Health. Healing. Education. Docs at Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine serve the community

The day before his appearance at Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter World Tour, Angus—all 2,200 pounds of him—spent the morning with Dr. Elizabeth Lutz. He impressed her with his expressive eyes—one blue, one brown.

“This is a gorgeous eye!” gushed Lutz as she peered into his blue eye. “He has a really, really textured iris. Like a quality Nordstrom’s terry cloth towel.”

Angus was nonplussed by the colorful turn of phrase as Lutz, clinical assistant professor of ophthalmology at Rowan University’s Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine, gave his eyes the once-over.

A 10-year-old Percheron horse who stands 17.1 hands, Angus works with the New Jersey State Police Mounted Unit.

In coordination with Dr. Elizabeth Perry, section head and clinical assistant professor of Shreiber’s Large Animal Field Service, and veterinary technician Hannah Bonaventure, Lutz recently conducted the free eye exams on Angus and his fellow NJSP horse Jake, a 12-year-old, 2,100-pound Percheron, at a South Jersey stable.

Both horses were cleared for duty. The next day, they were hard at work helping the NJSP with crowd control at Queen Bey’s concert in East Rutherford.

Lutz was among 250 board-certified veterinary ophthalmologists in 170 cities across the U.S. and around the world who provided free exams to service and working animals in the spring through the 16^th annual National Service Animal Eye Exam Event, sponsored by Epicur Pharma.

Also in the spring, Lutz conducted free eye exams on Rowan’s main campus in Glassboro on service, working, first responder and formally trained therapy animals, including a handful of dogs in the University’s Shreiber Family Pet Therapy Program.

Committed to health for all

The exams were par for the course for the Shreiber School, which has an unwavering commitment to serving the community through animal health screenings and education.

The first veterinary school in the State of New Jersey, the Shreiber School will welcome its first class of 75 students this fall.

“Our goal is to graduate practice-ready veterinarians prepared to serve the needs of society,” Shreiber School Founding Dean Dr. Matthew Edson said. “Being active contributing members of the communities we serve is vitally important to the long-term success of our students. We want them to carry this service into their careers.”

Serving Camden’s pets

Also throughout the spring, the Shreiber School held four vaccination clinics to serve the animals of Camden.

Utilizing the school’s Shelter Medicine & Community Engagement Mobile Unit, a 40-foot Freightliner vehicle funded in part through a $500,000 gift from Merck Animal Health, Dr. Kirsten White and her team examined and provided free vaccinations for 340 dogs and cats at a spot outside Cathedral Kitchen, South Jersey’s largest emergency meal provider for people experiencing food insecurity.

There, city resident Patricia Clark shed tears as her three-month-old puppy, Mylady, a shih tzu/Pekingese mix, got her first inoculations from White, clinical assistant professor and section head for shelter medicine and community engagement at the Shreiber School.

“I cried. She didn’t,” Clark said of her pup as she picked up a free bag of dog food after the visit with White. Other giveaways included treats and nutritional supplements donated by Purina.

In addition to the donation of vaccines and Bravecto from Merck Animal Health, a grant from the Banfield Foundation supported the purchase of additional vaccines and flea and tick preventative medication that was then provided at no cost to Cathedral Kitchen guests and members of the surrounding community.

“I love the service the veterinary school provides,” Clark said. “They’re so friendly.”

Working with a team of seven, including Ciara Robinson, a first-year biological sciences major in the Shreiber School’s 3+4 BS/DVM accelerated pathway program, White greeted each animal with precision, kindness and care. Under White’s supervision and direction, Robinson helped draw up the vaccines while working to calm the animals.

“Oh, you’re going to purr?” White asked as she finished up with Sabrina, a black cat. “Are we friends now?”

Treating the health of all animals is critical to the health of humans as well, White noted.

“Studies are showing the positive impact of pets on human health and that’s a two-way street,” White said. “The work we do in shelter medicine is important because it focuses on disease prevention/treatment, communication with diverse populations of people and problem-solving skills.

“Serving the public in this way enhances the human-animal bonds in our local communities and helps protect the health of the planet as well.”

The vaccination event marked Robinson’s first-ever shift inside the mobile unit. The vehicle, which includes a three-table surgical suite, recovery cages and an exam space equipped with a wet table, allows the Shreiber School to bring veterinary care to underserved pet populations throughout the state.

“I love the client communications and I love the animals,” Robinson, who also works in a veterinary office, said as she cradled a puppy who got his first leptospirosis vaccine.

“I’m enjoying working in the clinic. Everyone is very proud of their pets. They’re their babies. I don’t think people should have to choose between their next meal and their pet’s vaccine.”           

More clinics in Camden are expected to be offered in the fall, according to White.

PAWS-itive experiences

Whether at shelters, community clinics or at PAWS Farm Educational Center, a 10-acre facility in Mount Laurel that hosts programming focused on informal STEAM education and career exploration in veterinary medicine, the Shreiber School maintains a commitment to fostering access to veterinary education for all learners.

At a free Saturday morning workshop at PAWS on choosing and caring for small animals, such as reptiles, small mammals and birds, Dr. Margaret Fordham, associate professor and director of veterinary clinical skills at Shreiber, provided an engaging overview for community members on owning exotic animals.

Fordham’s presentation, which was part of a five-session animal care PAWS series that included talks on everything from understanding euthanasia to caring for cats to identifying pet emergencies, covered rabbits, ferrets, reptiles, birds…and well beyond.

“Small pets are real pets. They often need to be socialized. You have to handle them a lot and they have a lot of specific needs. They need veterinary care and their life spans can range from nine months to 50 years,” Fordham said.

PAWS, which focuses on the engagement of young people in pre-K-12^th grade, upholds the Shreiber School’s mission to develop veterinary leaders in community engagement and service.

To that end, the educational center this summer hosted PAWSitive Futures Summer Camp, a day camp for high schoolers interested in veterinary careers.