"I was lucky enough to make a friend for life named Thulsi (left). She was a student from another university in India doing a rotation in Bangalore," said Kristen Bird (center), a second-year veterinary student at Oregon State. Bird holds a a client's (right) kitten after a procedure. 

Editor’s note: We’re sharing a series of student summer experience Q&As in their own words. This is the fourth (Q&A No. 1, Q&A No. 2 and Q&A No. 3). Edited for length and clarity. 

Every year Dr. Manoj Pastey, associate professor of molecular virology and immunology, leads a month-long student veterinary experience to India during the summer. This year, the trip included veterinary students Kimi Bakkom, third-year, Kristen Bird, second-year, and Ann Ramsey, second-year. 

We sat down with Bakkom, Bird and Ramsey to learn about their trip. Photos courtesy of Bakkom, Bird and Ramsey. 

"A favorite experience was visiting the Kunigal Stud Farm," said Kristen Bird (pictured). "This was one of the few times we got to interact with horses on the trip."  

Kimi Bakkom holds a turtle that was treated at the Karnataka Veterinary, Animal and Fisheries Sciences University in Bangalore.   

"I have a special interest in anatomic pathology and was overjoyed to meet with pathologists involved with wildlife and domestic species as well as public health and research, said Ann Ramsey (right). Ramsey toured the anatomy lab at Karnataka University with Dr. Manoj Pastey (left). 

Q&A

Why did you join the trip?

Kimi Bakkom
This is my last summer before third/fourth year and before I graduate, so I thought it would be really fun to take a scholastic international adventure. I also have always wanted to work with Worldwide Vets and I thought this would be a good introduction to international medicine.

Kristen Bird
Traveling and exposure to new cultures is something I have always been passionate about. I could not pass up the opportunity to combine that hobby with the love I have for veterinary medicine. We talk a lot about the One Health Initiative in school, but it is difficult to truly understand how veterinary medicine in practice differs by culture without true exposure. For instance, euthanasia and animal reproduction are topics which vary greatly by culture/religion/location. The opportunity to discuss these things in practice with those who have entirely different perspectives on them is extremely beneficial to becoming a more well-rounded veterinarian. For example, in India, euthanasia was generally not an acceptable option. 

Ann Ramsey
Travel deepens your understanding of this world and your place in it. I truly love immersing myself in different cultures and could not pass up the opportunity to experience India through a veterinary lens. The entire trip is funded by the college, making this a once-in-a-lifetime experience to live abroad affordably.

Where in India were you and who did you partner/work with there?

Ann Ramsey
Our home base was the Karnataka Veterinary, Animal and Fisheries Sciences University in the southern city of Bengaluru (Bangalore). We lived and worked within the university campus rotating between their Clinical Medicine, Gynecology and Obstetrics and Surgery services. We also toured their laboratories which focused on infectious disease research, vaccine development, public health surveillance and more. On the weekends, we visited culturally and historically significant sites in and outside of Bengaluru, including a student-organized trip to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Kimi Bakkom
(At the vet school) there were quite a few vet students that we worked with every day and would help us out.

Kristen Bird
Dr. Pastey, the professor who leads the trip, took us on weekend trips to many other parts of India including Ooty, Coonoor, Mysuru and Tirupur.

What types of cases did you see?

Kristen Bird
Many of the cases we saw were infectious. Particularly interesting cases were those caused by pathogens which have largely been eradicated in the United States, or are at least seen less frequently. Examples include babesiosis, distemper, and caseous lymphangitis.

Kimi Bakkom
Surgery would see anything, and we witnessed and participated in a calf with a mandibular fracture, several cystotomies, an enucleation, a mastectomy and a spinal fracture repair. General medicine mostly saw wellness appointments, vaccines and reproductive issue cases, but a lot were referred to obstetrics or surgery. We did see one rabies case though which was really interesting, and I got to learn how they manage those cases (send them to a research lab for observation, or euthanasia). In obstetrics, we saw pyometras, testicular torsion, mastitis, pregnancies, castration and even a case of transmissible venereal tumor!

Ann Ramsey
We saw everything from routine kitten vaccinations to canine pregnancy testing to ruminant C-sections. The university hospital offered the unique opportunity to see diseases that are relatively uncommon in the U.S., such as canine transmissible venereal tumor, canine distemper virus and rabies. The university mainly treated cats, dogs and ruminants (and one turtle!), but we also met with an equine veterinarian at a racetrack and several wildlife veterinarians at zoos and safaris. I have a special interest in anatomic pathology and was overjoyed to meet with pathologists involved with wildlife and domestic species as well as public health and research.

How would you describe the access to veterinary care?

Kristen Bird
At the university where we practiced, care was designed to be extremely affordable and accessible to the community. However, the standard of care varied greatly from what is typical in the United State. For example, surgical procedures did not utilize any gas anesthesia or monitoring equipment (other than a stethoscope). Most of the time, patients were not intubated for surgery. Diagnostic tools were also limited to radiographs, ultrasound and blood work (complete blood count and very occasional blood chemistries). Advanced imaging, additional blood work and other testing were not available. 

What was your favorite case?

Kimi Bakkom
I really just wanted to see transmissible venereal tumor since we never see it in the U.S., and I got to on my very last day in obstetrics. It was really cool to see and to do a fine-needle aspiration on and see what it looked like histologically. The rabies case was also very interesting since they do not do euthanasia very commonly and it is a fatal disease.

Kristen Bird
My favorite case involved a four-year-old spayed, female Dachshund who presented with a mild head tilt to the right and bilateral spontaneous horizontal nystagmus (horizontal eye twitching). Given limited resources, she was provided supportive care and sent home with steroids. The next day, she came back with rapidly progressed, severe neurologic symptoms including absent pupillary light reflexes, a head tilt to the right, circling to the right, rolling to the right, inability to rise and bilateral ocular discharge. This patient was diagnosed with distemper. This is the first time I have ever seen this disease in real life. Other favorite cases included babesiosis (many cases), a dog with a bite wound and maggots and a goat with suspect ruminal acidosis on which I got to perform my first rumenocentesis.

Ann Ramsey
I assisted the large animal surgeon with trephination in a Gyr cow that had developed sinusitis after the removal of a cancerous horn. This unique hands-on opportunity allowed me to practice my suturing skills, apply my anatomy knowledge and enjoy the company of a really cool cow!

On the surgery service "we witnessed and participated in a (procedure for a) calf with a mandibular fracture," said Bakkom (right).

"Favorite cases included a goat with suspect ruminal acidosis on which I got to perform my first rumenocentesis," said Bird.

"I assisted the large animal surgeon with trephination in a Gyr cow that had developed sinusitis after the removal of a cancerous horn," said Ramsey. 

What did this trip add to your veterinary education?

Kristen Bird
It is difficult to understand spectrum of care without practicing it. At the veterinary school, we are very fortunate to have an abundance of resources available to us and to practice veterinary medicine to the highest standards possible. However, it is also important to be able to practice high-quality medicine in the face of limited resources, either because the resources are absent or because a client has limited means. My time in India allowed me to practice spectrum of care in a hands-on manner, an experience I will carry with me throughout my veterinary career.

Kimi Bakkom
It definitely reinforced my standards for pain management and accessibility, and how important affordable access to veterinary care is.

Ann Ramsey
The broad exposure to many species/cases as well as the friendships established both with my classmates and the university students was well worth the trip. It has also deepened my interest in pursuing international collaborations throughout my career. I see veterinary medicine as a necessary public service as well as a means to expand the limits of scientific knowledge, ultimately benefiting animals and humans globally.

Would you do something like this again?

Kimi Bakkom
I don’t know that I would go to a place that I cannot practice my own version of medicine again, but I do want to travel and bring affordable quality medicine to places like this.

Kristen Bird
I would 100% do something like this again, and I plan to. Not only do I enjoy exploring new cultures and meeting new people, but I am passionate about providing care to underserved communities and being a versatile veterinarian who can perform high-quality medicine in the face of limited resources. This coming summer, I hope to participate in Rural Area Veterinary Services in the United States, as well as visit Ecuador for a veterinary externship. 

Ann Ramsey
Absolutely! This was a whirlwind of a trip: I would repeat it tomorrow if I could. It was a balance of hard work, genuine laughs and mind-blowing experiences. If you love meeting new people, visiting beautiful places and having crazy adventures, then this trip is for you! All of the credit goes to Dr. Pastey, our incredible professor, host and tour guide!

What was your overall takeaway?

Kimi Bakkom
It was nice to reinforce concepts I was learning in school, and gain first-hand surgery experience, but it was really hard to watch a (different standard of medical care) sometimes. Pain is just something they deal with and have a different opinion on what animals can handle than I do, and that is something I would like to change when I travel. I think education is really important, and the baseline for medicine, and I would like to travel and educate other countries in my future career.

Kristen Bird
My key takeaway is that travel is just as valuable as I have always thought it to be, both personally and professionally. As usual, every time I go somewhere new my travel bug is not satisfied but instead seems to grow. 

Ann Ramsey
After leaving India, all I felt was gratitude and awe, especially for Dr. Pastey and the students that made us feel welcome. Travel is never easy, but the memories I made and the confidence I gained far outweighed the hard days. I have so much appreciation for the ability of veterinary medicine to bring people together. This is a complicated profession to say the least, but it connects us to people around the world who share a passion for animal health.

Any other highlights?

Kristen Bird
One of my favorite experiences on this trip was simply getting to know the people. Every single client we worked with was so welcoming and grateful for the service. I was also lucky enough to make a friend for life named Thulsi. She was a student from another university in India doing a rotation in Bengaluru. Outside of clinics, she showed us all around Bengaluru, introduced us to new people and foods, and in clinics, she translated for us when necessary and connected us with professors who could explain concepts and cases we were confused about. Since leaving, I have maintained contact with her as a sort of virtual pen pal, and she plans to visit the U.S. soon. Another favorite experience was visiting the Kunigal Stud Farm. This was one of the few times we got to interact with horses on the trip. Finally, of course, the food was incredible. Some of my favorites include idli, sambar, dosa, South Indian Thali, paneer masala and lassi. 

Kimi Bakkom
They put chicory in their coffee, and you could buy a cup of coffee for $0.12. It was so delicious, and I miss it every day.

Ann Ramsey
Beyond the exposure to international veterinary medicine, we made connections with many students and faculty at the university. I still FaceTime one of our friends every few weeks as she recently graduated and is interested in furthering her veterinary education in the U.S. We enjoy discussing our career aspirations as well as learning about each other's life philosophies, families and holidays etc. These conversations will stay with me for a lifetime.