4-H Veterinary Science Program

Each year the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine invites 9th-12th grade 4-Hers exhibiting at the Indiana State Fair in Veterinary Sciences to participate in Purdue Veterinary Medicine's Open House. 4-Hers exhibit and discuss their projects with Open House visitors, members of the College of Veterinary Medicine Admissions committee, faculty, staff, and students. The exhibition is followed by a student panel where 4-Hers can ask current veterinary students about their experiences. Participants are given information on careers as veterinary technicians/ technologists and doctors of veterinary medicine. 4-Hers are then presented a certificate of participation. For more information, please contact your 4-H leader.

2024 Participants at the Purdue Veterinary Medicine Open House

Madeline Anderson

Vaccinations in Cats and Dogs My poster is about vaccinations in cats and dogs. It includes the different kinds of vaccines, how they work, reasons to vaccinate, risks, and when they should receive them.

Kelsie Avery

A Chicken’s Life My project is about the reproductive system and anatomy of poultry. I created a clay model and wooden plaque to demonstrate the anatomy. I also outlined how poultry anatomy works and how it is different from other species.

Kara Baker

Protect Your Cat/Kitten Against Worm Danger This project identifies the different types of worms cats/kittens can get, how they spread, the symptoms the animal may experience and the common treatments. The poster also has pictures for easier identification.

Abigail Black

Eye See… This project serves as a teaching aid for identifying the basic parts of a cow’s eye, including thirteen components of the eye, their contributions to the overall function, their ability to create and perceive visual information, further exploration of the unique adaptations of the cow’s eye, and its similarities and differences to that of a human eye. Despite years of breeding and domestication, cattle have remained an important learning tool and a beautiful example of how mammals can differ from us. Their parallels to human life and unique characteristics can teach anyone willing to learn not only more about livestock, but about ourselves.

Cassey Brault

Circovirus I chose a research project on circovirus because I had a first-hand experience with two of my pigs having this virus. I learned about the variations of the virus, symptoms, treatments, and prevention. This project helped me have a better understanding of the disease my pigs had and how to handle the situation and try to prevent future bouts with this disease.

Aidan Conley

Be Fear Free My project discusses the concept and organization that is Fear Free. Although it is often overlooked, maintaining a stress-free environment for our animals is of the utmost importance. Through my project, I not only discuss why Fear Free is so important, but I also show what Fear Free looks like in a clinical setting.

Lauren Degner

Paws Off! This poster was created to educate dog owners on which common foods are safe for their canine to eat and which are dangerous. By lifting a flap, one can see how to keep their pet safe from toxins.

Megan Grayless

RHDV-2 (Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus, Serotype 2) Discussion of RHDV-2 and its impact on domestic and wild rabbit and hare populations.

Matthew Howard

Learning From A Veterinary Technician Since I was little, I have been interested in learning about jobs working with animals. This led me to find out about veterinary medicine. I decided to interview a veterinary technician at my local veterinary service to learn more.

Caylee James

Frozen Bovine Semen Damage from Air Exposure Mishandling frozen bovine semen can cause irreversible damage that will lead to reduced fertility in artificial insemination programs. This study was conducted to evaluate the negative effects on frozen bovine semen motility by increasing the duration of air exposure time prior to re-immersion in liquid nitrogen. Motility, as an indicator of viability, was reduced as air exposure was increased.

Bradee Ann McDonald

Farrowing to Fair “Farrowing to Fair” is the complete process of breeding, farrowing, and the life and show career of homegrown swine. This project documented the breeding process, farrowing a litter, ear notching, castration, use of appropriate medication, the correct nutritional plan, and cost involved to raise healthy swine.

Hailey Nimtz

Different Digestive Systems This project goes over the three most common digestive systems in animals. It goes over the parts and functions of each digestive system and gives examples and fun facts of animals with each digestive system. It also highlights how to properly maintain each system, which is an extremely important thing to understand before you get an animal.

Stephanie Onion

Livestock Injections This project includes information about general livestock injections. Topics covered include safety precautions before giving injections, locations for giving injections, steps to take prior to giving injections and injection techniques.

Keeley Scott

Death Investigation: Necropsy of Animals This project is a display that teaches people the process and steps of performing a necropsy on swine. It explains the reasons why necropsies are performed, and how to read and understand lab results.

Heather Haley Stigall

Embryo Transfer In my project, I got to assist in six Boer goat embryo transfers during the summer of 2023. We carefully checked each embryo under a microscope to make sure it was viable after the surgical flush. We sorted out the viable embryos and prepared them for transfer to a recipient female. In total, we collected 46 viable embryos, which we transferred to 23 recipient females.

Addison Thornburg

The Reproductive Cycle in Cattle My project is about the reproductive anatomy, fetal development, and the estrous cycle in female cows.

Mackenzie Waskom

Lyme Disease in Dogs My poster includes many key components in understanding Lyme Disease. It explains what Lyme Disease is, clinical signs, symptoms, and how to treat to get the best prognosis. But most importantly, the poster discusses ways to prevent Lyme Disease including treating the environment for ticks.

Mika Wisler

Different Types of Working Dogs I focused on the major differences in working dogs. My main emphasis was the service, emotional support and therapy animals. I did this project because there is a lot of confusion in the definition and laws regarding each of these working animals.

Katie Wolford

Spider Lamb Syndrome Spider Lamb Syndrome is a recessive inherited disorder associated with severe skeletal deformities. This causes abnormal bone and cartilage growth in young sheep. Spider Lamb Syndrome is primarily observed in black-face sheep breeds, including Suffolk, Hampshire, and many crossbreds.