Equine model aids veterinary teaching

The anatomical model will enable students at the University of Edinburgh to improve their diagnosis of colic, which affects many horses during their lifetime and can be life-threatening.

Equine simulator

The equine simulator at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies contains large intestines and other organs made of latex.

These can be inflated to different degrees to help familiarise students with the condition.

The model, which was recently developed by Veterinary Simulator Industries in close collaboration with Dr. Emma Read of the University of Calgary, has been imported from Canada.

Colic

Colic causes abdominal pain and is a leading cause of premature death in horses.

The simulator enables students to practice performing internal examination of a horse's intestines and sampling for free fluid in the abdomen.

It also has the potential to help students develop their ability to identify reproductive problems in mares.

Jeanne Marchig International Centre for Animal Welfare Education

The simulator was recently purchased, along with other animal teaching models through the School’s Jeanne Marchig International Centre for Animal Welfare Education.

The Centre, which forms an integral part of the University’s Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, was established in 2011 through a £2 million donation from the Marchig Animal Welfare Trust to improve the well-being of animals worldwide.

This includes seeking alternatives to the use of animals in teaching and research.

Teaching models

Animal alternatives for teaching include canine simulators on which students can practice intravenous injections and identify irregular heart sounds.

Specially designed models also enable students to practise suturing skin, intubation and neutering techniques.

Students can also carry out examinations on a cow simulator to help learn how to detect different stages of pregnancy and other reproductive conditions.

The realistic attributes of these models will allow students to learn and then refine their basic dexterity and practical skills before undertaking the procedures on live animals. This is not only safer and less stressful for the students, but is also importantly a more welfare-friendly way of learning.”

Dr Catriona Bell

Enhancing clinical skills

The School’s clinical skills lab is open on a drop-in basis, providing students with added learning flexibility.

Dr Bell is also developing a model bovine tail as part of an International Scholarship funded by the Higher Education Academy.

The model, which is also being created in collaboration with the University of Calgary and Veterinary Simulator Industries will enable students to practice taking blood samples from the vein in a cow’s tail, a common site used for blood sampling cattle.

We are dedicated to providing our students with quality learning experiences and these state of the art resources will support excellent clinical skills training for students, both during formal teaching and informal self-directed learning. Through using animal alternatives, students can gain knowledge, develop their skills and gain confidence before carrying out clinical procedures on real animals. Not only is this good for student early learning, but it also supports our University and School’s commitment to promoting and maintaining high standards of animal welfare in teaching and research.

Professor Natalie Waran