It has been a long while since I last blogged. I have sidetracked from my initial career goal which is to pursue a residency in veterinary pathology to the world of drugs instead. So many things have happened, and I recently moved up to Queensland to undertake an Honours project investigating topical pain-killers for cattle that would provide systemic effects i.e. something like fentanyl patches for cows. As long as I don't muck it up, I would be continuing the project as a PhD. It is a part of a project funded by a drug company and the Australian beef industry body, which is great to hear that they are taking an initiative step towards pain management of livestock.
In Australia, important husbandry procedures such as dehorning and castration are performed by non-veterinarians personnel, and analgesia or anaesthesia is often not provided to the animal. Whilst the animal is still under a certain age, there is no legal requirement to address the pain caused by the procedures. The methods of performing surgical husbandry procedures and the lack thereof analgesia remain controversial, and raise overwhelming responses from the general public. By the end of 2018, I do hope that my hardwork would pay off and he result of my research would contribute to bettering animal welfare and advancing the knowledge of the scientific community. I would then gain another nerdy title and become Dr. Dr.
