What to do if my crocodile has a runny nose?

There is a long list of lovely pets which make people happy every day – cats, dogs, hamsters, chinchillas, turtles, chameleons, fish and sometimes even crocodiles and tigers – and you can continue this list further. Unfortunately, sometimes our pet can get sick. If you are an owner of an animal or you were one some time ago, you definitely remember your anxiety when a little creature feels bad. And certainly you are ready to do anything so that your doggie wags its tail again and a kitten cheerfully chases a toy mouse!

RUDN University students of 1-3 years from different countries (Syria, Somalia, Italy, CIS states, etc.) after their classes at the Department of Veterinary Science take part in the activity of the organization “iBolit” (Oh, it hurts). IBolit is a professional student community of vets. For 4 years RUDN University students help animals to recover and finally “smile” again. University professors, tutors and visiting specialists in veterinary science also participate in the work of this community. All this is being done so that the students get supplementary knowledge and take their first steps in science.

The community’s activities include the following aspects:

1.Supplementary classes in animals anatomy for the Faculty of Veterinary Science students.

2.Training of premedical first aid skills and medical assistance skills in cases of injuries, burns, fractures and other emergency cases.

3.The exchange of experience with senior students who have done an internship in vet clinics.

4.Preparation of publications on a chosen topics in the sphere of professional activity and students’ performing their reports at conferences, congresses, forums.

The table creates a 3D model of a human or animal body with all organs and tissue in their real size. This model can be rotated in any plane by moving fingers on the table’s sensory surface. Apart from it one of the table’s functions is virtual scalpel which can be used by students to make an incision in any part of the 3D projection.

Alexey Gazin, a participant of “IBolit”, says, “The work of the community is organized in such a way so that it can help students not only during their studies at university but also at their future work. This is one of the main advantages of our lectures and seminars – the preparation of students for the “real life”. *laughs*

A usual thing at a class is the analysis of medical cases provided by hospitals to improve the students’ skills. During such analyses a student can try to make a diagnosis. One such examination helped to cure a little Chihuahua dog. It is a dog of our colleague. In the vet clinic where the dog was examined a vet stated that it had a problem with intestine. This problem in its turn made the dog behave nervously. The treatment didn’t lead to any results. And one day at a practical class one of our students paid attention to a roentgenogram of the dog’s skeleton and said, “There is something in the joint capsule”. The professor looked at the roentgenogram and at the medical report once again and said, “And we didn’t even notice it!” In emerged that this dog breed is prone to traumatizing of joints that causes pain feelings. Certainly doctors in the clinic initially made the right diagnosis but they missed one important fact about joints, and this is one more medical condition. Out professor is a practicing doctor. He prescribed treatment right away and after a while the dog recovered.

That is how the attentiveness of the students helped to cure our colleague’s dog. Such situations in our life make me think that we are doing the right thing and our work is indeed very important!”

Knowledge which helps future vets in their studies at university is in general based on theory, but practical experience as, for example, surgeries showcases, is also a part of the scientific process. Thanks to such process “IBolit” helps students to cope with fear of real practice in vet clinics.

Veterinary medicine is a very interesting and rewarding profession. Both human and animal branch of medicine is a demanding activity. A vet always bears responsibility for these silent and vulnerable creatures which can’t even complain about their illnesses. And the doctor must not only understand and “hear” an animal, but also help it. The “iBolit” community of RUDN University trains such specialists so that all pet’s owners around the world could not worry about their beloved animals going to the clinic to highly qualified vets!