Vet Students Talk Dog Health at High School

Three Louisiana State University veterinary students recently gave a presentation on zoonoses to a biology class at Walker High School in Walker, La. Zoonoses are diseases that can be passed from animals to humans.

Mitzi Clark, Doty Kempf, and Liz Hughes specifically discussed hookworms, roundworms, ringworms, tapeworms, mites, scabies, mange, fleas, and rabies.

“My students are studying diseases right now, and all they could talk about were the diseases discussed by the veterinary students,” said Dottie Hartman, science teacher at Walker High School. “This really made an impact and will stay with these students for a long time. They definitely got the message about the importance of regular checkups for pets and keeping animals free of disease.”

After the presentation, the veterinary students went to the Walker Animal Shelter to assist their instructor Wendy Wolfson, DVM, in deworming dogs, checking them for heartworms, and performing medical examinations.

The school’s shelter medicine curriculum provides veterinary students with the opportunity to learn about animal shelters while providing vital medical care to shelters in south Louisiana. The program is sponsored in part by a grant from The Humane Society of the United States.