Finding a pulse in pet care | News, Sports, Jobs – Marshall Independent

Aug 24, 2022
Photo by Deb Gau Finn Ruud receives tips on using a stethoscope from veterinarian Scott Kuecker before listening to Franklin the dog’s heartbeat during a pet care class held by Marshall Community Education and the Marshall Animal Clinic last week.
MARSHALL — Students in veterinarian Scott Kuecker’s class were ready to use a stethoscope to listen to a patient’s heart. The challenge was that the patient was an energetic puppy named Franklin.
One by one, Kuecker coached the Marshall area youth on where to listen for a dog’s heartbeat. He said they should listen on the left side of the chest, but up closer to the armpit than where a human’s heart would be.
“That’s awesome. I can hear it,” said student Hanna Johnson.
Getting a hands-on look at what veterinarians do was the focus of a new class offered by Marshall Community Education and the Marshall Animal Clinic this summer. Last week, students in grades 5-8 got their own scrubs and stethoscopes and learned how animals were cared for at the clinic. They even got to meet pets like Franklin, and cats at the Marshall Pet Rescue.
Community Education offered three different pet care classes, aimed at different age levels from kindergarten through eighth grade, said Community Rducation Coordinator Amanda Beckler.
“This is kind of the advanced class,” Kuecker told students on Tuesday.
Beckler said the pet care classes turned out to be so popular, they added an extra session that met last week, she said.
On Tuesday, a group of five students toured Marshall Animal Clinic, and learned about some of the different services local veterinarians and vet techs provided. Kuecker said the clinic has grown and changed over the years. Today, they see a lot more dogs and cats as patients than they used to, he said.
Students looked at X-ray images, and also got to observe veterinary assistants examining a dog with a sore on its paw.
Kuecker explained that the technicians were checking to see if anything had gotten stuck between the dog’s toes that would cause the sore.
The pet care classes were fun for both kids and the clinic staff.
“It’s really interesting,” said student Stella Bauleke. “Franklin was adorable.”
“Working with the different age groups is really fun,” said Brandy Hieronimus, veterinary assistant and office manager at the clinic.
She said it’s interesting to see what different groups of kids will connect with.
Kuecker encouraged students to consider veterinary science as a possible career path.
“It’s not too early to think about it, especially since there’s a shortage of veterinarians and veterinary technicians,” he said.
He told the group, “If you find a job that’s fun, it’s not hard work.”
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