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| Christina Cooper, a student at Michigan State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, sets up a display at the Montcalm County 4-H Fair on Monday. The display will run through Wednesday and features heartworm specimens, large and small animal skeletons, X-rays, microscope slides, a mock surgery room and coloring sheets for children. |
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7/14/2009 11:08:00 AM
Animal care on display at fair
By Danielle Arndt
Daily News intern
GREENVILLE - Three students from Michigan State University's College of Veterinary Medicine are teaching parents and children how to better care for and understand their animals.
Ryan Carpenter, Christina Cooper and Erin Wahlin are traveling around Michigan this summer and stopping at local fairs to demonstrate the many fun and unique facets of veterinary medicine.
"It's cool to see kids get really excited about science," Carpenter said. "I love watching their reactions."
The Healthy Pet Surgical Suite, sponsored by the Michigan Veterinary Medical Association (MVMA), began Monday at the Montcalm County 4-H Fair and will continue through Wednesday, which is Kids' Day.
The exhibit can be found in the Earl Peterson Building. The primary attraction is a mock operating room, where children can watch videos of spay and neuter surgeries and try on scrubs and surgical masks.
"Most people don't get to see all that goes into (a spay or neuter) surgery," said Pat Dignum, MSU Montcalm Extension 4-H educator. "They just check (their pet) in at the counter and pick him up the next day."
There also are a variety of syringes, animal skeletons, X-rays, specimens of heartworm and other parasites, veterinary tools and microscope slides for people to look at and touch.
Montcalm County is the MVMA's second stop this year. They were in Croswell Thursday through Saturday.
Carpenter, a Greenville native and 2004 Greenville High School graduate, is no stranger to the Montcalm County 4-H Fair. He attended as a child and showed dogs when he was 11 or 12, he said.
Dignum said she was happy to have the MVMA display back for its second year.
"It's key that children learn proper care and management of their animal projects," she said. "The display gives them an up-close and personal view of veterinary science, which is an essential part of raising animals."
She said many children in 4-H have a high interest in becoming veterinarians and the MVMA presentation teaches them about many different procedures, such as cattle horn removal and floating, or filing, of a horse's teeth.
Six-year-old Beau Clien was intrigued by the horse and cattle teeth displayed.
"Are those teeth from a pirate?" he asked.
Clien's older brother, Brandon, and sister, Mollie, also visited the MVMA exhibit. Brandon, 15, wants to become a veterinarian someday.
"I love animals," he said, while looking at slides of chicken blood and fleas. "I think all this stuff is really cool."
Other favorites among the children are the rhinoceros skin, the skeleton of the cyclops foal and the X-ray of the dog who ate a plastic dinosaur.
"We actually had one kid at the last fair come up and tell us what type of dinosaur the dog had eaten," Cooper said.
The students also hope to educate people on the health and safety of large animals.
"There is a real need for large animal vets," Carpenter said. "Most people want to take care of household pets."
He added most veterinary schools are really recruiting students to fill this need by offering additional scholarships.
Cooper and Carpenter said traveling to fairs this summer with the MVMA exhibit will help them to better develop their communication skills with people.
"Education is key even just in the clinic," Carpenter said. "This is good practice."
"Every dog comes in with a person," Cooper added.
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