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Space Date 110402: Docking Bay OSU VTH, 0900-1200 hrs

Today I actually got to do quite a bit. First I listened in on a few cases as they were being transferred to other students. Then I helped in radiology, holding a horse while his knee was x-rayed. After that, I got to observe a nasal flush and endoscopy. That was kewl because to help with draining and flushing, a hole had actually been made in the horse's forehead, which looked just absolutely freaky. Following this, I held a filly while she had her stifle flushed (had a healing wound on it). The last thing I did today, was observe the treatment of an MRSA positive horse. (MRSA is very icky, and as soon as I figure out how to spell the whole name, I'll put it on here.) And that would be the end of today!

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I just looked up what MRSA stands for and it's little wonder I was never quite sure what the vets and students were saying, and why I couldn't spell it. MRSA stands for Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus. Methicillin is a drug used to treat infections and other diseases, I believe. And since this virus is Resistant to Methicillin, it makes it a really nasty bug to have, and horrible to get rid of. So the utmost precautions are taken when handling these animals. The "space suits" are worn, with masks, gloves, and booties. And they're always the last horses to be treated, so the risk of spreading infection is minimized. Even if humans aren't affected by MRSA, they are still potential carriers for the disease. The animals are also quarantined, so they can't infect other patients. There, now you know about as much as I do about MRSA.

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