The Hixson-Lied Small Animal Hospital is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
While no appointments are scheduled on the weekends, veterinary students on specialty care rotations are often times on call for emergencies that walk through the hospital’s doors.
Students on the ophthalmology rotation decide amongst themselves who will be on call for both weekends of their two-week rotation. The on-call students this weekend got off pretty easily as only one emergency case was seen. And that one was relatively minor.
The case came in at 5 p.m. Saturday and was handled by fourth-year student Courtney Haley.
“I was out walking my dog when I got the call,” said Haley. “It was a similar case to what we had already seen on Friday.”
Haley and ophthalmology resident Dr. Rita Wehrman consulted with the emergency services unit for an hour before leaving the animal in the ER’s care.
Wehrman says the light case load is unusual for a weekend for Hixson-Lied’s ophthalmology program.
“Typically we will see patients before 6 a.m., but this is pretty awesome to have a relatively free weekend,” she said.
Jordan Moline, another fourth-year student on the ophthalmology rotation, was on call on Sunday. He said he didn’t stray too far from his home.
“I was just waiting to hear the phone ring, but it never did,” he said.
Tomorrow: A Change at the Top
