College of Veterinary Medicine holds annual Open House
Amanda Radek and Richard Hungerford, members of Wings of Wonder Aviation Rescue, look at one the parrots at the Vet Med Open House at the Vet Med Building on October 4, 2015.
October 4, 2016
The College of Veterinary Medicine had its annual open house last Sunday. The event was hosted by more than 300 students enrolled in the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree program.
“We opened up the vet school so that our community can come in and see what we do,” said second year veterinary student Suzanne Ford. She was one of four representatives from the 2019 class at the open house.
The event had informative booths and exhibits throughout the veterinary campus, including the Large and Small Animal Clinic, the Basic Sciences Building and the Clinical Skills Learning Center.
While most booths remained open during the day, between 10 am and 4 pm, some demonstrations only occurred at scheduled times.
“All of our different student groups set up booths so all of clubs that we are in: specialties, different things like that will set up booths,” Ford said. “We also let the Humane Societies come in and set up booths too.”
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PetNet, a foster based rescue organization, was represented by Abby Prince.
“We bring in foster pets from overpopulated kill shelters, and we put them into foster homes until they are adopted,” she said.
The open house provided the college not only an opportunity for people to learn more about animal welfare and healthcare, but it also gave a chance for animal lovers to talk with each other.
“We know that a lot of people (who) come here love the animals, and they come here to learn more about the animals,” Prince said. “So it’s a good opportunity for us to tell people about our rescue group.”
This year, the open house involved more kinds of pets than before.
“Every year we have a lot of vet students bring their own pets for some of our exhibit. So a lot of our pets that are like the herpetology booth are students’ own pets,” Ford said. “Also, this year we have axolotes, a type of amphibian, that we believe is native to Mexico. One of our vet students actually has a couple of her own. And she brought them actually.”
Across the buildings and fields of the event, besides students, there were a lot of families with children who also came to the college.
“It is cool to show them around and get to know different things,” said Richard Klinedinst, a C-U resident who attended the event.
