All Creatures Great and Small

All Transition Year students keep a Diary of their work placements .Below are extracts from some of these Diaries

For my work experience I decided to go to West Cork Animal Welfare in Owenahincha. I am interested in working with animals and I thought this would be perfect.

   The staff were really welcoming when I arrived and quickly showed me around. I spent the first day shadowing one of the girls .We cleaned and sterilised a kennel for new puppies that were coming in We walked groups of dogs through the fields and I brought one dog for a long walk out on the road. Everything was very well organised and done efficiently  For the rest of the week I cleaned out the puppy's kennel every morning by myself.

   I really enjoyed my week of work experience. It showed me that working with animals is definitely something I would like to do when I'm older. It also gave me an opportunity to see how it is to work in a team. The staff were so nice to me and really helped me throughout the week if I was ever in need of it. Skills that I learned were teamwork, communication and time keeping. 

(Sarah Harte)

For my TY work experience I went to McCarthys Veterinary Clinic in Clonakilty. I started every morning at nine  and finished most days at four o clock. I got an hour break every day. This time varied depending on what I had been doing. The first day I wasn’t really sure of everything but after day one I got used to the people and the place.

Day 1 

I watched surgery  take place and organised stock in the shop.

Day 2

 I was out with John in the morning at a farm. Here  John “cleaned out “a cow that had calved. We then went to vaccinate a yearling and then onto check a pony in a yard that had been  ill for a while .That evening I went with Michael , the boss,to feed his horses. He said to me “you will learn how to feed my horses now” which I did. 

Day 3

A guard dog  was brought in early in the morning to get a cancerous growth removed from the side of its stomach .The owners had to stay with the dog until it was under anasthetic as the dog was very dangerous, John told me that this surgery was going to be very deep and intense so he gave me the option of watching it or not, I did watch . It was very intense and involved  a lot of blood. This dog had previous surgery underneath it’s stomach for something similar .John showed me how good the healing of that scar was after he had finished removing the growth.

After my break John showed me how to sterilise the surgery equipment and explained what each instrument was for. Then I was ready to go with Michael again in the evening to feed his horses. I knew the way he fed them now so I was able to help him more which made it faster. I  then finished for the day. 

Day 4

A lady came in with a dog that was having a stroke .This dog was shaking and when walking  fell all over the place John put him on antibiotics. He told the owner if there was no change she was to bring the dog back .I assume the medicine worked as I did not see that dog again. Another dog came in for surgery to remove a toe. This surgery wasn’t as bad as the other I had experienced  but again involved a lot of blood .

 After that I went with Michael testing cows at a farm .This was something that I was used to as I come  from a farming background .We tested just 7 cows .I was able to do the book work for Michael . This involved recording the cows tag number.

After lunch I tidied up the horse rugs .Then it was time to go with Michael again to feed his four horses,

Day 5

In the morning a load of deliveries came to the shop so  I priced each item individually and put them on the shelves. More deliveries of dog nuts came and I then put them in the shed where all the big bags of feed are kept .I then helped one of the girls to restock the shop .

After my break I went on call with Michael but wasn’t told where we were going . We ended up  going to a donkey farm.Michael said “we have a very interesting call to make. We are going to see a lame donkey and I will need your expertise at catching the donkey!”On our arrival at the farm the owner wasn’t too sure which donkey  was the lame one so I had to go into the field and get two donkeys to walk .The owner then gave me a head collar to catch the lame donkey. I was then instructed to bring him into a nearby shed. I lifted the donkey's leg so Michael could see what was wrong. He cut back some of the donkey's hoof and found out that the donkey had some small stones in its hoof .

Michael  gave the donkey an injection which he did not like. As a result he took off out the door to the other donkeys.I eventually got the donkey back  and the injection was completed.My day but also my week had come to an end. 

I am very grateful for the experience I received during my work placement but also for the wonderful people I  met.

( Rebecca Hurley)