Scrubs, Stethoscopes, and Scalpels- The Life of a Vet Student: San Antonio Calls...

One of the really great things about veterinary school are the opportunities. This weekend I got to go down to San Antonio for the annual American Association of Equine Practitioners convention. I had been excited about this since the president of our student chapter first announced it a couple months ago. And an 8 hour car ride and about 530 miles later here I am.

Even though we didn’t arrive in San Antonio until about 1:30 in the morning, the first thing Mike and I did was go to the riverwalk. I mean, you have to. And while everything but the bars were closed, the Christmas lights were still on (even though I am fully against Christmas lights before Thanksgiving, I will admit that it was very beautiful) and it was nice to not have to shove past people on the sidewalks, except for all the drunk people. But we found the convention center, I took my pictures as best I could at night, and I went back to the hotel excited for the next day.

Of course, the next day when I tried to find the convention center I got completely lost. I don’t know what it was about having the sun up that made me unable to get my bearings and find the right street. Eventually I just parked in a parking garage by the Hyatt hotel (which has part of the river running through it’s lobby, which is awesome) and walked from there. And somehow, by a stroke of luck I had lost the convention center but found the Alamo. So of course I had to stop for pictures and go inside. It’s not really much- a stone building with a courtyard and a museum that is really more of a gift shop than anything else- but I get to say that I’ve been to the Alamo, and that’s what counts. But really, it was a nice building too, just a lot of construction going on from the look of it. But no pictures inside, and no touching the walls, or they will come after you.

So after a little sidetrack I was back on a mission to find the convention center, and I was wandering up and down the sidewalks of the riverwalk trying to take pictures without having to stop. Finally I got there (about 2 hours after it had started) and went inside to pick up my registration packet. And then the fun started.

Trade shows are like playgrounds for adults. Lots of freebies, and (if it’s a subject you’re interested in) lots of new toys that you want to touch and play with. A lot of the vendors seemed to have endoscopes or other diagnostic equipment, which really doesn’t do much for me at this point since I don’t need it, but I did stop by Purina to see the new food samples (and get freebies) as well as a couple other stalls. That’s pretty much the point of a trade show, in my opinion. Freebies. My favorite was the free co-flex I got, which came in handy to wrap up the blisters I got on my toes from my shoes. And you know you belong in the equine industry when your first choice for a bandaid is vet wrap rather than actual bandaids.

I think the highlight though, by far, was meeting Kate Chenery Tweedy, the daughter of Penny Chenery, who was the owner of Secretariat, the greatest racehorse of all time. She was there signing copies of her new book, Secretariat’s Meadow, so of course I picked up a copy. And I got to talk to her about Secretariat’s life and his retirement, as well as equine nutrition and how it played a part in Secretariat’s death (apparently he weighed 1200 lbs when he went to stud and died- weighing 1900 lbs- from laminitis). We talked about the importance of exercise and understanding how that and nutrition and everything else play a factor. Really, it was such a joy to meet her, and I am just grateful I got over my shocked tongue-tied stage and got to say anything to her, let alone talk equine nutrition and management. And she signed my book “Best wishes in your DVM career! Keep Secretariat’s spirit with you! Best hopes to you- Kate Chenery Tweedy.” Yes, I am ridiculously excited about that.

And then there are all the information seminars. I went to a couple about breeding, having to do with improving semen quality through processing and about endometritis in mares (systemic vs intrauterine antibiotics). (Ignore my inner nerd coming out please) And it’s funny, but I used to hate breeding. But take enough breeding classes and foal out enough mares and I guess you begin to like it. Because now I like it. And it felt awesome to sit in that room with all these equine vets and listen to some of the top researchers and academics in the field and feel a part of it.

And then after work (which really isn’t work) you get to play. So I hit up the riverboat tour, which was a lot of fun. I feel like the riverwalk is like idealized Europe but with obnoxious American accents. But that’s okay, because it really is beautiful, even with the Christmas tree and lights up before Thanksgiving. And the comedy club and the bars and clubs lining the riverwalk were the perfect end to the day. And at least I didn't fall in... apparently that happens a lot. Especially around the bars (wonder why).

The next day we hit up the Tower of the Americas for lunch, which is the space needle of San Antonio. I didn’t know that San Antonio even had a space needle, but they do, conveniently located right next to the convention center. It was like a giant sign in the sky you'd have to be blind to miss.

So we went up to the top of the tower, and I spent pretty much the entire time while waiting for our table and during lunch jumping up and taking pictures of San Antonio as the tower observation deck rotated. The views were spectacular, and oh yeah, the food was ok too. (Kidding, the food was excellent.) I have to say though, I do not recommend eating in a spinning restaurant after a night out drinking.

I managed to hit up the two seminars that I had really been looking forward to after lunch, the seminars on acupuncture. This was really why I had wanted to come to the convention in the first place. I am planning on getting certified after I graduate, and I loved hearing practicing equine acupuncturists talk about the recent case studies and the work that they do. I learned a lot too... I knew a lot about the basics they talked about and acupuncture for treating lameness, since that was my own senior seminar topic. But apparently acupuncture can treat a lot more than that, and can even help realign the body, which I hadn’t realized. It was the perfect seminar to end the day on before another 8 hour drive back home to Stillwater, 2 quizzes, and an 8:00 am class.