A Trip to the Vet

Last week we went on our first field trip of the year.  We have just completed a reading unit on Animals Tame and Wild.  We have read about and discussed pets, service animals and the job of a veterinarian.  A local veterinarian and school parent, invited us to visit her office to continue our learning.

When we arrived we changed into our scrubs so that we could begin our training as vet for a day.

We met the office staff, technicians and other the other doctor.  We learned about scheduling appointments, checking in and how pets are weighed with the help of a patient and registered therapy dog named Rudy.  We learned how good veterinary care keeps Rudy healthy and able to do his jobs of visiting nursing homes and reading with children. 

We met Officer Eli, who is a German Shepherd, Belgian Malinois mix.  He a police officer who knows how to find missing persons and can sniff out drugs and track down 'bad guys".  Officer Eli and his partner helped us learn how to ask permission before approaching a dog and then how safely meet a dog.

Hammy the  basset hound was the patient as we learned how to listen to heart and lungs.  We each got a chance to hear Hammy's heart.  We also saw an x-ray of Hammy's stomach after he had swallowed rocks!

Clifford helped us understand how pets are cared for when they need surgery.

We met a giant Nemo in the x-ray room, looked at a spider in a microscope, saw the isolation room and learned so much more. 

We had a wonderful day.  Perhaps one of these little ones will be a vet someday!