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One of the 100 dairy cows at the College Farm is having trouble calving. Tim Potter, Senior Clinical Training Scholar in Farm Animal Medicine and Surgery and his students are called out to assist. Tim realises that even the smallest involvement in procedures like this one can spark his students enthusiasm and he involves them in as many possible cases as he can. When students are given the opportunity to be involved ‘hands on' in the relative safety of the supervised teaching environment of the College, they gain crucial experience and gain in confidence.
After Tim graduated from the RVC in 2003, he decided to stay on and learn more about farm animal medicine and surgery by completing a three-year training programme. 
Half of his year is spent at the College or visiting other colleges and veterinary practices overseas. The remaining time is spent working with small groups of students at a large private practice in Somerset where there are many more cows from which the students can gain experience.
This was the cow's first calf and she had been straining for a short period of time when Charlie Verity, the College farm's herdswoman checked her. Charlie quickly discovered that the calf was trying to be born with its back legs coming out first (normally calves are born front legs first followed by the nose). Sometimes it is possible to deliver a calf that is coming out backwards, but Tim decided that due to the size of the cow and the calf there was a high chance the calf would get stuck , endangering not only its own life but also that of the mother. Therefore it was decided that a caesarean section needed to be performed.
Antibiotics were given to the cow before surgery as it is impossible to perform completely sterile surgery in a cow shed. The cow was not anaesthetised, but local anaesthetic was used in the skin and muscle layers so she did not feel the surgical incision. As BVetMed student, Zac, clipped and scrubbed the surgical site, Tim and another student Vicky prepared for the surgery.
The surgery proceeded smoothly and a live calf was delivered. Zac took care of the calf by ensuring its mouth and nose were clear of mucus and rubbing the calf with straw to stimulate it to breathe. Tim sutured the cow's uterus and then, under his supervision Vicky sutured the muscle and skin. As the group tided up after the surgery it was hugely satisfying for all to watch the new Mum bonding with her calf.
