Vet Cetera magazine 2015

Jason Anton searches
for a bovine embryo on
a plate with wells in it
that allows veterinarians
to search for and wash
embryos.
“The last four years have been a
great experience,” says Anton. “We
spent the first three years basically
in the classroom. The transition to
clinics has been relatively smooth.
Getting your hands on patients
and working with the experts here
in OSU’s Veterinary Medical Hospital
has been great. The knowledge
gained will be beneficial in
the future.”
Anton has taken full advantage
of opportunities available to OSU
veterinary students. He participated
in the student chapter of the
American Association of Bovine
Practitioners, was instrumental
in establishing the OSU student
chapter of the Society of Theriogenologists
and was a member of
the OSU bovine palpation team.
He also participated in research
projects focusing on novel artificial
insemination techniques in
small ruminants.
He found grant money for a
trip to study in Australia the fall of
his senior year. Among the funds
he received was a $4,900 travel
grant from the Humphreys Chair
in International Studies through
OSU’s Division of Agricultural Sciences
and Natural Resources.
“I spent nine weeks at Total Livestock
Genetics in Camperdown,
Victoria, on the east coast of Australia,”
says Anton. “It was during
the equine breeding season, so
we were very busy. However, what
impressed me the most was not
only how hard everyone worked
but how well they worked together.
There was a high level of loyalty,
and they took care of one another.
There was a good work/life balance,
and these highly skilled veterinarians
used practical medicine. They
did a good, thorough job but nothing
over the top.”
Established in 1989 to fill the
need for a professional, independent
collection service, Total Livestock
Genetics has two Australian
locations with about 50 people
on staff. The company specializes
in semen collection, embryo
collection/transfer and live animal
export.
“I was interested in TLG because
they specialize in artificial reproductive
technologies and work
with multiple species,” he says.
“They also handle live animal and
embryo exports. There is a huge
international market for animals
of high genetic merit with an
excellent health status. Farmers
and ranchers can use these animals
to establish or maintain herds
to help feed the world’s growing
population.”
According to Anton, TLG is
responsible for source verifying
each animal and making sure
they are properly vaccinated. Furthermore,
each animal must meet
stringent fertility guidelines before
being shipped to the client.
“TLG handles dairy animals, beef
animals, sheep, and goats,” says
Anton. “The take-home message
for me was the applicability of
assisted reproductive technologies
to international export. These techniques
can be practiced in countries
like Australia or the U.S. to
greatly benefit growing agricultural
markets in countries such as
China. Start with high-quality animals
with superior genetic merit,
and your herd will maintain its
integrity. As a result, these animals
will help keep up with the demand
for food sources.”
Anton earned his DVM degree
in May 2015 and joined Bickett
Genetics of Chickamauga, Ga. This
veterinary practice specializes in
bovine embryo transfer and will be
expanding its services to include
small ruminant embryo transfer.
“Doing an internship at TLG was
wonderful,” he says. “Any veterinary
student considering an international
internship or externship
should absolutely do it. Wherever
you go, you will find the style of
medicine a little different. But
the techniques are transferrable
especially if you are on a production
career path. The food animal
medicine and equine medicine
techniques I learned can easily be
incorporated into the U.S. veterinary
medicine industry.”
Anton is the son of Terrence
Anton of Tahlequah, Okla.
2015 Oklahoma State University 65