Students in the Vet Tech program at Globe University Minnesota School of Business, Moorhead, ventured on a field trip to a local farm Feb. 15 for hands-on experience with large animals. The 10 students spent the day at the Duane and Mary Dukowitz farm south of Staples. Students spent the morning in the barn and surrounding pen with the horses and donkey, each completing various tasks such as drawing blood work, skin scrapings, checking heart rates, picking hooves and more. The afternoon was spent with the beef cow herd also completing blood draws, checking general health and heart rates and more.

“It is very important to expose students to the large animal field as a vital and necessary need to ensure the industry’s survival,” said Andrea (Winter) Pearson, above center, a second year student and 2000 graduate of Staples Motley High School. “Most students never experience working with large animals and many more never want to go into the field. It is becoming more difficult to find professionals who will travel and work in the large animal field,” she said.

Above: Students divided into groups and rotated turns among the horses to find their heartbeat and draw blood. The vials were marked and packaged for testing at the school.

Below: Instructor Karen Burdick, LVT, advised a student on a blood draw from a cow while another student ran the cattle chute. (Staples World photos by Janice Winter)