UPDATE: The Open House is still on, despite the predicted snowstorm. The hospital tours, lectures, petting zoo, mock surgery, and student booths are indoors, and will go on as planned. As of now, the Wendy Woo Band and K9 demonstration will go on as planned outside. We are monitoring the weather, and if we need to cancel the outdoor portion, we will announce that on Facebook and Twitter.
Animal lovers will have their day at Colorado State University on April 16, when the largest veterinary hospital in Colorado throws open its doors to share the joys of caring for pets, exotic animals, horses and livestock.
The James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital, 300 W. Drake Road in Fort Collins, will host its annual open house 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 16. The event is free and open to the public.
“Our open house is a big thank-you to the northern Colorado community, where our veterinary staff and students live and work. It’s our way of showing appreciation for community support – while also giving visitors an inside look at the latest in advanced medical care for animals,” said Dr. Tim Hackett, director of the CSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital.
The open house in recent years has grown to include live musical performances and food trucks. The Wendy Woo Band, a favorite in the vibrant Fort Collins music scene, will play this year from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Colorado State veterinarians will offer useful information about companion animal health during 15 presentations, with topics including lameness in your horse, treating pet cancer and household items that can poison pets.
Included in the offerings are four talks just for K-12 and undergraduate university students interested in pursuing careers in veterinary medicine; these will be provided by the top admissions officer for the CSU Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Program and by current veterinary students, who will offer a glimpse into their lives of scholarship and animal care.
Veterinary students also will offer educational activities and will lead tours into the heart of the hospital. During tours, visitors will see a variety of specialty units, where animal patients are treated with medical expertise that mirrors human medicine. These units include cardiology, dentistry, neurology, ophthalmology, oncology and orthopedics, to name a few.
Also slated are demonstrations by the Fort Collins Police Department’s K-9 Unit and the ever-popular petting zoo.
One of the hospital’s favorite patients – CAM the Ram – also will attend the open house to mix and mingle with visitors.
The Veterinary Teaching Hospital logs more than 40,000 patient visits each year and treats a wide variety of species from near and far. It is home base for the university’s renowned DVM Program, which consistently ranks among the top three veterinary schools in North America.
Through 2020, the hospital is undergoing more than $20 million in renovations, funded entirely through philanthropy, to ensure state-of-the-art facilities for teaching, research and clinical service. Visitors will see these upgrades and will learn about others ahead.
A schedule of presentations is listed below. More information is available on the Open House webpage.
HOSPITAL TOURS
Tours will run from 9 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., starting every 15 minutes from the Diagnostic Medicine Center atrium.
LECTURES
9 a.m.
Lameness in horses, Dr. Erin Contino
You want to be a vet? Here’s how to prep, Dr. Ashley Stokes
10 a.m.
Bandaging equine wounds, talk and demonstration, Dr. Dean Hendrickson
Panel discussion: Life in vet school, CSU veterinary students
11 a.m.
Household items that could poison your pet, Dr. Amanda Cavanagh
Cancer in your pet: Signs and treatments, Dr. Susan Lana
Noon
Aggressive behavior in dogs: Understand and fix it, Dr. Jennie Willis
A look inside: Diagnostic imaging for small animals, Dr. Angela Marolf
1 p.m.
Caring for your elderly pet, Dr. Rebecca Ruch-Gallie
Eye problems in pets, Dr. Katie Freeman
2 p.m.
General and preventive pet care, Dr. Rebecca Ruch-Gallie
You want to be a vet? Here’s how to prep, Dr. Ashley Stokes
3 p.m.
Household items that could poison your pet, Dr. Amanda Cavanagh
Panel discussion: Life in vet school, CSU veterinary students
4 p.m.
Minimally invasive surgery for pets, Dr. Eric Monnet
DEMONSTRATIONS
10:30 a.m.
Bandaging horse wounds with Dr. Dean Hendrickson
11 a.m.
Fort Collins Police Department K9 Unit
1 p.m.
Fort Collins Police Department K9 Unit
