Animal Care Education Session - April 10, 2015

Leech Lake Legacy, in collaboration with the Leech Lake Tribal College, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, Leech Lake Tribal Police and the University of Minnesota SIRVS group will be hosting two animal care education sessions on Friday, April 10, 2015 at the Leech Lake Tribal College (Drum Room) in Cass Lake.

A more detailed agenda is below along with additional information on our presenters, Dr. Larissa Minicucci and Eva Reinicke of the University of Minnesota SIRVS (Student Initiative for Reservation Veterinary Services) Group.

Agenda:

April 10th, 2015

Two sessions:
2 - 4 pm (geared for students) and
6 - 8 pm (for community members/general public)

The 6 pm-8 pm presentation will not include the veterinary career options portion of the lecture. More emphasis will be placed on basic animal care and first aid. 

Veterinary Careers (30 minutes)
Steps to becoming a veterinarian
-undergraduate requirements
-VetFAST program through University of Minnesota
-work experience
-GRE and GPA requirements
-Veterinary Schools in the US and abroad
-veterinary school scholarships
Career options in veterinary medicine
-small animal medicine
-large animal medicine
-public health
-research
-pathology
-etc

Basic Animal Care (30 minutes)
-Animal housing
-Pet nutrition
-veterinary care for pets

Pet First Aid (30 minutes)
-what is a pet emergency?
-first aid supplies
-how to handle an injured pet
-basic pet first aid procedures
-pets and disasters

Dog body language and bite prevention (30 minutes)
- properly training and socializing pets
-how to read dog body language
- teaching children how to be around pets
- community approaches to dog bite prevention

Special Guests:
Before and after the session meet Leech Lake dogs currently in training to be service dogs for veterans with Patriot Assistance Dogs and learn more about Patriot Assistance Dogs and what it takes to become a service dog.

Ember (a stray from Onigum) is now in training
to be come a service dog for veterans with
Patriot Assistance Dogs.
Ember will be a special guest on 4/10.

Bios of our presenters:

Larissa Minicucci DVM, MPH, CPH

Dr. Minicucci received her undergraduate degree in animal bioscience from Penn State University in 1996. She went on to complete her degree as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) from Cornell university in 2000. In 2004 she graduated with a Masters of Public Heath in epidemiology from the University of Minnesota. She is also a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventative Medicine.

Currently she teaches at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine and directs the dual degree program for DVM/MPH students. Her clinical interests include community-based practice opportunities in population and preventative medicine. She has been the faculty advisor for the club Student Initiative for Reservation Veterinary Services (SIRVS) since the club was founded in 2009 and has facilitated the growth of the club from six original members to over one third of the veterinary student body. Her dedication and passion for teaching students and providing care to animals on Leech Lake, White Earth and Lower Sioux reservations has helped provide veterinary care to thousands of animals and touched many student lives.

Eva Reinicke 

Eva Reinicke received her bachelor of arts degree in environmental education from Earlham College in 2007. She worked as an outdoor educator, wilderness trip leader and veterinary assistant until her acceptance to the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine in 2011. She anticipates graduating with a DVM in 2016. She has been involved in providing veterinary services on reservations since starting veterinary school. Currently she is the president for Student Initiative for Reservation Veterinary Services and organizes four to five companion animal wellness and spay/neuter clinics during each school year. This summer she interned with Rural Veterinary Experience Teaching and Service (RVETS) providing veterinary care for horses, mules and donkeys on Pine Ridge, Fort Berthold, Cheyenne River and Standing Rock reservations. She also participated in wellness and spay/neuter programs through Rural Area Veterinary Service (RAVS) in Turtle Mountain and Cheyenne River communities. She is committed to finding sustainable ways of providing veterinary care on reservations throughout Minnesota and the Dakotas.