Wendy Wolfson and her students encounter growling and hissing when they get to work, but they leave purrs and yips in their wake.
Wolfson, instructor of veterinary and shelter medicine, received a $200,000 grant in June from the Humane Society of the United States to continue instructing an elective class featuring veterinary medicine and procedures at animal shelters, which is offered to fourth-year veterinary medicine students.
This is a continuation of a $600,000 grant from the Humane Society given to the program after Hurricane Katrina, Wolfson said.
The class helps 23 shelters, and Wolfson shows the students how to vaccinate, deworm, spay, neuter and treat sick animals. The program is also increasing adoptions from shelters, meaning less euthanasia is needed.
Wolfson said the class provides students with experience outside the workplace.
“It really gets LSU into parts of the community that usually would not be served,” Wolfson said.
The money from the most recent grant will go toward vaccines, medications, surgical paraphernalia and other essentials for the students, Wolfson said.
She said the entire program is run with donations and grants.
“It’s been one of the most successful programs in the last number of years,” said Joseph Taboada, associate dean for veterinary medicine students and academic affairs.
The program allows students to be more comfortable in later occupations, he said.
“It’s really good to see how much these shelters improve and how much the students improved as well,” Taboada said.
Lara Wilson, fourth-year veterinary medicine student, said Wolfson’s class greatly improved her surgery skills and inspired her to look into becoming a veterinarian of shelter medicine.
“It was by far the most valuable experience I had,” she said. “It was an amazing thing to be a part