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Veterinary
Studies
Belinda Argent completed her Honours with a study that has shown
potential to make a huge difference to the racing industry. She was accepted
in 2002 by two universities offering veterinary studies. Congratulations
Belinda!
Newsflash! Belinda is now happily working on her degree in veterinary
science at the University of Sydney.
I started my Honours year with the intention of increasing my chances
of being admitted into a Bachelor of Veterinary Science at one of four
universities in Australia. This year I have been able to spend a lot of
my time gaining invaluable experience in both small and large animal areas,
including hands on experience in the dairy and sheep yards. I have also
been able to establish important contacts with people in the veterinary
science industry, with whom I hope to keep in contact with throughout
my course and career.
My Honours project looks at a possible diagnostic tool for respiratory
disease in horses which could be really useful to the horse industry because
it is easy, fast and doesn’t upset the horse. I spent a total of
five weeks at Sydney metropolitan racetracks collecting breath samples
from young Thoroughbred racehorses, which will be analysed via gas chromatography
for ethane concentration. It is thought that ethane is generated in the
lung tissue as a result of the damage caused by respiratory disease and
is then excreted in the breath of the horse. That means a rise in ethane
levels in the breath could then be used as a non-invasive, easy way to
determine the presence of lung disease. At present, the methods used for
diagnosis of respiratory disease are invasive, time consuming and expensive.
Although I was always interested in science-based subjects in school,
by the time I had completed a Bachelor of Science at the Adelaide campus
of Adelaide University, I knew that being a laboratory worker wasn’t
for me. At the end of year 12, I was unaware of the opportunities that
existed at the Roseworthy campus. Spending a year in the Department of
Animal Science has given me the opportunity to focus my studies into an
area that is challenging, as well as fun and very rewarding! And the year
has allowed me to fulfill the necessary requirements for a competitive
application for vet studies next year so that I can look forward to fulfilling
my ambitions.
