Winslow Animal Hospital was so pleased to have the girls of Troop 30043 tour our facility! Dr. Philippe Coudrai talked to the Girl Scouts all about what a veterinarian does, as well as many of the services we offer at our Sicklerville, New Jersey animal hospital.
First, Dr. Philippe Coudrai gave a presentation on veterinary medicine. Veterinarians can treat dogs and cats, as we do at our veterinary practice. They are also trained to care for cows, sheep, pigs, chickens, snakes, lizards, birds, dolphins, sharks, giraffes, zebras, monkeys, and more! There are veterinarians who work at the Adventure Aquarium who care for the sea animals there! Others work for the Philadelphia Zoo, and care for all sorts of creatures. For those who wish to be veterinarians, there are many years of school and very competitive veterinary programs. Students need to be able to do a lot of math and science classes.
After the presentation, the Girl Scouts were excited to be able to tour the hospital! They went from our center for rehabilitation and pain management to the waiting room where pets are weighed on large scales. The next part of the tour was to see our exam rooms, where veterinarians provide a physical exam for the pet. From there, the Girl Scouts went back to the treatment area. There, Dr. Coudrai showed some unique samples to them. There were parasites there that had really been removed from pets! There were also diseased teeth that had been extracted that day at our dental treatment area. The scouts (& parents) were surprised to learn that about 70%-80% of pets over the age of 3 have dental disease!
The group then went back and saw both the Intensive Care Unite and our surgery suite! That’s where our doctors have performed thousands of surgical procedures. The Girl Scouts were so excited to try on the surgical masks and caps! The crew posed for a picture together in the operating room!
Next to our surgery suite is the x-ray room. While we didn’t take any x-rays while the scouts were in there, Dr. Philippe Coudrai pulled up some recent digital x-rays images on the computer monitor. That allowed him to point out the fractures in the leg on the x-ray. On the other side of the wall is the centrifuge that separates out parts of the blood for testing, as well as the microscope! We finished our tour with the lab/pharmacy area. Here, we are able to do some tests and provide medication. Pets need medicine just like people do! Finally, the Scouts were back in the reception area, where our friendly client service representatives help pet-parents make appointments.
We really enjoyed being able to show Troop 30043 what a Winslow Animal Hospital is all about!
