The only requirement for shoes for gross anatomy lab is that they are closed toed. They can be whatever you want, besides that. For the cats and dogs, there really isn't much in the way of juices that will get everywhere, but there is more of that risk for large animals. However, I found that it preferred to wear comfortable sneakers to lab because you are there for a long time and I just wanted to be as comfortable as possible. For Animal Care labs, large animal teaching labs, and large animal rotations, you will be required to wear boots (like muck boot type stuff) to go to the dairies and stuff like that. So investing in a pair of quality boots is a good idea as you will use them repeatedly throughout your time in the program. However, that being said, I know a LOT of people who just bought a cheap pair of Sloggers like
@MixedAnimals77 mentioned and that seems to be working out well for them! Personally, I have a pair of Muck Boots for the dairies and particularly dirty days and a pair of tough hiking boots to wear for long days on my feet in the hospital because they are more comfortable for me.
TL;DR: closed toed shoes for lab and get a pair of water proof boots (quality is often not that important)
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