Zoo InternQuest is a seven-week career exploration program for San Diego County high school juniors and seniors. Students have the unique opportunity to meet professionals working for the San Diego Zoo, Safari Park, and Institute for Conservation Research, learn about their jobs, and then blog about their experience online. Follow their adventures here on the Zoo’s website!
What’s your normal check-up like? You usually have to make an appointment and drive yourself to the doctor’s office. Once there, you tell the doctor if anything feels wrong or if something hurts. Then the doctor usually explains what they will do during the exam so you feel comfortable. After the check-up is complete, the doctor will tell you if everything looks okay and then you are free to leave. Now imagine that you don’t speak the same language as your doctor, you aren’t even the same species, and the doctor approaches you with a large needle. This is what a normal check-up can feel like to an animal when taken to the vet. The vet has no intention of harming the animal, but they have no way of communicating with the animal that they are there to help.
This week for InternQuest, we visited Dr. Ryan Sadler, a Resident Veterinarian at the San Diego Zoo’s Hospital. Over the next couple hours, Dr. Sadler took us through the hospital and the intricacies of his job. His main job is to make sure the animals in the Zoo are healthy and happy, much like a human doctor. To make this happen, he gives regular check-ups, monitors their nutrition, and plans surgery if the case requires it. This can be difficult because most of the animals do not wish to be treated because they are not aware that the veterinarians just want to help. Animals also have a natural instinct not to act injured or sick so that predators will not target them. This makes it extra challenging for Dr. Sadler to do his job because it’s hard to help someone if you do not even know if they are hurt, much unlike a human doctor. There are many similarities between a human doctor and a veterinarian such as their schooling, long hours, and routine. The only major difference is their patients.
There are many similarities in the cases that human doctors and veterinarians see on a daily basis. The most common problem for warthogs is gum disease. Veterinarians have to keep a close eye on these patients because they cannot tell them to brush their teeth twice a day, nor do warthogs have thumbs to brush their teeth. The most common health problem for both apes and humans over the age of forty is heart disease. In some cases, the San Diego Zoo consults with human cardiologists for their apes. There is also many similarities in the technology they use. Dr. Sadler showed the interns some of the different machines and tools used by the veterinarians such as the x-ray, the mammography, and the new sonogram machines in the hospital. Dr. Sadler explained that hospital staff use these tools in almost the exact same way as human doctors and nurses would. The staff uses the x-ray to check for broken bones, abnormalities, etc. They use the sonogram for neonatal purposes and to check soft tissue. Although, the mammography machine is actually used for something different. The mammography machine is used to work as an x-ray machine for smaller animals. Imagine trying to use a giant x-ray machine for a bird that is only two inches tall. For these tiny patients, it is much easier to obtain an image via the mammography machine.
So what is a normal check-up like for animals at the Zoo? It depends on the species and personality of the animal. Some animals are very well trained and are used to getting check-ups. Others, not so much. During a check-up, the veterinarian will do a complete physiological work up and medical history much like how your doctor will ask you of your medical history when you go in for a checkup. Since the veterinarians cannot ask their patients for their medical history, they have to check past charts or ask the animal’s keepers. They usually have to anesthetize the animal so the animal will not hurt itself or the vet. Now if it is a bigger animal, such as an elephant, they cannot bring it up to the hospital. For their check-ups, the veterinarians have to bring portable x-rays machines down to the elephant enclosure, but most of their equipment, such as elephant size needles, are already there. What about smaller animals? Some birds are smaller than two inches in height and it is difficult to give them shots so the veterinarians have to use tiny needles or find different ways to administer medication. When the check-up is finished and everything looks good, the vet will then give their patient a treat and send them back to their enclosure.
To be a veterinarian takes dedication and courage. Veterinarians have to create a different kind of relationship with their patients because they cannot communicate through words. Dr. Sadler, and all the veterinarians that work at the Zoo, have an extremely personal and honorable profession. They put in long hours to better the lives of hundreds of animals and work so hard for a variety of patients. Much like how a mother takes care of her child, the veterinarians at the San Diego Zoo Hospital, and the entire San Diego Zoo staff, take care of their animals.
Bailey, Real World Team
Week One, Winter Session 2016
