Vet schools that don't require abattoir placements?

[polkadotti]

I am from Australia and pretty sure all the schools have compulsory abattoir placements, as well as in the UK. I am seriously considering studying abroad at a US school just to avoid this. Anyone have any information? Thanks!

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[StartingoverVet]

sorry, no information, but I did have to look up the word abattoir.
And going to the U.S. will avoid that but at what cost? A lot financially.

 

[CalliopeDVM]

An important piece of information is that vet schools in the US will cost about 4 times as much as if you went to a vet school in Australia. Is it worth US$150,000+ to you to avoid a placement in an abattoir? It wouldn't be for me.

 

[Lissarae06]

I guess my answer would depend on exactly why you don't want to complete an abattoir placement.

 

[laitmanvet]

RVC just changed this rotation, now students only go 1-2 days, instead of a week. Its really not that bad. Even the vegans/vegetarians here don't have a problem with it. And for the inexpensive tuition, it doesn't seem worth avoiding.

 

[chickenlittle]

That sounds like a pretty bad idea. Taking on hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt, just to avoid one rotation that you think you won't enjoy? Even if you're a vegan/vegetarian and therefore find the idea to be an unpleasant one, the truth is that a slaughterhouse does more 'necropsies' in a day than you will ever get in vet school and therefore it's a good place to be exposed to interesting pathology. Also, whether or not you eat meat, understanding where and how we obtain meat for eating is info that is beneficial to everyone.

 

[Caia]

Also, whether or not you eat meat, understanding where and how we obtain meat for eating is info that is beneficial to everyone.

This.

Whether you eat meat or not, I think it's important to have some exposure to slaughter so that you can be informed on the topic as a veterinarian. This is why I have such a difficult time dealing with people making emotional arguments without knowing what they're talking about.

I'm going to try and stay off my soapbox on this one.

 

[jmo1012]

Also, always try to keep an open mind in vet school. Ita your time to experience things you will never have the chance to do again. You may also be surprised at what you do and don't like. I had some of the most fun on rotations I thought I'd hate.

 

[LetItSnow]

I don't really understand why a vegan/vegetarian would be unwilling to go to a slaughterhouse for school. It's not like anyone is insisting you start eating meat. I mean... is it some sort of "if I don't see it I can deny that it's happening" kinda thing? Cause that's not rational.

We all have/had rotations we didn't want to do or didn't like. You just suck it up and plow through them and get to the other side and understand that the rotations are there for a reason.

In this specific situation ... worst case, you really hate it and it re-informs your feelings about it and now you have actual firsthand experience to back up your dislike. Best case, you find it interesting and learn something. Either way, you get through vet school.

(P.S. If you come to my school you'd have to go to a slaughterhouse, too.)

 

[WildZoo]

In this specific situation ... worst case, you really hate it and it re-informs your feelings about it and now you have actual firsthand experience to back up your dislike. Best case, you find it interesting and learn something. Either way, you get through vet school.

That was my thought on it. You'd think it would actually be a good thing for a vegan/vegetarian to get firsthand experience so that they know their feelings about it are based on reality and not just what they have heard from other people.

 

[battie]

I also had to look up what abattoir means as well. Learn something new everyday.

I was actually under the impression that most US vet schools do some sort of work with a slaughterhouse rotation. Is it only some schools that do a rotation with or through a slaughterhouse?

That was my thought on it. You'd think it would actually be a good thing for a vegan/vegetarian to get firsthand experience so that they know their feelings about it are based on reality and not just what they have heard from other people.

I love this statement. So many people seem to base their decisions on information from what so-and-so said in such-and-such documentary (that may or may not be biased). Getting first hand experience is the best way to make an informed opinion.

 

[bunnity]

FWIW Penn did not require us to do anything related to slaughterhouses. I don't think that, on its own, would be remotely worth the cost of tuition.

 

[Psorophoraferox]

I don't really understand why a vegan/vegetarian would be unwilling to go to a slaughterhouse for school. It's not like anyone is insisting you start eating meat. I mean... is it some sort of "if I don't see it I can deny that it's happening" kinda thing? Cause that's not rational.

We all have/had rotations we didn't want to do or didn't like. You just suck it up and plow through them and get to the other side and understand that the rotations are there for a reason.

In this specific situation ... worst case, you really hate it and it re-informs your feelings about it and now you have actual firsthand experience to back up your dislike. Best case, you find it interesting and learn something. Either way, you get through vet school.

I'm vegan. The worst case scenario you describe -- to me, that is the best case outcome. This would be far, far beyond discomfort or a "rotation I didn't like". I'm pretty sure I'd find it severely emotionally traumatizing. Seriously, possibly enough that I wouldn't get through vet school. Sure, maybe I'd actually be fine afterwards, but I wouldn't be willing to risk my mental health on an experience that (assuming I continue on my anticipated career path) would likely be of little benefit to me.

 

[LetItSnow]

I'm vegan. The worst case scenario you describe -- to me, that is the best case outcome. This would be far, far beyond discomfort or a "rotation I didn't like". I'm pretty sure I'd find it severely emotionally traumatizing. Seriously, possibly enough that I wouldn't get through vet school. Sure, maybe I'd actually be fine afterwards, but I wouldn't be willing to risk my mental health on an experience that (assuming I continue on my anticipated career path) would likely be of little benefit to me.

Fair enough. Hopefully you're at a school that doesn't force you to confront reality. Personally, I don't understand how it could possibly be THAT emotionally traumatizing to set foot in a slaughterhouse (and yes, I've done it numerous times, so it's not like I'm unaware of what goes on there or what you see), but ... I guess to each their own!

 

[CalliopeDVM]

I'm vegan. The worst case scenario you describe -- to me, that is the best case outcome. This would be far, far beyond discomfort or a "rotation I didn't like". I'm pretty sure I'd find it severely emotionally traumatizing. Seriously, possibly enough that I wouldn't get through vet school. Sure, maybe I'd actually be fine afterwards, but I wouldn't be willing to risk my mental health on an experience that (assuming I continue on my anticipated career path) would likely be of little benefit to me.

If you think it would be that traumatizing, I recommend you don't go to vet school. Life, death, pain, distress, guts, and blood will all be a part of the world you will be entering, so if you think it will be that paralyzing, I'd suggest you rethink investing that kind of time and money entering vet school.

 

[Lissarae06]

Troll post? OP hasn't responded and only has this post.

 

[Skimble]

I'm vegetarian, and I wouldn't enjoy a slaughterhouse rotation, but I'd make the best of it and try to learn what I could that may be applicable in other areas. A friend of mine is in vet school for lab animal medicine. She's not particularly fond of animal experimentation, but she feels that if it's going to happen, she might as well help them have a better quality of life. That's the mentality I would try to have during a slaughter house rotation also.

 

[Country_roads]

I'm vegetarian, and I wouldn't enjoy a slaughterhouse rotation, but I'd make the best of it and try to learn what I could that may be applicable in other areas. A friend of mine is in vet school for lab animal medicine. She's not particularly fond of animal experimentation, but she feels that if it's going to happen, she might as well help them have a better quality of life. That's the mentality I would try to have during a slaughter house rotation also.

This is kind of how I feel regarding slaughterhouses. There is a very real chance that I may choose to pursue a career working with the USDA at slaughterhouses. Now granted, I LOVE eating meat but am I going to enjoy seeing a cow bolted/electrocuted/whatever right in front of me? Or, inevitably, doing it myself? Of course not. But since I have such a passion for these creatures, I feel it's my duty to bring whatever knowledge and assistance I can in to the field.

On a side note: I've got to agree that if seeing an animal slaughtered will throw an individual in to fits of mania and possibly ruin his/her life...well...I'd be a tad worried about their ability in the medical field. But of course, that's just my opinion.

 

[pirateyoho]

If you think it would be that traumatizing, I recommend you don't go to vet school. Life, death, pain, distress, guts, and blood will all be a part of the world you will be entering, so if you think it will be that paralyzing, I'd suggest you rethink investing that kind of time and money entering vet school.

Check under their avatar. They're already in vet school, due to graduate in 2017.

 

[pirateyoho]

I'm a vegetarian as well, and I've found that the more opportunities you have to learn about your position and toughen your skin, the better. People will always be there to bombard you with questions and jokes about your dietary choice, regardless of how much you try to keep it your own business. Confronting the reality and being able to do so without the hysterics will only make you more level-headed about your own stance. I'd say a slaughterhouse rotation would be a valuable experience, even if it's not a pleasant one.

 

[deleted498041]

I was actually under the impression that most US vet schools do some sort of work with a slaughterhouse rotation. Is it only some schools that do a rotation with or through a slaughterhouse?

I'm pretty sure we have a field trip to a slaughterhouse next year as well as a fish farm. I dunno, I'm not a vegetarian but I don't see myself having a problem with it either way. I'd rather be educated and enough of an adult to see what's going on than stick my fingers in my ears and pretend it's not happening.

 

[battie]

I'm pretty sure we have a field trip to a slaughterhouse next year as well as a fish farm. I dunno, I'm not a vegetarian but I don't see myself having a problem with it either way. I'd rather be educated and enough of an adult to see what's going on than stick my fingers in my ears and pretend it's not happening.

Thanks for the info. I'm actually considering Western, so it actually is pretty relevant.

 

[Country_roads]

enough of an adult

This.