Kids learn what it takes to be a vet in Charlottetown

Your next veterinarian might be in Charlottetown this week. It’s a youth camp put on by the Atlantic Veterinary College to help spark interest in veterinary medicine among kids.

There are four camps in the summer -- two junior camps and two senior camps.

It’s a junior camp this week and middle schoolers are learning about all the things it takes to be a vet.

“When they say, ‘falconry,’ they actually have falcons,” said Rhéa Parsons, a camper from Sackville, N.B. “When they say, ‘dissect a fish,’ you’ll actually dissect a fish.”

Parsons said meeting the falcon was her favorite part.

The group saw a video of a spay procedure recorded by one of the college’s veterinarians.

Kids come from across Canada, the U.S., and as far as Wales this year for the opportunity, a rare hands-on experience at what it’s like to care for the medical needs of animals.

Emily Rowe, from Gander, N.L., said the thing she found the most interesting was the fish dissection.

“It was fun getting to see all the parts of the fish, and getting to look around with it,” said Rowe. “Seeing everyone else’s, what they’ve done with theirs.”

Some here will go on to the veterinary field. That’s just what happened with camp coordinator Lindsay Gallant -- she attended the camp when she was 11 and now she’s a vet student at the college.

“Watching a lot of the kids come out of their shells, and really fall in love with certain aspects of vet med,” said Gallant. “Some that I didn’t think would be super into a session, and then they’re all over it, and they can’t stop talking about it, and they’re so excited. It’s really fun to see that. I see myself in a lot of these campers, and a really hope to one day see them here as students.”

If you have a young person in your life who loves animals, and is interested in seeing how they tick, then vet camp might be a good way to introduce them to a potential career in veterinary medicine.