OVC Veterinary Students Train for Large Animal Emergency Rescue

-Guelph, ON – Nov, 29, 2024. The final offering of Equine Guelph’s Large Animal Emergency Rescue (LAER) training for 2024 was a specialized workshop for veterinary students held at the University of Guelph campus. On November 23, 2024 this course was presented by Equine Guelph & the Department of Clinical Studies, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph. This course was exclusive for members of the OVC Emergency Responders Club which includes first, second, and third year veterinary students. They all worked together learning practical skills to aid large animals in emergency situations.

“The veterinarian plays an important role when they are called to assist in an emergency rescue situation,” says course facilitator Dr. Susan Raymond. “Having the training beforehand provides the knowledge to work within the incident command system with other responding agencies, while focusing on human safety and animal welfare.”

Thanks go out to System Equine and Dwayne Job for loan of the horse trailer to practice what to do when a horse goes down in a trailer. Equine Guelph would also like to thank Grand River Agricultural Society (GRAS) for its foundational funding of the Large Animal Emergency Rescue program.

The future vets worked learning various manipulation techniques that can be used in emergency situations. They practiced scene management and how to work within the incident command system.

Utilizing ‘Rusti’, a 700-pound life sized horse mannequin, participants learned how to perform forward and rear assists, sideways drags and cast horse rolls. They all had a chance to work with specialized reach tools, tow straps, and package a horse on a glide for safe transportation out of sticky situations.

The OVC Emergency Responders all learned how to make an emergency halter that could fit any large animal with use of a rope. The vet students also gained experience with live horses practicing safe ways to corral and contain loose horses.

Horse behaviour and how it may differ during an emergency was top of mind in all the scenarios including a simulated rescue of a horse caught up in a fence line, a cast horse and a horse that had fallen on sloping terrain.

“I was fortunate to have been able to participate in the large animal emergency rescue course last year, in my second year of vet school,” said OVC Emergency Responders Club Co-President Charlotte Jerome. “As someone with minimal large animal experience, I left the course feeling much more confident in my understanding of large animal behavior, particularly in an emergency situation. This course helped me understand why and how to approach emergency situations, while ensuring the safety of the people and animals involved.”

“My goal is to keep access to this course a core part of OVC’s Emergency Responders Club, as I feel this course provides a practical opportunity to learn how to best approach emergency response scenarios we may face at any time as veterinarians; be it cast horses in a barn, barn fires, transportation accidents, or loose livestock in our city.”

OVC veterinary student Jerome concluded, “I find this course to be a unique and valuable learning opportunity, as our school curriculum does not cover any rescue or emergency awareness or training and does not always highlight the collaborative nature of these scenarios.”

The OVC Emergency Responders all came away with new practical skills to aid large animals and livestock in emergencies thanks to the Large Animal Emergency Rescue Workshop presented by Equine Guelph & the Department of Clinical Studies at OVC.

Equine Guelph’s LAER program continues to grow and expand its offerings to varied groups. If you are interested in helping to build this program or would like to discuss offering this program in your area or to your members, please contact Susan Raymond at Equine Guelph. Courses can be offered on a cost-recovery basis, or through sponsorship, to communities/individuals who would like to expand the reach of this training program.

Participants must be a minimum of 18 years of age. First responders, pre-service, law enforcement, animal welfare officers, veterinarians, vet. technicians, emergency animal response teams, horse owners, livestock producers and associations are all encouraged to reach out and book their training workshops for 2025.

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Notes to Editor:

Equine Guelph is the horse owners’ and care givers’ Centre at the University of Guelph in Canada. It is a unique partnership dedicated to the health and well-being of horses, supported and overseen by equine industry groups. Equine Guelph is the epicentre for academia, industry and government – for the good of the equine industry as a whole. For further information, visit www.equineguelph.ca.

Story by: Jackie Bellamy-Zions, Equine Guelph

Photos: (images available upon request)

Photo Credit: Susan Raymond

Photo Caption: Ontario Veterinary College Students participate in Large Animal Emergency Rescue Training at University of Guelph, Nov 23, 2024.

Web Link(s):

Story web link: https://thehorseportal.ca/2024/11/ovc-veterinary-students-train-for-large-animal-emergency-rescue/