August 2, 2024
The Iowa State Fair is just around the corner and once again College of Veterinary Medicine faculty, staff and students will be providing health care for the animals housed and showed at the Des Moines event.
For more than a decade, a small and dedicated group of fourth-year veterinary students have played an integral role in animal health at the state fair. With guidance from College of Veterinary Medicine clinicians, the students examine and treat animals in need while working with owners and in view of the public.
"It gives our students the basic skills and the most variety they will see in a rotation during their fourth year," said associate clinical professor Rachel Friedrich, veterinary diagnostic and production animal medicine. "They go down the Monday before the start of the fair and are there throughout to take care of any health issues that pop up."
Clinicians Rachel Friedrich, Megan Hindman and Mitch Hiscocks will lead the team which will also include VM4 students Carly Bates, Hope Dohlman, Chelsea Harris, Adam Steffensmeier, Megan Thomas and Keith Wolverton. VM2 and VM3 students will also assist with sheep check-ins.
Dr. Dan Grooms, the Dr. Stephen G. Juelsgaard Dean of Veterinary Medicine, will once again show a steer during the Governor's Charity Steer Show on Saturday, Aug. 10. Grooms will be showing "Steer Magic" owned by Claire Pellett of Atlantic, Iowa. The steer is co-sponsored by CVM and the Iowa Veterinary Medical Association.
Morgan LaViolette, student recruiter, will give a series of presentations at Vet Camp, an educational, hands-on learning program aimed at encouraging fourth- through seventh-graders to learn about animal health and what it's like to be an animal doctor