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STUDENT DIARY
Antonia Matthews BSc
, South East London
Second year veterinary student, Royal Veterinary College
About me
I am a veterinary student in between my
second and third years at the Royal
Veterinary College, I am currently finishing
a year out to do a degree in Global
Health at King's College London. I grew
up mostly in South East London spending
every moment I could further south east
in Kent, working on farms and stable
yards. Having escaped living in London
I now enjoy the fresh air of Hertfordshire
with the husband, dogs, cats, small furries,
reptiles, horses and my own small herd
of dairy goats.
No rest for the wicked
My ‘last’ summer holiday before my clinical years of veterinary
medicine has so far provided little rest, between graduating, the
continuous care that goes into all the animals, competing the
horses, helping with research projects and trying to earn a little
cash there have been few chances to relax.
But with friends graduating from their fifth year
of the veterinary medicine course it’s been
refreshing and in some ways terrifying to
remember that the real world is out there and
in three years I too will be a practising vet.
The difficulties attached to becoming the type
of vet one wishes to be are becoming more
apparent with the reality of the job market
and the scarcity of farm animal and mixed
animal veterinary jobs currently available to
new graduates coming into view. In contrast
the university clubs prepared for the new
intake of veterinary students in September,
with me kept busy trying to get the RVC riding
club and polo club more opportunities and
sponsorship for the new academic year. The
aim is to try and ensure that we can provide
a well needed bit of relaxation during the
veterinary course for as many students as
possible. The university also has academic
clubs including the farm animal clinical club
which during my time with RVC has taught me
a new range of skills from hoof trimming cattle
to post mortem investigation skills, all of which
have been put to good use on farms.
This year’s early harvests have provided hope
that hay and straw prices will remain largely
stationary in the coming year and also
provided me much joy with many a gallop
over stubble fields, of course with the farmers’
permission. An important part of the veterinary
course is being taught to identify a variety of
different crops, the importance of feed costs
and different farming structures and breeds
of cattle. This knowledge has proven its
importance on many farming placements with
the difficulties seen during parturition for small
Limousin heifers put to larger South Devon
bulls. It has also proven surprisingly useful for
navigating whilst travelling around Hampshire
and Cornwall this summer!
I have had important reminders this summer
of the risks and dangers of working with
animals and why health and safety are
covered as an important part of the veterinary
course. These have varied from my show
pony falling over in the horse trailer
(fortunately no permanent damage done)
and the goats somehow learning to open their
Heras fencing enclosure resulting in a more
than slightly upset herd of horses; thankfully
the goats seemed to respond very well to
being herded back to their enclosure!
Graduation from iBSc of Global Health
Peach and Dell Boy: Transporting animals is
never without its dramas
South Devon Bull
‘Landmarks’ for navigating country roads
AUTUMN 2014 ISSUE
LIVESTOCK MATTERS
22