The School of Veterinary Medicine treated visitors this weekend to a petting zoo, an equine treadmill, a raptor rehab unit and a fistulated cow that had a hole in its side for people to reach into.The Vet School invited the public into its educational environment Saturday to showcase its latest technology and provide family entertainment as part of the 27th annual open house. This year’s theme was “Where’s Mike?.” Mike VI was on display in his cage outside of the building from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.  — the mascot’s first time to attend the event. Joseph Taboada, Vet School associate dean for Student and Academic Affairs, said Mike VI, who arrived at the University in August 2008, wasn’t ready for all the attention at this time last year. “Mike hadn’t been here very long, and [we] didn’t want him exposed to all the people,” he said. Some came to the event to entertain their children. Baton Rouge resident Terry Moore brought her granddaughter to the open house. “She just loves animals,” Moore said. “We got here 15 minutes before time. She was looking forward to the petting area.” Lisa Ryan of Prairieville attended with her two daughters. “We want to have the kids be able to experience what they do over here,” she said. “So far they are having a lot of fun.” Others parents came to see what their kids are learning in veterinary school. George and Mary Pivach of Belle Chasse came to support their daughter. “Our daughter is in vet school,” he said. “We’ve come for the last couple of years. It’s a fun family day.” Still others came as potential students to check out the Vet School facilities. High school student Dorian McFarley of Opelousas wants to attend the LSU Vet School. “I like animals,” he said. “It’s really exciting. There’s a lot of interesting things. I’m impressed and excited.” Students found participation in the event rewarding and time-consuming. “It’s great to see all the people and how interested they are,” said Grace Burns, second-year vet student. “There’s a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes that people don’t realize.” Most of the funding for the event came from corporate sponsorships like pharmaceutical and pet food companies. Ginger Guttner, Vet School public relations coordinator, said the open house was a way to show the community what veterinarians do. “This is a way for us to show that vets do more than just dog and cat medicine,” she said. Taboada agreed, adding that the open house showed people veterinarians have a big impact on human health, as well. “Vets are very much involved in the health of people through public health and through food safety,” he said. He added that their research “has a focus on animals. But the animal serves as a model for human health.” Guttner could not provide attendance estimates by press time. She noted, however, the school was pleased with the turnout, as people showed up before the event started at 9 a.m. “It has definitely been a steady stream of people,” she said.   —-Contact Matthew Barnidge at [email protected]