Recipient Organization
PRAIRIE VIEW A&M UNIVERSITY
P.O. Box 519, MS 2001
PRAIRIE VIEW,TX 77446
Performing Department
Cooperate Agriculture Research
Non Technical Summary
Goats continue to increase in popularity, as evidenced by the explosion of "goat yoga"-typeactivities, and the dearth of "goats in pajamas" videos on the internet. They have been gainingmomentum as a 'sustainable' meat source, their milk is publicly accepted as being more digestible for the lactose-sensitive, and they require less space than a similarly-sized cattle herd.Goat producers - though comparatively small in numbers and herd size - are very willing to treata sick animal, and even more willing to help them "thrive", but often lament the lack of trained "goat vets". The requirement to provide adequate veterinary care to these unique small ruminants has increased, but the opportunities for veterinary students to receive directed, intensive training in goat medicine are limited. This project offers to address that deficiency by providing funds to cover travel and living arrangements to enable veterinary students in their clinical training year to participate in an externship at Prairie View A&M University's International Goat Research Center, while also providing models to practice common techniques they might otherwise be unable to experience at their home institutions. The IGRC houses approximately 300 mature goats and births approximately 250 kids every year, raising 3 different goat breeds (2 meat and 1 dairy) for reproduction and nutrition research, student teaching, and associatedCooperative Extension Program activities. The IGRC also boasts a full-time veterinarian and veterinary technician who work exclusively on the university's herds, with experiences in specialty practice, rural mixed-animal practice, and research. This creates a unique learning environment for students that not only further trains them in proper veterinary treatment for sick goats, but exposes them to the management of a production herd, and its associated needs and daily concerns, allowing students to gain a better understanding of the broader public health implications of goats raised for milk and eventual slaughter. Students will be evaluated according to a rubric set by their home university, as well as an on-site evaluation form created by the IGRC, with a follow-up questionnaires during their first two years in practice. In this way, we can address a need for more food animal practitioners trained in small ruminant medicine.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
The primary goalof this project is to offer a uniquely relevant learning environment forveterinarystudents to further their clinical skills ingoat medicine, while immersedin the full-timerealitites of a production goat herd. This allowsfora better understanding of future producers'enterprises,andthe broader public health implications of animals raised for milk and meat.Additional goals address developing and teaching best practices for on-farm care of goats, based on evidence-basedpractices for reducing pain and traumaon kidsduringdisbudding, withfield-adaptedequipment custom-assembled anddemonstrated to work effectively in a farm environment.Similarly, surgical models will be created to give students opportunities to practice some common goat procedures (e.g., Caeserean sections and perineal urethrostomies, etc.).Objectives: 1) train 4th-year veterinary student externs in goat/small ruminant clinical medical techniques; 2) assemble a field-adapted anesthesia setup that can administer isoflorane anesthetic in a farm setting; 3) create practice models for students to gain familiarity with common goat surgical procedures; 4) strengthenand encourage furthercollaborative networks between TAMU and PVAMU, particularly the CVMBS and the IGRC.
Project Methods
Up tothreeexterns will be accepted at the IGRC for each two-week rotation(periods are setbyCVMBS),necessarily limited by the desire to give all externs as much one-on-one attention as possible.Anesthetic machine assembly:Purchase an anesthetic mounting systemPurchase a vaporizerPurchase a portable oxygen generatorPurchase wheels/cart capable of easy disassemblyDesign and construction of models willinvolvematerials that can betreated or conditioned to imitate skin, fat, muscle layers, fascial layers, ororgans.A goat-sized framework (possibly made from PVC pipes or wood) will house a set of "internal organs" simulating a rumen, abomasum (for Displaced Abomasum surgeries), liver (for biopsies), and uterus(for Caesarean sections), to name a few.Common building and crafts materials expected to be trialed include: tarps, faux fur, wooden or metal fixtures, Styrofoam, etc. Meat and organs readily available at the local grocery store (e.g., rumen, liver, feet, etc.) can also be mounted into the frames in order to provide actual tissues to suture, and real bone on which to practiceGigliwire techniques. Veterinaryexterns will be given the opportunity to participate in the design and creation of these models, with the expectation that all the designs will undergo various trials and re-trials before arriving at final iterations that simulate a live animal, but can also be re-used.