Buffalo Soldier

Hey all! I can finally come out of my hole from studying now that midterms are over! All of my grades so far have been good. I am doing well in all of my classes and while the information just keeps coming, the good news is that I am absorbing and understanding it all and am finding more and more often how it can be applied!

A few more exciting things have happened since my last entry: I was recently notified that I received the William B. Gasman Scholarship from WSU! I am very appreciative of this award!

I also had a unique experience just this afternoon. Me and a group of my classmates drove out to Antelope Island. It is one of the Utah State Parks, and is an island located in the middle of the Great Salt Lake. While the island was named for the pronghorn antelope that used to inhabit it, it is currently the home to approximately 700 bison. Once a year, the bison are rounded up for routine vaccination, blood draws, and pregnancy diagnosis. We were able to observe a local veterinarian who is commissioned to oversee and perform these procedures and get a little hands-on experience ourselves! I was able to pregnancy diagnose three bison (all of which were pregnant!). Pregnancy diagnosis involves rectal palpation of the dorsal aspect of the uterus. When a dam is pregnant, structures called cotyledons are present (for nutrient exchange between the dam and the fetus). These cotyledons are palpable in many large animal species and are usually the quick and dirty way (no pun intended) to determine if the dam is pregnant. While we were out on the island we took a few pictures and had a lot of fun!

The view of  the mountains from Antelope Island

Me pregnancy diagnosing a bison cow!

Bison calves waiting to go into the chute for blood draws

Bison bull grazing on Antelope Island

Halloween was pretty mild since our last midterm was that morning. I didn't even have a chance to plan out a costume and dress up. But it was pretty enjoyable to sit down with my awesome roommates for a bowl of homemade chili, a bottle of wine and a scary movie while we passed out candy to the neighborhood kiddos.

I know I am busy as always, but I hope everyone is doing well! I think about my family and friends often and look forward to the next time I see everyone! Of course, please call or text! I love to hear from you all!

Till next time!

xoxo
C