INTERACTIVE COMMUNITY EDUCATION
The day's participants posed for a picture in front of the mural at Meshakwad Community Center, along with the volunteers from SIRVS, and showed off their new stitching and bandaging skills.
COVE introduces community to exciting topics in the field of veterinary medicine
By VIVIAN LaMOORE, INAAJIMOWIN EDITOR
PHOTOS by LI BOYD, BAND MEMBER
Given the chance to peer into a microscope at micro-organisms, blood cells, and parasites, learn basic first-aide, listen to the heartbeat of a pet, and learn basic pet care, can change the projectory of a life for some youth at Ge-niigaanizijig and other community members of all ages. Community Outreach and Veterinary Medicine (COVE) is an interactive educational program designed to introduce community members to the exciting field of veterinary medicine with the possibility of sparking an interest in pursuing a career in the field, educate community members on preventative medicine, and reinforce the concepts of pet health care, all with an emphasis on fun. This COVE event was held at the Meshakwad Community Center on Saturday, February 18, 2023.
COVE is offered through the Student Initiative for Reservation Veterinary Services (SIRVS), an official student group of the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine, serving reservation communities throughout Minnesota. SIRVS provides no-cost veterinary services to the pets of partner tribal communities, including Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, White Earth Nation, Lower Sioux Indian Community, Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, and Red Lake Nation.
At COVE, the University of Minnesota veterinary students offer cool workshops and activities to give participants a hands-on experience of what it is like to work with pets in clinic situations. “For example, we have a model pet, like a stuffed dog, who maybe ate a sock,” said Andrew Backman of COVE. “So we work through the case. What do we need to do for this dog: does he need X-rays, and surgery.”
Other examples of work stations are a suturing station where participants can practice suturing a banana, a bandaging lab, and microscopic examinations of insects such as fleas and ear mites.
“We hope the program will empower pet owners to maintain health and wellness for their animals, and keep animals healthy and in their homes, and possibly engage some kids to pursue a career in veterinary medicine,” Backman said.
Community members were shown how to listen for a healthy heart and lungs on Reggie, a volunteer dog from SIRVS, during the COVE event at Meshakwad Community Center on February 18, 2023.
Veterinary volunteer Andrew Backman walked participants through how to suture wounds. Everyone worked with real medical grade sutures and tools on the skin of a banana to simulate a patient