Iowa State center – hub for swine veterinarians

Iowa State University is proposing a unique center to give veterinarians training on the latest techniques for keeping hogs healthy during the pork production chain.

If approved by the Iowa Board of Regents, the university says the Swine Medicine Education Center would attract students and veterinarians from across North America interested in specialising in swine and food animal medicine.

Under a partnership with a large veterinary practice in western Iowa, the center would include a site with 5,000 sows where students could get experience working on live animals.

Students would learn how to collect blood samples from pigs, how to evaluate deaths and how to analyze pig behavior and health among a large population. They’d also learn the latest research on issues like food safety and disease prevention.

[Source: AP]