I’m so glad you’re here. Whether you just discovered your love for veterinary medicine or you’re putting the finishing touches on your application this cycle, you belong in this community. I’m Dr. Nisana, a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. I built this space because I love working with students, but not the politics of universities. This is a place where you can: 🔬 Explore real clinical cases that make you think like a vet 📋 Get support on every part of the application process 💬 Ask me anything — no question is too small 🤝 Connect with other students who share your dream As a founding member, you can help me to create and shape the community and resources inside! A few things I want you to know: You don’t have to have it all figured out. You just have to show up. The students who get noticed by vet schools aren’t always the ones with the perfect GPA — they’re the ones who are intentional, prepared, and passionate. That’s exactly what we’re building here. Step 1: Introduce yourself below! Tell us where you are in your journey — are you just starting out, or are you deep in the application process? I’d love to get to know every one of you. So you are aware: I will be filling the classroom over time. Some resources I'm going to level-lock. So, this means you will need to "gain points" to unlock some resources. Step 2: GAIN POINTS- You gain points when another member likes one of your comments or posts! (1 like = 1 point) Level 1 - 0 points Level 2 - 5 points Level 3 - 20 points Level 4 - 65 points Level 5 - 155 points Level 6 - 515 points Level 7 - 2,015 points Level 8 - 8,015 points Level 9 - 33,015 points Please, please provide any feedback about what's working for you or not working for you in this community!

Meet Mochi, a 7-year-old male castrated Domestic Shorthair who comes in unable to urinate. His belly is rock hard and he can barely lift his head. Classic urethral obstruction. But when you hook him up to the ECG before sedation, something stops you cold. Heart rate: 28 beats per minute. No visible P waves anywhere on the strip. Wide bizarre QRS complexes developing a sinusoidal shape. You check his bloodwork immediately. Potassium: 9.4 mEq/L. Mochi’s obstructed bladder has been silently poisoning his heart for hours. The backed-up potassium has suppressed his sinoatrial node, wiped out his P waves, and is now pushing his heart toward ventricular fibrillation. You reach for calcium gluconate 10%, not the urinary catheter. The calcium does not lower his potassium but it immediately stabilizes his cardiac membrane, pulling him back from the edge. Then fluids, insulin with dextrose, and finally the catheter. Twenty minutes later his heart rate is 72 and P waves reappear on the strip. 💡 The takeaway: In a blocked cat, always check the ECG before reaching for the catheter. The heart may need saving first. For more information on this case, find the course in the classroom or follow this link below: https://www.skool.com/pre-vet-skool-9535/classroom/f78cd790?md=78613ab67ac849aaa7f8aa8e754fc504

Meet Pepper, a 2-year-old intact male chinchilla whose owner rushes in after noticing him hunched in the corner of his cage, straining repeatedly to urinate with almost nothing coming out. Pepper lives in a breeding colony with two females and matings have been frequent lately. You place him in dorsal recumbency and perform penile extrusion. Immediately you see it: a dense band of compacted fur wrapped circumferentially around the mid-shaft of the penis. The tissue is dark purple and swollen. Pepper vocalizes when you gently palpate the area. This is a hair ring with Grade 3 paraphimosis. The female’s shed fur was transferred onto Pepper’s extruding penis during mating, then drawn back into the preputial space during retraction. After repeated matings the fur compacted into a tight ring, blocking venous drainage and causing progressive swelling. You sedate him with isoflurane, apply generous water-soluble lubricant, and gently roll the ring off. Then granulated sugar topically to draw down the edema. Meloxicam for pain. Twenty minutes later Pepper urinates. Crisis averted. 💡 The takeaway: Every intact male chinchilla needs a penile check at every exam. Every single time. For the full course on this disorder see the classroom or follow the link below: https://www.skool.com/pre-vet-skool-9535/classroom/f256bc88?md=87416e36e2bc4e0f8b5b2f0bdae2cbfd

Meet Duke, a 4-year-old Angus bull on a South Texas ranch. His owner calls on a July morning because Duke did not come for feed. They find him in the pasture, dead. But something about this death is deeply wrong. Dark tarry blood is oozing from Duke’s nose, mouth, and rectum. His body is already bloating despite being dead only hours. When you touch the hindlimbs, there is no rigor mortis. The muscles are completely flaccid. Your hands stop. Do not touch anything else. This is anthrax. Caused by Bacillus anthracis, a spore-forming bacterium that has likely been living in this South Texas soil for decades. A summer flood two weeks ago probably brought dormant spores to the surface. Duke grazed them up without knowing. The most important rule now: do not perform a necropsy. Opening that carcass exposes the vegetative bacteria to oxygen, triggering sporulation and contaminating this soil for another century. You put on full PPE, collect blood from the jugular vein only, and call the state veterinarian immediately. 💡 The takeaway: When blood comes from every orifice, step back before you step in. For more information on this disease, see the classroom or follow the link below: https://www.skool.com/pre-vet-skool-9535/classroom/fc6656d5?md=42c3b9746ce84f1fab1b19b5136a7482