Additionally, on the last weekend of the State Fair, a team of Purdue Veterinary Medicine volunteers, including veterinary students and several clinicians, provided veterinary support for the ever popular 4H Dog Show Saturday, August 16. The students worked in teams, performing a brief physical exam on each dog as they arrived at the show, looking for contagious diseases or other health concerns. Each team examined upwards of 50 dogs over about three hours beginning bright and early in the morning. A dozen students participated including members of the DVM classes of 2026, 2027 and 2029, as well as a pre-vet student and the Wasson Veterinary Pharmacy Resident, Dr. Holly Wright. The teams worked under the guidance of three Purdue Veterinary Medicine clinicians \u2013 Drs. Steve Thompson, Preston Collins and Gwen Wallace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Special thanks to the following students who helped with the health exams for the dogs at the 4H Dog Show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n DVM Class of 2029<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n DVM Class of 2027<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n DVM Class of 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Pre-Vet<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Wasson Veterinary Pharmacy Resident<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The college also was honored to attend and support several signature events at the Indiana State Fair. These included the annual Pork Breakfast that opened the fair, the Harvest Dinner showcasing Indiana agriculture and its youth, and the Grand Drive and Supreme Drive\u2014where the state\u2019s top livestock exhibitors showcased the best of the barns as they competed for the top prize in the Corteva Coliseum. Faculty, staff and students also showed their support by volunteering at three of the livestock friends\u2019 food stands: beef, pork, and dairy. Serving fairgoers in this way helped strengthen ties with commodity partners while sharing Purdue Veterinary Medicine\u2019s commitment to Indiana agriculture.<\/p>\n\n\n Another meaningful highlight involved volunteers who assisted Dr. Leon Thacker, former Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory<\/a> director and professor emeritus of comparative pathobiology<\/a>, at the veterinary building in the Pioneer Village. The historical veterinary clinic provides visitors with an educational glimpse into the history of animal health and the role of veterinary medicine in Indiana\u2019s agricultural heritage. Over 25 Purdue alumni veterinarians from across the state assisted in staffing the historical veterinary exhibit for fairgoers. From livestock barns to legislative meetings, Purdue Veterinary Medicine\u2019s active presence at the Indiana State Fair reflected the college\u2019s deep commitment to the state\u2019s agricultural community. By engaging with 4-H youth, supporting commodity groups, honoring Indiana\u2019s veterinary heritage, and advocating for solutions to rural veterinary needs, the College of Veterinary Medicine continues to uphold its mission of advancing animal and human health while strengthening Indiana\u2019s agricultural future. And, the college already is in discussions about participating in the 2026 Indiana State Fair!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Indiana State Fair once again proved to be a summer highlight this year that brought together families, communities, and the agricultural industry from across the state. For the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine, intentional involvement in this celebration of Indiana agriculture is both a tradition and a vital opportunity to connect with youth, alumni, and stakeholders.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":31057,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[40,41,28,29,42],"tags":[2242,663],"class_list":["post-31055","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community-engagement","category-faculty-staff","category-our-impact","category-our-people","category-students","tag-agriculture","tag-indiana-state-fair"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31055","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31055"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31055\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31117,"href":"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31055\/revisions\/31117"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31057"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31055"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31055"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31055"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Indiana](\"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_9309_copy-1024x742.jpg\")
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Beyond engaging with youth and agricultural families, the College also used the fair as a platform to share information with policymakers and legislators. At the Indiana Rural Caucus, Dean Marsh and other Purdue representatives joined agricultural leaders to discuss pressing issues, including concerns about a shortage of veterinarians serving rural communities in Indiana. This conversation emphasized the importance of training and retaining veterinary professionals who can serve livestock producers, protect animal health, and ensure food security across the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n