I used for science experiment and also gave me a better idea of the survival times of dogs who are diagnosed with this cancer. My second best source is my dog Belle (even though Purther told me she was a valid source). Belle has given me a first hand look at how Insulinoma affects dogs. It's one thing to read about it in papers or hear it from a veterinarian, but it's a whole other thing to see it for yourself. She showed me exactly what areas of the body the cancer attacks and how the body reacts to certain medications. The other reason why she is my best source is because without her, I never would have recognized my passion for veterinarian oncology. I initially thought that I wanted to just be a small animal veterinarian, but now I know that I want to be an oncologist.

5. My product is gained knowledge of the veterinarian field. This includes learning new terminology, knowing what purposes certain medications serve, how to make and administer vaccines, how to give medications, the protocol in veterinarian clinics, rehab for injured dogs, and conquering my fear of watching surgeries. I gained all these skills through the time I spent volunteering at the Southern California Veterinarian Hospital.

Blog 23: 2014 Interview

1. Jon Shoemaker
    East House

2. Essential Tremors, is diagnosed with it
    Stage Managing/Stage Crew, become interested in it through drama

3. Try to find a doctor to shadow
    Possibly stage manage a play

4. Gabriel s presentation on stage managing

5. Q: What are the steps to being successful in senior year?
    A: Finding a solid mentorship
        Using research checks to your full advantage

Blog 22: Three Column Chart

Link to Three Column Chart