PRINTAnimal house
Behind the scenes of MU’s vet school
VALERIE MOSLEY
Wanda Lang holds her rambunctious Yorkshire terrier, Max, while senior veterinary medicine student Laura Nafe examines him at the MU College of Veterinary Medicine’s Small Animal Clinic.
May 7, 2009 | 12:00 a.m. CST
To see the slideshow that accompanies this article, please see 'Vet school: a closer look' under the 'Related Articles' tab.
Anxiously panting and licking their human companions, dogs in the Small Animal Clinic waiting room at MU’s College of Veterinary Medicine are anything but mellow. Watercolor paintings, stuffed animals and eerie pet statues exude a shrine-like feel. Fourth-year vet student Laura Nafe steps around canines and an inquisitive toddler to introduce herself to her 10:30 a.m. appointment. Although she flashes a Colgate-bright smile, Nafe has a long day ahead of her, and it’s just begun.
The College of Veterinary Medicine offers programs that both benefit the community and provide valuable research experience for students. Here are just a few:
Research Center for
Human-Animal Interaction
ReCHAI’s focus is educating people on the health benefits of interactions between humans and animals. The center offers programs for Columbians, such as ways to allow your pet to spend time with a nursing home resident who could use the companionship.
Small Animal Clinic
Often recommended by private practices, the Small Animal Clinic administers health checkups for general well-being and performs invasive surgery on all standard house pets and other domesticated critters.
Equine Clinic
The clinic offers ultrasonography, radiography and preventive care programs, which help prevent infectious diseases. Even dentistry work is available to check and clean giant-sized, apple-loving chompers.
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In the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, students in lab coats check X-rays, cradle a grumpy feline and walk a stumpy-legged Welsh corgi. Within the hospital’s three departments, students see 16,000 cases annually. “Veterinary medicine is a hands-on field,” says Leah Cohn, professor of veterinary medicine and surgery. “You can’t just understand the field; you have to practice it.”
After two years of medical classes, students pursuing a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree dedicate two rigorous years to hands-on clinical work, which exposes them to a broad range of real-world training. Since the curriculum was established in 1946, students have had the opportunity to treat and diagnose pets in the Small Animal Clinic, examine horses in the Equine Clinic and work with livestock in the Food Animal Clinic. After earning a degree, interns and residents can specialize in fields such as dentistry and neurology to gain more first-hand experience.
But not everyone is for the touchy-feely approach.
Wanda Lang’s feisty Yorkshire terrier, Max, snarls incessantly at Nafe as she inspects his bladder for a urinary tract infection. Holding him in a half nelson, Lang tries comforting baby talk, but Max is not digging it. For Nafe, interactions such as these are routine in small animal medicine, but she enjoys even the most awkward connections with her patients.
A wall covered in thank you cards in the teaching hospital makes it clear that the programs and experiences the vet school offers benefit not only the students but also the community. “We go to the vet in Boonville,” Lang says. “Nothing seemed to work, so they recommended the university.” Allen Brown, owner of a chocolate Lab named Unsinkable Molly Brown who wears a pacemaker, also applauds the school’s services. “It’s top-notch,” Brown says. “[Molly] likes to come here, and she usually doesn’t like the vet.”
Although Nafe loves interacting with the animals she treats, she has struggled to form relationships with pet owners who are wary of a student’s judgment. But she has help. Certified veterinarians are constantly present in the teaching hospital to provide reinforcement, but Nafe is worried about flying solo when she starts an internship at North Carolina State next year. “The scary part is we get tons of hands-on experience here, but we always have someone behind us,” Nafe says. “Now, there will be no one to back me up.”
Luckily Nafe’s equipped with the right tools. During her 18 months of training in the Small Animal Clinic, she has seen around 10 to 15 appointments a week, tackling ultrasounds and routine checkups. She has also given lameness exams in the equine department, done externships at private practices and assisted in spaying and neutering surgeries. Cohn says the school also provides summer programs to work with faculty in labs and on research projects.
With 126 professors and licensed veterinarians on staff, the College of Veterinary Medicine offers students the chance to learn from the best and apply their skills. Since its foundation, the college has graduated more than 3,000 skilled veterinarians. Nafe, who will join the ranks this May, has no complaints: “I think it’s been a great experience for me, and I have changed dramatically in a good way.”
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