After we landed in Copenhagen we were able to enjoy
refreshments before touring the large animal hospital. I could not believe that they treat cattle
for free, but after they explained why it made perfect sense. If they did not treat them for free, producers
would not bring them in and students would not have anything to practice
on. This is quite different from my
upbringing as my family would bring a cow in long before they would bring a pet
in. The small animal hospital is quite
nice as they recently redid it. I also
found it interesting that students focus on only one subject at a time. For example, they would only have
introductory radiology for a day or two before receiving cases. They then worked on these cases for two or
three weeks and did not have any other subjects to study. It was also mindboggling that they do not
have the diseases that we do, such as Rabies.
While we suspect rabies with every neurologic case, veterinarians do not
even receive vaccinations against the virus.
They have also banned several canine breeds. It is illegal to breed two animals if you can
prove that their offspring will have health problems, although I do not know
how one can prove that. That night we
met our hosts for a supper at a student-run restaurant. It was my first experience with veal and I
enjoyed it. I was unsure about how good
the quality would be as the animal has not been fed out to a market weight and
marbling is nonexistent. I am staying
with Jeannette and our host is Pipaluk and her boyfriend, Thorkil. They are extremely nice and even own a car,
which is a nice change of pace. They
drive us around the town before taking us home.
Their apartment is cozy, but I found it strange that they have to
squeegee the bathroom after taking a shower, because it is so small the shower
is the bathroom. It makes me thankful to
have a bathtub and not have to worry about mold buildup after each shower.
The next morning we meet a doctor of Faxe Dyrehospital who
drives us to the clinic. The clinic is a
referral clinic so they see primary cases along with cases other veterinarians
cannot solve. There are eighteen
veterinarians and around 40 employees.
They told me it was small compared to the U.S. but I could was shocked
at the size. I do not know of any private
clinics in the U.S. that are so big.
Each doctor has a specialty, so if the primary doctor does not know what
to do they are able to call in a colleague.
The working environment is positive and they are so willing to
teach. The first morning I was able to
scrub in and assist with an arthroscopic procedure on a lab’s elbows. I was so excited! I had never seen arthroscopy before, much
less held the camera! Next I was able to
scrub in for a luxating patella surgery on a Yorkie. I was going to suture him closed, but another
surgery was scheduled after this and there was not enough time. The doctors were constantly quizzing me and
making me recall information I learned a while back and was forgetting. I was intrigued to find out that it is
illegal to mark up pharmaceuticals and that they are only able to make a profit
on exams and procedures. I also found it
interesting that students do not have to pay for their education, unlike we who
will graduate thousands in debt. I
quickly realize that it is not as great as it seems when they tell me their
income tax is around 50%. I feel that
the education system back home needs a makeover but I am definitely not ready
to be parting with half my money. After
dinner I was able to help with radiographs on a dog. When he needed to go potty, I found worms in
his stool. I told his doctor that he was
round worms and she then informed me that he suffered from chronic diarrhea. I am hoping that after a couple doses of dewormer
his diarrhea will cease. I also learned
a Danish word in the process, which sounded like “dirty” and means good. That night Jeannette and I stay at a local
hostel and are on call in case emergencies come in. We did not get called in, however, and were
able to enjoy a good night’s sleep. We
proceed to walk to the clinic the next morning after breakfast. The owner who dropped us off the night before
told us to turn left when the road turned.
We went too far however and had to go down the main highway back to the
clinic. The owner saw us walking and
picked us up in her car and drove us the rest of the way. I am sure she got a good laugh out of our
situation. We followed her into rounds. They spoke in English just so that we could
follow along. The night before a dog
died during CT, so they discussed how this could be prevented in the
future. After that we met the
chiropractor, who enjoyed quizzes up over anatomy. He also taught us the basics of chiropractics
and why he believes it works. I enjoyed
hearing how he was unable to take us out for cases because he lost his driver’s
license for speeding and his mother was having to drive him around. He then took Jeannette and I over to the
large animal hospital. I was assigned
the case of a horse with an upper respiratory problem. The horse was fat and exercise
intolerant. The doctor eliminated
roaring by lunging the mare for 20 minutes and scoping her airway. He then took a bronchial wash to eliminate
infection. After that case we ate dinner
and returned to the small animal clinic.
I was able to see chiropractics in action on a lab and pony. Our last night in Faxe one of the doctors and
owners of the clinic had a BBQ. He
grilled pigeon and deer that he had personally hunted. There was so much food that night! I thought I was going to explode. The employees of Faxe were extremely
hospitable and I hope they continue accepting students to their practice. In the future more than two students could be
sent there with plenty to do. Two could
go to the large animal hospital and two could go to the small animal
hospital. I am so thankful for this
experience. I learned so much and had a
blast!
The next morning we had a tour of the town of
Copenhagen. The guide was nice but I was
disappointed with the tour itself. I
would have rather gone to see the Little Mermaid and where the Queen lives
rather than learn about the different types of bricks and never-ending
fires. The afternoon in Tivoli, however,
was so much fun! I have never been to a
huge theme park like Six Flags and I cannot remember the last time I went to
the local amusement park. I wish that we
had more time there and that we had not gone on a holiday. The lines were extremely long and we were only
able to ride 5 rides in 4 hours. My
favorite ride was “The Tower.” It takes
you straight up and then drops you. I
was terrified on the way up but the drop was not as bad as I had
anticipated. It was so fun! We then had a farewell supper with our hosts
at a restaurant on the Tivoli grounds.
Despite the confusion with our reservations my meal was good and I
enjoyed spending time with my host. I
had not been able to much that week because we were in Faxe most of the
time. After supper, Pipaluk was appalled
to hear how much of the city we did not see that morning so she walked us to
the Little Mermaid statue and the palace where the royal family lives. Jeannette and I even took a picture with a
guard. It is hilarious because we had to
stand so far away from him that we are on one side of the picture and he is the
feet away on the other side. I was
extremely thankful for Pipaluk taking us even though I know her feet were
killing her in her shoes.
The next morning we are caught a flight back to Berlin where
we are catching a train to Vienna. It is
an eleven hour ride but I cannot wait to see what it has in store for us. We took a Danube River Valley tour and I fell
in love with the country. It is one of
the most beautiful places I have ever been.
I loved it much more than I did Prague.
We took a boat ride and then toured the Abbey. The next day our train departed at midnight
so we toured the city and ate at the Café Demel. It was my first experience eating sweet
breads. I did not think it tasted weird
at all, and I would be willing to eat it again.
We then catch our train to Berlin to start another adventure.
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