Weekly Reflection #3

Friday, May 22, 2009
Weekly Reflection #3

This final week of senior project I learned many interesting things. I especially enjoyed observing a few more surgeries. The surgeries did make me feel a bit sick though this time. I learned that one should not eat a lot right before they observe surgeries. The neuter that I saw was the surgery that made me feel most sick. This is probably because it looks the most violent. You first drug the animal, and then the surgeon cuts the testicle sack and just pulls out the testes. It seems like that might be painful. Then the surgeon cuts the cord that connects the testes to the body, ties off that cord, and it is done. What is really funny is when the animal begins to wake up; it acts really drunk.
The spaying seemed more clean-cut. Once the animal is put out, a slit is made with a scalpel on the animal’s stomach. Then the doctor uses this special shaped tool that dips into the now open body cavity and pulls out the ovaries and Fallopian tubes. All of that is then cut out, tied off, and then the slit is sewed up.
I really enjoyed all the new things I was able to learn this week. I also enjoyed learning more about how to deal with people who bring in their pets. I also learned that I was supposed to speak up if I was feeling sick during surgery because it would become unsanitary if I were to throw up while they were performing the surgery. It surprised me how much harder it was to perform the spaying surgery just because the animal was in heat. I have benefited from this week of senior project by knowing more about how an animal’s reproductive system works and how to remove that reproductive system.