Spring Tradition Continues with PVM Open House

April 12, 2019

A child reaches out to touch the nose of a horse while the horse chews on hay — Activities, events, and displays at this year’s PVM Open House revolved around the theme “The Human-Animal Bond: Better Together.”

Visitors from near and far came to Lynn Hall on Saturday, April 6, for the Purdue Veterinary Medicine Open House, which helped celebrate the College of Veterinary Medicine’s 60^th Anniversary year. The annual event coincides with Purdue’s Spring Fest to promote education about all the different aspects of veterinary medicine. With the theme, “The Human-Animal Bond: Better Together,” the student-organized event focused on the influential relationship between animals and people.

A young girl wearing gloves, a white coat, and safety goggles practices dropping liquid from a vial for testing as a hand reaches out to guide her. — A young scientist-in-training learns all about the science of veterinary medicine at the Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory exhibit at the 2019 Open House.

A boy leans in toward a chameleon standing on top of an aquarium while other children look on — A young scientist-in-training learns all about the science of veterinary medicine at the Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory exhibit at the 2019 Open House.

Participants learned all about the many roles veterinarians and veterinary nurses play in the veterinary medical profession through a variety of activities and events. Displays organized by students in the Purdue Veterinary Nursing Program were among the popular components of this year’s Open House and included activities where participants viewed radiographs and guessed the foreign object inside the patient and a station where children could practice bandaging stuffed animals.

Other Open House favorites included the ever-popular petting zoo as well as the equine treadmill demonstrations, which enabled visitors to view the high-speed treadmill in action and learn how it helps in the diagnosis of lameness, respiratory, and cardiovascular issues in horses. Additionally, Open House visitors were able to view a live narrated spay surgery that was performed on a pet that needed the procedure prior to being adopted. Also, those who were interested in seeing the inside of the Purdue University Veterinary Teaching Hospital were able to take guided tours. Other special events included a “mini zoo” put on by Lafayette’s Columbian Park Zoo, an admissions talk, interactive exhibits created by first-, second-, and third-year veterinary students, a demonstration involving a specially trained detection dog, and a special visit by a Lafayette Police Department K9 unit. Open House guests also took advantage of the opportunity to recharge in the Food Tent where they could purchase food and drinks in support of the Food Animal and Equine Clubs.

A female volunteer stands with three greyhounds while a young girl leans in to pet a black greyhound — Greyhounds that help other animals as blood donor dogs enjoyed interacting with young visitors.

A veterinary student in scrubs helps a young boy in surgical gear perform surgery on a stuffed teddy bear — Greyhounds that help other animals as blood donor dogs enjoyed interacting with young visitors.

Students who served on the Open House Committe stand on a staircase holding thank you signs — Members of the Open House Committee gather to show their thanks to everyone involved in the event for a job well done!

Reflecting on the event, PVM Open House Co-chair Katrina Frerichs, of the DVM Class of 2020, said, “Open House was a great success this year and we have our dedicated committee to thank for that! I received several comments throughout the day that people really enjoyed all of the interactive activities at the event!” Katrina added, “As a student, I love that we were able to show off all that Purdue’s College of Veterinary Medicine has to offer. The human-animal bond is so important to everyone at our college, and I’m so glad we were able to portray that at this year’s Open House.”

Co-chair Ashley Hopkins added, “With the beautiful weather, the Open House drew a fantastic turnout and proved to be a lot of fun. We would like to thank our entire Open House Committee, the administration, faculty and staff, and all of the students involved for all their hard-work. It’s great to see how the creative displays and activities educate visitors, generate awareness and support for our College, and inspire children who dream of becoming veterinarians and veterinary nurses.”

Click here to view photos and highlights from the 2019 PVM Open House.

Writer(s): Amanda McCormick, PVM Communications Intern, and Kevin Doerr | pvmnews@purdue.edu

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