On Oct. 2-3, students of the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan will host the now bi-annual Vetavision, which includes a number of special activities and events that allow for a peek into the college and the life of veterinarians.

The WCVM will be opening its doors to the public for this event and all are welcome to attend. There will be many live animals present including chicks, sheep and rescue animals, among others, and U of S students and the general public alike will have the opportunity for hands-on contact with some of the animals.

Kayla Bilsborrow, co-president of Vetavision and fourth-year veterinary medicine student, was one of the organizers of this year’s event and is eager to see it come to fruition.

“I just enjoy the opportunity to promote what I’m passionate about to the general public,” Bilsborrow said.

The event will run from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday, with the highest density of demos taking place on Saturday in an effort to accommodate U of S students’ schedules. Students from different departments walk through the WCVM every day and, according to Bilsborrow, this is a perfect opportunity for them to see what is behind all of the doors that say “Do Not Enter” within the college.

A schedule of events is also available online and includes demos such as sheep shearing, RCMP police dogs and medical imaging. Admission to Vetavision for students with valid student ID is $8 at the door and other admission costs are available on their webpage.

Bilsborrow notes that the best place for visitors to start is through the main entry to the event, which is located at the top of the ramp into the building from Campus Drive.

“There’s a one-way track we have created for people, just to make it easy to make sure they are not missing any exhibits and making their way around the building as easy as possible,” Bilsborrow said.

Vetavision is designed to be an all-ages event and Bilsborrow insists there is something for everyone.

“We are targeting every age group, we have things for children, we have things for students [and] we have things for adults who just want to learn more.”

The professor lectures are one portion of the program that Bilsborrow is particularly excited to attend.

“There are some really great topics this year. We have chosen some really amazing charismatic presenters as well, so not only is the material amazing, but the quality of lecture will be amazing,” Bilsborrow said.

Bruce Wobeser, WCVM assistant professor and pathologist, is a Vetavision veteran, having volunteered at two past events as a student. Wobeser will be returning to the event this year to speak about what veterinarians see when things go wrong with animals.

“What are the different changes that happen when things go wrong? I’m going to show pictures of all sorts of things, all sorts of animals. Nothing too gross. Things that I think people will find interesting and worth talking about,” Wobeser said.

Wobeser insists that veterinary medicine and Vetavision include several points of interest for everybody.

“There’s bits and pieces on everything; it goes from the little kid type stuff like holding cute animals and stuff like that. But then there are other booths that talk about toxicology, environmental science, the human animal bond and all sorts of things.”

Moreover, this year will be the first time that the U of S open house will be collaborating with Vetavision, and Bilsborrow encourages everyone to check out the event, reminding readers this only happens once every two years.

“Unless you hate animals, this event is going to appeal to you,” Bilsborrow said. “It’s going to be a very entertaining event.”