Fourth-year veterinary student Erin Levine was among the WSU veterinary students who spent a day helping care for 66 horses rescued from a neglect case in north Idaho. Levine shared what she learned from the experience and why opportunities like this are valuable for future veterinarians.
What was your role in helping to provide care for the rescue horses at the Lewiston Livestock Market?
I was there with a few other students helping to get these horses examined, dewormed, vaccinated, and microchipped along with the awesome equine ambulatory vet team. We were also able to perform a new foal exam on a very recently born colt.
As a veterinary student, how important is it for you to get experiences like this in the field?
Experiences like this are super important for our education and development as soon-to-be veterinarians. Working with a lot of animals in a high-volume setting is a great way to get our hands on a lot of different horses in a short amount of time. The exposure to horses who aren’t necessarily coming from a place with exceptional care is very “real life” compared to some of the cases we might see on a rotation at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital.
How does working alongside faculty veterinarians in the field help prepare you for your future career?
It is a great experience to work with faculty veterinarians in a setting like this, where we are all sort of working together as colleagues to get these horses cared for, while still getting to truly learn from “the master.” I think we all went home with some amazing, newly-learned horse handling skills that day.
Was there a particular horse or moment that stuck with you after the day was over?
There was a yearling colt who was especially nervous and shy, and to see Dr. Ali Botting and technician Maizey Kaiyalatake the time to work with him at his pace and eventually earn his trust enough to halter and vaccinate him was really incredible. This horse went from being essentially untouchable to allowing Maizey to touch his neck and face. It was really inspiring and just a powerful moment for all of us.
Why are partnerships between WSU and rescues like Idaho Animal Rescue important?
I think these partnerships are hugely important both for access to care for animals from all walks of life and also for students to gain experience in these unique high-volume settings. The horses and the humans both benefitted from our work that day, and I think we all ended that day in agreement that we would happily do it again!