We couldn't let the week go by without acknowledging our amazing Veterinary Technician, Mary Beth, during Vet Tech Appreciation Week! Mary Beth joined the team in early 2020 and has been an incredible asset. She helps ensure all of our animals are well taken care of and keeps our doctors organized. Mary Beth is always willing to pitch in, no matter the area. We are lucky to have her!
Exams and procedures are usually scheduled for the morning and rechecks/treatments in the afternoon. In the morning I make sure that everything is prepped and ready for whatever we have scheduled for that day which could be anything from surgeries to routine annual exams. This includes setting up the radiograph (x-ray), ultrasound, pulling up vaccines, and making sure that the supplies needed for blood draws are ready togo. Some of the smaller animals such as penguins, birds, and reptiles will be brought to the clinic for their exams; others require the vet team to go to them. I will restrain for exams and ultrasounds, take radiographs, and pullblood. Once we are done with the exam, I process the samples and send them out to a diagnostic lab if needed. In the afternoon I will put in medical records, help with other exams as needed, fill prescriptions/administer prescribed injections, collect blood for rechecks, run diagnostics such as fecal floats, prepare supplies, clean, and get things ready for the next day.
It is hard to choose which of the animals at the aquarium are my favorite to work with, they are all so great! If I were to choose, it would be either sharks or alligators.
All the different animals and the people I work with. There are so many opportunities to learn new things and get involved.
I have learned a lot about sharks and elasmobranchs in terms of both health and diagnostics. It is very difficult to find medical information on sharks in literature, but Dr. Alexa Delaune knows just about everything there is to know about shark medicine and is a fantastic teacher. My favorite experience (so far) was when we performed the entrance exams on the American alligators upon arrival. I had the opportunity to “wrestle” (restrain)an alligator as well as pull blood on it.
