March 26, 2019

College of Veterinary Medicine’s annual open house set for April 6

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine will host its annual open house from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on April 6 in Lynn Hall.

The open house is held in conjunction with Purdue’s Spring Fest celebration, but is on Saturday only. The event helps educate the community on all of the different aspects of veterinary medicine through various interactive activities.

The theme this year is “The Human-Animal Bond: Better Together,” which takes a look at the mutually influential relationship between animals and people. Several familiar events will return to the open house, including the Teddy Bear Suture Clinic, where kids dress up like surgeons and treat “injured” teddy bears. Other events and activities include:

* Equine Treadmill Demonstration. Attendees will get to watch a demonstration of a horse on a treadmill, and will learn about how the test is used to diagnose lameness, respiratory and cardiovascular issues in horses. Admission is limited due to room size. Free tickets will be distributed at the open house on a first-come, first-served basis.  No group admission allowed. 

* Spay Surgery Demonstration. Visitors will be able to view a narrated live spay surgery performed on a pet that needs the procedure before being adopted.

* Walk Through the Heart. First-year veterinary students will guide people through the different chambers of the heart, talk about the importance of parasite preventatives, and help visitors use auscultation models to practice listening to heart sounds.

* Walk Through the GI Tract. Second-year veterinary students will take people on a journey though the four compartments of the GI tract of a horse. They will talk about horse nutrition and common parasites that can affect this part of the body.

* Veterinary Nursing Displays. Visitors will be able to view radiographs and guess what is in the patient, and children will be able to use stuffed animals to practice bandaging.

* Petting Zoo. Participants will get to interact with a variety of animals, including llamas, donkeys, goats, rabbits, ducklings, chicks and a cow.

Other attractions will include a food tent, an opportunity to meet blood donor dogs and exotic pets, and mingle with therapy pets that are trained to interact with the public in schools, libraries and assisted living facilities. A search dog, Dash, from Midwest Search Dogs will also be in attendance. Additionally, the Indianapolis Zoo and Columbian Park Zoo will have displays that include artifacts for the public to view.

Multiple Purdue Veterinary Medicine student clubs will set up booths and displays at the event and will be offering crafts such as animal origami and animal bookmarks for children.

More information about the open house is available online

Writer: Jaclyn Lawmaster, jlawmast@purdue.edu

Media Contact:  Abbey Nickel, 765-496-1325, nickela@purdue.edu

Source: Kevin Doerr, director of public affairs and communications, College of Veterinary Medicine, doerrkr@purdue.edu

Purdue University, 610 Purdue Mall, West Lafayette, IN 47907, (765) 494-4600

© 2015-22 Purdue University | An equal access/equal opportunity university | Copyright Complaints | Maintained by Office of Strategic Communications

Trouble with this page? Disability-related accessibility issue? Please contact News Service at purduenews@purdue.edu.