Gamma Rantings...

•Wednesday, March 4, 2009•

Anatomy of a dead cow...

This is something that most 1st sem vet students don't get to do, especially NOT on their 1st week. In fact, its really rare that an opportunity like that came up for us, though it's at the expense of another being; namely a cow with terminal cancer.

And so today...

I Did A Rectal On A Dead Cow!!!!!!!!

What's a rectal, I hear?

Well, behold..the glamorous act that all vets have to do......

This poor cow was brought in this morning for euthanasia. Apparently, she had cancer...there was a tumour in her bladder. I really felt a pang, seeing her hung up, lifeless...

That's the bladder (the pink rubbery thing), and the gross blackish stuff is the tumour.

After the euthanasia, the cow was sent to the anatomy dissection lab for the 4th year Vet students. According to the lecturer, it was very rare for such a huge cow to be brought in, and therefore it really was a golden opportunity to observe.

We 1st years were notified of it as well, and invited to have a look at the cow. Only a few of us went, however, as our classes ended early and everyone was really exhausted. I was pretty drowsy too, but I really don't regret going to the Anatomy Dissection lab for this; it really was an amazing opportunity!! Ok, it was not a lesson at all; we've barely touched anything on anatomy yet. But then again, how many people can actually have a hands-on lesson on cattle anatomy, and do a basic rectal on their FIRST WEEK of Vet School?

So there I was...sticking my arm into the cow's rectum all the way up to my shoulder. Its really cramped in there, and the 4th years were telling us how much worse it'd be if the cow were alive...they'll clamp down on your arm entirely!! The 4th year gave me some directions; we tried to locate the cervix, uterine horn, etc etc and during my second try, I found the kidneys! Didn't quite find the ovaries, though...lol...and btw, here you can see the huge rumen of the cow. Its actually filled with gas due to the decompostion, and when the lecturer punctured a hole in it, the smell that wafted out was awful!!! Oh man, my shirt still smelt of it after I got home...

And here you can see the liver, the gallbladder, the abomasum, the pig's ear, and a bit of the duodenum. Man, I learnt a lot about cow anatomy today...

I actually feel really really bad for the cow. To think that this morning she was still alive...and now she's strung up in such an undignified position. Rest in peace...your contribution to education will never be forgotten...

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1 Comments:

wah... sangat besar .. dan sangat kesian ><

By Wan Xin, at March 5, 2009 at 1:22 AM