December 15, 2005
Purdue Vet School starts program for Spanish-speaking pet owners
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Spanish-speaking pet owners in Greater Lafayette will be able to receive bilingual veterinary medical care at Purdue University's Veterinary Teaching Hospital, thanks to a new Latino initiative starting there this month.
Lymarie Fry, who graduated from Purdue's School of Veterinary Medicine in 1995 with a doctorate in veterinary medicine, will return to Purdue as a pet wellness clinician. A native of Ponce, Puerto Rico, she will offer translation and interpreting assistance twice a month when she is in the clinics seeing patients.
"This new initiative will help us explain to our Spanish-speaking clients the need for diagnostic tests, what those tests mean and the therapy that is needed," said Steve Thompson, veterinarian and director of the School of Veterinary Medicine's Wellness Clinic. "We have a small group of bilingual staff and students who will help us if needed for patients that need to be seen for emergencies and sick visits on days when Dr. Fry is not here, but this is the first time we will have someone dedicated to communicating in Spanish."
Fry received a bachelor's degree in biology from the Catholic University of Puerto Rico and is pursuing a certification in early-childhood education. She is married with three children. Her community involvement includes volunteer translation to non-English speaking Latino students at Boswell Elementary School, and she serves on several boards in the Boswell area. Additionally, she teaches at the Learning Tree Preschool, a not-for-profit organization housed at the Boswell Library.
"My involvement in the community is an attempt to give back to those who welcomed me 10 years ago," Fry said. "I also enjoy any opportunity to interact with fellow Hispanics."
Through her new job at Purdue, Fry said she will be able to pursue her interest in veterinary medicine and serve as a liaison between the Latino community and Purdue's veterinary specialty services.
"My goal is to increase my opportunities to fellowship with more Latinos and share in their love for family, traditions and, of course, pets," she said.
The Wellness Clinic provides services for dogs, cats, ferrets, rabbits, rodents, birds, reptiles and other small mammals. Annual and semiannual exams include nutritional, dental and behavioral assessments, as well as counseling about life-stage awareness and infectious disease and parasite detection, screening and prevention.
Appointments for the fee-based service can be made through the Veterinary Teaching Hospital's Small Animal Community Practice, (765) 494-1107. Daytime and drop-off services are available by appointment. Referrals to school faculty clinical specialists are available if needed or desired.
The Veterinary Teaching Hospital is a full-service medical and surgical-care facility that provides primary-care services for area pet and agricultural animals. It also is a Midwest referral and specialty-service facility for Indiana and surrounding states with 24-hour intensive care unit facilities. Clinical research programs and faculty specialists attract patients from all over the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Writer: Maggie Morris, (765) 494-2432, maggiemorris@purdue.edu
Sources: Steve Thompson, (765) 494-1107, Wellpets@purdue.edu
Lymarie Fry, (765) 494-1107
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
PHOTO CAPTION:
Lymarie Fry listens to Babe's heartbeat in an exam room in the Wellness Clinic at Purdue's School of Veterinary Medicine. (Purdue News Service photo/David Umberger)
A publication-quality photo is available at https://www.purdue.edu/uns/images/+2005/vet-latino.jpg
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