Annual College of Veterinary Medicine open house set for April 18

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue College of Veterinary Medicine’s annual open house on April 18 will offer the opportunity to meet blood-donor greyhounds as a part of the day of activities planned by students.

The theme for the open house, which is 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Lynn Hall, is “The Human-Animal Bond,” and it is held in conjunction with Purdue’s Spring Fest. Throughout the day attendees will be able to meet the greyhounds, which are brought from racing tracks in Florida and adopted to local families, in Lynn Hall, across from G119. After meeting the animals, participants can learn more about the animal blood transfusion program and discover similarities and differences between human, dog and cat blood.

“It is our privilege to share the many aspects of veterinary medicine with fun and engaging activities and events,” said Whitney Johnson and Whitney Wolfgang, open house co-chairs. “Our open house is a chance to provide the community with an opportunity to discover what the veterinary profession is, its involvement in the health of their animals and its integral place in the community as a whole.”

Events featured throughout the day include a petting zoo with a painted horse, interactive exhibits for children, an opportunity to meet Purdue’s K9 Unit and tours of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Returning this year, the “Teddy Bear Suture Clinic” will allow visitors to bring “injured” stuffed animals for “surgery” and watch them be stitched up and healed by veterinary students. The equine treadmill demonstration featured at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. offers limited tickets to watch an evaluation of high-performance horses. The open house also will have a presentation on “Service Dogs: Fact From Fiction” by Sally Irvin, the program director at Indiana Canine Assistant Network at 11 a.m. in Lynn Hall, Room 1136.

The college has held a Saturday-only open house annually since 1963, when the first class of veterinarians graduated from the college. For more information, check the schedule of events or the college’s Facebook and Twitter accounts. 

Writer: Rachel Semple, rsemple@purdue.edu 

Sources: Kevin Doerr, director of public affairs and communications, College of Veterinary Medicine, doerrkr@purdue.edu

Katie Beard, small animal medicine technologist, kabeard@purdue.edu

Whitney Johnson, open house co-chair, johnsowr@purdue.edu

Whitney Wolfgang, open house co-chair, wwolfgan@purdue.edu