Cuteness Comes in All Shapes and Sizes

Meet Romulus, Remus, and Regulus, male regal jumping spiders, belonging to Louise Qu from Western University.

RomulusRegulus

Remus

Wellness Spotlight

This is our first ever feature of the Wellness Spotlight. SAVMA's Wellness committee came up with a great way to share all the wonderful wellness events that each school is putting on - feature them in The Vet Gazette. Read about the wellness event that Royal Veterinary College came up with.........

At Royal Veterinary College wellness is the “overall concept of being able to prosper

while being happy, healthy and comfortable with day to day life.” To promote this idea

the Students’ Union put on an event to encourage joy and wellness to their students

which the SAVMA Wellness Committee wanted to share.

The RVC Students’ Union organized for a group of 16 puppies to come visit the students

for cuddles and play time. They used a company that specializes in animal encounters

who then worked with breeders for a mutually beneficial experience: the puppies

received extra socialization, and the students were able to relieve the extra stress they

had before finals week.

Here are some helpful tips if you would like to organize this wellness event at your

school:

• The event overall costed near 600 USD, which was funded by the Students’ union.
• Another (and potentially less expensive) way to provide an opportunity for your students to have puppy cuddle time is to work with a guide dog association.
• Consider offering fundraising services while reaching out to organizations so they see the experience as mutually beneficial.
• Depending on the size of your student body, you may have to use a strict sign up sheet for play time so that all students have an opportunity to visit the puppies and destress.
• Plan the event a week before final exams. It can be difficult for students to remember to provide time for their personal wellness before finals, but who can resist play time with puppies?
• No room on campus for 16 puppies? Try a local community center close to campus.

Overall RVC Students’ union put on a wellness event that was a large success. The feedback was very positive, and there is a huge demand for the event again this year. Thank you to Hatti Smart for sharing this event with us.

Hosted a wellness event at your school? We’d love to hear about it. Email SGans29@midwestern.edu or mazurows@ncus.edu for more information about how to share.

Creative Corner

Kristian Joyce from The Ohio State University showcases her talent in crocheting with this adorable mermaid baby blanket.

sunday funday

Thank you to Vanessa Adarme from St. George's University for sharing these winning submissions to our Foot in Mouth category.

Q: What does the dentist of the year get?

A: A little plaque

A Veterinary Response to Natural Disasters

This piece was shared with us by Chris Dolan from Texas A&M University. As we learn more everyday about the destruction caused by Hurrican Harvey we hope this experience will help us all gain a better understanding of just one way we as members of the veterinary community can help those in need. Thank you for sharing Chris and for donating your time to your community. 4:30am - my phone rings. I was being called because the Texas A&M Veterinary Emergency Team (VET) was being deployed. Canton, Texas had been hit by F3 and F4 tornadoes and needed our help to cover the urgent animal needs in their devastated community. I was called because I was on the Community Connections rotation at Texas A&M University, which is taught by members of the VET and shows students how veterinarians can be an asset during an emergency response. The rotation also allows for students to deploy with the VET if they are sent to help with a disaster during the rotation. My bag was packed and I was ready at the school by 5:30am.

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