AU Vet school preps for annual open house

By Amy Weaver

Published: April 17, 2008

The open house at Auburn University’s College of Veterinary Medicine is a chance to be like Dr. Doolittle.

Everyone is invited to talk to the animals at the vet school campus on Wire Road Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. If the animals don’t do much talking, there will be plenty of aspiring veterinarians on hand to share their expertise.

The 31st annual event will include tours, scientific displays, a canine parade of breeds, equine parade of breeds, a petting zoo, police canine unit demonstration, raptor shows from the Southeastern Raptor Center and sheep herding.

Scientific exhibits will include public health awareness lectures, ultrasound demonstration, large animal exhibits, parasitology (the study of parasites, their hosts and the relationship between them) displays and other veterinary disciplines.

“It’s a chance to show the public what we do,” said sophomore vet student Rebecca George. “We want to give them an idea of what goes on here.”

George and classmate Dustin Anderson served as co-chair’s for this year’s event. Anderson said the open house is always planned by the sophomore class and worked by freshman students.
“The faculty help out a lot, but without the students, it probably wouldn’t go on,” he said.

Anderson said the event attracts a large crowd of all ages year after year, but the main goal is to reach students, including incoming freshman and potential students. Most of Auburn’s current students learned about the vet program through the open house, he said.

George, for instance, attended an open house at North Carolina State where she got her undergraduate degree, but returned to her native Alabama for her doctorate of veterinary medicine. Although she always wanted to be a vet like her father, she said the open house provided a sneak-peak into her future.

As much as they learn in the classroom and the labs, Anderson said the open house is an educational experience for the students as well.

Some vet students will get to test their suturing skills performing the ever popular teddy bear surgery. Children can participate by bringing their own bears in need of repair or using one that will be provided.
Aubie will also be in attendance for photo opportunities.

Junior and senior high school students, as well as college students, will also have the opportunity to talk with on-site counselors who can offer advice on how to pursue a career in veterinary medicine. For more information, call 844-3699 or visit http://www.vetmed.auburn.edu.

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