Lightning Bolt gets a physical exam

Chill Jill gets a physical exam

The video below demonstrates one method of taking the blood pressure of a cat.

Watch Dr. Henry Green, a board certified veterinary cardiologist (heart doctor), perform an electrocardiogram on a dog and learn about how the heart works.

This cat ovariohysterectomy (spay) was completed as part of a collaboration between Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine and The Almost Home Humane Society of Lafayette, Indiana. Each week, Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine veterinary and veterinary technician students, supervised by a veterinary surgeon, visit the Almost Home Humane Society to neuter dogs and cats. This program provides students with surgical experience and helps the Almost Home Humane Society prepare pets for adoption. Dr. Lynetta Freeman, Associate Professor of Small Animal Surgery and Biomedical Engineering, in collaboration with Dr. Julia Becker, attending veterinarian for the Almost Home Humane Society, initiated the program and worked to set up a spay/neutering site at the humane society's shelter. A local donor and Merck Merial provided funding for this effort.

Vocabulary terminology from the video

cervix - The end of the uterus that provides passage to outside of the body.

exteriorized - Taken outside of the body.

hemorrhage - Bleeding

hemostasis - The process of stopping bleeding.

hemostat - Clamp that holds blood vessels closed.

incised - Cut into

ligation - Tying off an end (for example, tying a loop of suture with a knot to close the end of a blood vessel to stop bleeding)

ligature - The loop of suture tied with a knot that constricts something such as a vessel or a pedicle.

ovarian artery - The blood vessel that carries oxygenated blood to the ovary.

ovarian pedicle - Contains the blood vessels (artery and vein) that nourish the ovary

peritoneum - The membrane that lines the abdominal cavity (the abdominal cavity holds organs such as the stomach, liver, uterus in females, etc).

proximal - Nearest to the center or nearest to the point of attachment

subcutaneous - The area just under the skin.

suspensory ligament - The ligament that holds the ovary in place.

suture - Sterile thread used in surgeries or a stitch placed in tissue with suture material

transection - Cut across

transfixation ligature - A loop of suture tied tightly with a knot used to control bleeding where the needle is passed through the vessel before being tied, to keep the knot from slipping.

uterine horns  - The two tubes that extend from the body of the uterus to the ovaries. The horns are longer in animals that have their young in litters.

uterine tubes - The tube that connects the uterus to the ovary also called the oviduct.

uterus - The female organ where the embryos develop into baby animals.

Veterinary pathologists study diseases and other abnormal conditions of animals. Pathologists perform necropsies ("necropsy" is the word we use to describe an "autopsy" of an animal). They examine the bodies, organs, tissues, and body fluids (i.e. blood, urine) of animals.  Pathologists test to see if the disease or condition is caused by an infectious agent (i.e. bacteria, virus, parasite, prion), or has a noninfectious cause (i.e. toxin, cancer, metabolic disorder). Pathologists also develop better and faster ways to test for diseases and help develop drugs and vaccines to treat and prevent diseases.   We hope that you enjoy these virtual pathology experiences.

Catfish Necropsy: This video demonstrates how to do a necropsy ("autopsy") on a catfish. We performed this necropsy to determine if the catfish had a disease called Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia. Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia is a deadly disease of fish but it does not affect people. This catfish did not have the disease.

Dr. Jason Kelly is a swine veterinarian in Iowa. He graduated from the Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine in 2003. The following video clip is a typical day in the life of a swine veterinarian.