Night at the RVC

Last night, I visited RVC's Camden campus for the first time for an evening all about animal reproduction! A few highlights include...

Greyhound dissection

Greyhound dissection 

Being able to see all of the organs in their place inside a dissected greyhound was pretty amazing given that the most I'd ever dissected/seen inside before was a single organ! The lecturer at this stall quizzed me on the names and functions of various organs and structures inside the greyhound. 

Horse Uterus 

Horse Uterus 

An equine vet showed me a horse uterus and told me about the anatomy of it. The uterus is almost Y-shaped, with a uterine body and two horns, the pregnant horn and the non-pregnant horn. The uterus would usually be suspended within the body by two "broad ligaments". The pregnant horn should contain the foal's hind legs, while the non-pregnant horn should be empty. The uterus and the amniotic sac fit together like a zip, so the vet explained to me how he inspects the pattern on the amniotic sac of a newborn foal as a means of checking for any complications.

Introduction to Pathology

A veterinary pathologist told me a bit about what she does and showed me a few pictures of cases of Shmallenberg virus, a virus which causes congenital malformations and still births in cattle, sheep, goats and alpaca. The virus, first identified in Germany in 2011, is thought to be transferred by midges and can be found across Europe. Since it is not Zoonotic, it poses little threat to humans. The virus is detectable in the blood of infected animals for only a very short period (4-6 days post infection), making identification in live animals difficult. Common birth defects caused by the virus include scoliosis (curvature of the spine), hydrocephalus (accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain), arthrogryposis (joint contractures - stiffness in joints which restricts normal movement) and hypoplasia (incomplete development) of the cerebellum. The foetal deformities vary depending on when infection occurred during pregnancy. Adult cattle may also become infected and display mild-moderate symptoms such as reduced milk production, fever, loss of appetite, loss of bodily condition and diarrhoea. 

Scoliosis in a Calf

Hydrocephalus in a Calf   

Anthrogryposis in a Lamb