A recent trip to Central America offered five Oregon State University veterinary-medicine students a chance to put their classroom learning to the test in some real-world situations, and it tested their ability to do without the niceties common in big-city clinics.

On Friday, the five students, part of OSU's chapter of the International Veterinary Student Association, shared details of their visit to Costa Rica and Nicaragua with classmates.

"The practical experience, no matter where you are, was so valuable because that's not something we get a lot of in vet school in the earlier years," said Brianna Beechler, a third-year student in OSU's College of Veterinary Medicine.

"It was great to see the differences in veterinary care there and here, and learn why they do things the way they do," she added.

Modern veterinary clinics in big cities in Costa Rica, and, to a lesser extent, Nicaragua, are very similar to ones in the United States, according to Beechler.

However, the OSU students were stationed in poor villages where they had to make do with what they had.

The students began their two-week December adventure in a rural area about an hour outside San José, Costa Rica. There they conducted free clinics and cared for dogs and cats at an expatriate's home.

In addition to Beechler, veterinary medicine students Rhonda Reaves, Sara Neilson, Jennifer Fitzpatrick and Katie Thonstad made the journey.

International Service Learning coordinated the trip, and provided the OSU students with licensed veterinarians to assist in their efforts, as well as translators.

The students got to practice techniques not commonly used in the United States. For example, veterinarians in Central America tie different knots during neutering procedures and use their fingers instead of hooks during spays, the students said.

They also saw some medical problems less common in the United States, including pyometra, an infection of the uterus, and ehrlichia, a tick-born disease.

The students held free deworming and vaccination clinics, and provided basic animal care and nutrition education for pet owners.

After finishing their work in Costa Rica, the group walked across the border into Nicaragua. Then they took a boat to Ometeppe Island, where they stayed at an orphanage while providing triage and preventative care for cows and horses.

"It was pretty awesome for those of us who didn't have a lot of large-animal experience," said Reaves.

The students assisted in their first calf castration, and Neilson unfortunately learned firsthand what it feels like to be kicked by a cow - twice.

Including airfare and International Service Learning program fees, the cost for each student was about $2,600. They did some fund-raising through the OSU Foundation, but recommend that other veterinary students embarking on similar trips start planning earlier so they can drum up more private and corporate donations.

Neilson is thinking about going to Central America again next fall or winter to do more international animal outreach work, and she encourages others to join her.

In April, the students will auction some things they brought back from their trip, including rum and a hammock, to benefit OSU's chapter of the International Veterinary Students Association.

Mary Ann Albright covers higher education. She can be reached at maryann.albright@lee.net or 758-9518.