• Question: do you do any science including animals like vet stuff

    Asked by raggy to Adam, Joanna, Louise S, Louise W, Marcus on 12 Nov 2012.
    • Photo: Adam Paige

      Adam Paige answered on 12 Nov 2012:

      My PhD was on the genetics causing deafness, and I was analysing the DNA from whirler mice. Whirler mice are mice born with a genetic mutation that made them deaf and also gave them balance problems since our inner ear controls our balance as well as hearing. They were called whirler mice because they would run round in circles because of their balance problems.

      Everyone used to ask me how you could tell if a mouse is deaf. The whirling is a good clue, but basically, to be sure, you make a loud noise and see if the mice are startled. If not, they didn’t hear it!

    • Photo: Louise Stanley

      Louise Stanley answered on 13 Nov 2012:

      I don’t work with animals but I do have two pet guinea pigs called Spike and Smudge!

    • Photo: Joanna Giles

      Joanna Giles answered on 14 Nov 2012:

      Hi Raggy,

      I haven’t ever done any vet stuff either. It would be really interesting though. If you are interested in being a vet have you thought about volunteering at your local vet or RSPCA center? Perhaps you could even get some work experience there? To begin with you probably won’t get to do much but the more experience you have the better.

      Oh! I did once do a Summer volunteer scheme at Bristol Zoo actually (perhaps you could enquire at your local zoo?) I got to help feed and clean out the animals in the Monkey and Brazil zones. I learnt about lots of different animals and looked after lemurs and squirrel monkeys and even capybara – the largest rodent alive today. A bit like Louise’s guinea pigs…only huge!

    • Photo: Louise Walkin

      Louise Walkin answered on 15 Nov 2012:

      I don’t do any vet stuff, but I do think that animal research is important for vetinary research as well as for the understanding of human diseases. Many people who don’t agree with animal research also don’t agree that it should be done for vetinary reasons. Some of the work done will actually advance vetinary medicine and surgery, so I don’t really know what could be used instead.

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