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MSU vet to use remote teaching at conference
MISSISSIPPI STATE – Hundreds of veterinary professionals will gather in Phoenix for the annual American Animal Hospital Association meeting, but part of the conference will originate at Mississippi State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.
During a March 15 AAHA pediatric spay and neuter session sponsored by PetSmart Charities, Dr. Phil Bushby will demonstrate surgeries and share his surgical expertise. Bushby, the MSU-CVM Marcia Lane Endowed Chair in Humane Ethics and Animal Welfare, will operate on shelter dogs and cats to help them become more adoptable.
The procedures will be broadcast live from one of the college’s mobile veterinary clinics to conference attendees.
“It is important to focus on pediatric spay/neuter surgeries as those are the animals most frequently adopted from shelters. Sterilization prior to adoption significantly reduces the pet overpopulation problem,” Bushby said. “This session will help veterinarians at other colleges and veterinary hospitals who wish to assist local shelters in making their animals more adoptable.”
MSU’s veterinary college has two mobile clinics that serve as surgical facilities. Faculty and students travel to North Mississippi shelters to spay and neuter un-owned animals. Students gain surgical experience and get to play a role in solving the pet overpopulation issue.
“Many of the animal shelters we work with have as high as a 70 percent euthanasia rate, but more than an 80 percent adoption rate for the animals that are spayed or neutered,” Bushby said. “This is what we see not only in Mississippi, but in many other states.”
The newest mobile clinic was funded by PetSmart Charities as a result of fund-raising activities by students in the classes of 2013 and 2014. It will be the venue for the remote teaching experience for the AAHA conference.
MSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine works with the Mississippi Veterinary Medical Association to educate the public about the importance of spaying and neutering pets and taking them to a local veterinarian twice a year.
The conference in Phoenix will be held March 14-17. The AAHA conference focuses exclusively on companion animal care and provides attendees with top-of-the-line education on the latest developments in pet care and surgery.
Contact: Karen Templeton, (662) 325-1100
