One of the most exciting parts of being a student in the Veterinary Assistant program at Ross Medical Education Center is the hands on practice with animals in the classroom. Recently, they had a visit from Ryan, a Veterinary Assistant at Blue Pearl Veterinary Partners and a dog trainer, and his two dogs. In addition to doing individualized pet coaching, Ryan has also worked for “No Means No” training center and Petsmart. Because of his abundance of experience, he was able to introduce the students to a variety of different training styles and demonstrated them using his own dogs.
The students in the Veterinary Assistant program at the Ross Medical Education Center New Baltimore campus enjoyed working on Ryan’s dogs, Ember and Ryder. Ember is an Australian Shepherd and Blue heeler mix who is a certified therapy dog. Ryder is a Flat Coated Retriever mix that is currently being trained for search and rescue. The students were excited to work with dogs that were both cute and very well-trained. They were able to practice proper restraint techniques along with placing the dogs in appropriate handing positions.
One of the potential duties of a Veterinary Assistant in a veterinary practice is making sure that the animals in the veterinary office or hospital are controlled and do not get hurt during a variety of procedures. Some of these situations include while being examined, having blood drawn, having medications administered to them, having their nails trimmed, and undergoing having their ears cleaned. Therefore, learning how to be proficient at restraint and positioning is an important part of a Veterinary Assistant’s education.
Throughout their visit, Ember and Ryder were very cooperative and allowed the students to lay them on their sides (lateral recumbency), on their backs (dorsal recumbency), and on their stomachs (sternal or ventral recumbency). These positions mimic all the different situations the animals are placed in while in the veterinary clinic and are therefore very important to know before entering into a career in a veterinary practice. Students were thrilled to practice their skills and learn some valuable information from Ryan, Ember, and Ryder.