Day 19- Sweet SWEET Success

     Today was my last official day on Theriogenology (Reproductive Medicine) Rotation, although I do have to work this weekend doing treatments and checking mares for estrus. I knew today would be my last chance to palpate a mare and properly diagnose her reproductive condition. On Tuesday I diagnosed a mare with an infection and her uterus and treated her with a uterine lavage, we get free range to be the attending "doctor" with our ranch mares so it was left completely up to me to come up with treatment options! Can we say pressure!!! On Wednesday and Thursday, we checked her again and she continued to show fluid in her uterus on the ultrasound. Yesterday, the resident veterinarian said ...ok doc (referring to me) what do you want to do? So I decided to lavage her uterus again and try a round of drugs to make her uterus contract, hopefully pushing out the fluid. Today, I knew I would she would be my last chance to not only palpate and ultrasound a mare, but also to see if I had achieved my goal of treating my mare successfully, getting rid of her fluid and making her viable for breeding. When I went in to palpate I could feel the nerves building knowing this was my last chance to show my stuff. After some very trying days feeling like I was behind the other students this rotation, I went in the mare and immediately ran my hand over her uterus, uterine horns and ovaries! Then grabbed my ultrasound probe and went in for the kill. Not only did I immediately see the uterus, uterine horns and ovaries on  the screen, but if that was reward enough (after struggling with finding these structures in the past two weeks) there it was.....NOTHING...my mare had cleared her fluid and was back to breeding viability!!!!!!!!!!!! I had treated her and she had gotten better! Holy COW! Or should I say Holy MARE! I did it! I really freaking did it! Today was the first day I felt like a doctor and that was the best reward I have ever received!