uggg! Those people r such retards! They could just get a model, not the real thing! ugggggg

Posted by: luvallanimals | September 10, 2008 03:34 PM

It is so sad that the people that are suposed to look after animals well being would do something so horrible! Thank goodness for Peta!

Posted by: Crystal | September 10, 2008 11:07 PM

the only problem with a model is its normally not accurate, and i don't know about you, but when i take my dog in for invasive surgery, i'd rather have a vet who knows what they're doing because they've had first hand training with the real thing, not some plastic model that can be highly inaccurate. and last time i checked, the dogs were sedated. how is that cruelty? you gonna tell me i'm some animal abuser because i get my pets spayed? that's also a non-necessary invasive surgery.

Posted by: kat | September 10, 2008 11:28 PM

I attended Ross University. For PETA to attack us without complete facts is ridiculous. We no longer have ANY terminal surgeries, the large animal labs were changed very recently. I did have to have a terminal lab for my donkey and sheep. It was very hard to do, primarily because we cared for them like they were our own animals. I miss both Curry, my sheep and Donkeyhote my donkey every day. I would also like to add that there are US schools that have terminal labs involving pigs and some use beagles bred specifically for use in institutions in their anatomy labs.

Posted by: Devlyn D'Alfonzo | September 11, 2008 10:04 AM

Kat,

If spaying is, according to you, unnecessary invasive surgery, then why do you do it?

Posted by: Mike Quinoa | September 11, 2008 02:44 PM

Bottom Line: Ross is a respectable, humane, ethical school which graduates well trained veterinarians year after year. I will forever be greatful to the dog, donkey and sheep that were donated to the school so that I could gain experience in surgery, anesthesia, tissue handling and post-op care. If computers or cadavers could offer that experience I would be all for it, but unfortunately they are not. PETA has it's place, but to claim that we mutilate and treat these animals poorly is inaccurate and in poor taste... in my opinion.

Posted by: Ross Grad | September 12, 2008 03:50 AM

Mike - spaying and neutering is the best way to reduce the numbers of animals with no homes and keep irresponsible people from having too many animals and not even taking care of them. It is a great thing to do! Who wouldn't want to prevent more doggies and ktties being born when there are already so many that need homes!!??

Posted by: grace | September 12, 2008 11:09 AM

I heard about change in Ross University’s surgery protocol a couple months ago and to be honest I was very upset that they no longer offer that style of teaching. I am currently in the process of apply to Ross for the spring session and I think that it really hinders the reputation for hands on learning that Ross has developed. However, I do understand where PETA and its supporters are coming from. I think that both sides need to sit back and look at the big picture. Veterinarians are committing to a life long service to animals and people. We promise to relieve pain and suffering for all animals including companion and animals we find in nature. PETA wants to stand up for animal rights and protect them. I think that although a little different we all share the same purpose. Being able to perform both traditional and terminal surgeries allows us as veterinarians to gain a very important understanding and respect for animals. Just as a Ross grad pointed out above that although she did have to euthanize her two patients she was not at all happy about it. I have been in the field of vet med for a little while now and I have helped save many animals lives but I have also had to do the very unpleasant task of euthanizing animals as well. Some of them I had to use for educational purposes. To be honest I was not happy about euthanizing those patients but I made sure that I got the most out of the experience so that I can bring a great wealth of knowledge to all my future patients so that I may also save their lives. (however, this is my opinion)

Posted by: Joe D | September 12, 2008 11:58 AM

Grace,

Thanks—yeah, I know :). I just wanted Kat's reasoning why it was "non-necessary."

Posted by: Mike Quinoa | September 12, 2008 02:11 PM

I'm not even going to get started on my love and respect for Ross University and how anyone who hasn't attended has no right to make comments... I am however going to state that I'm very sad that the whole island of St. Kitts is now suffering over this. The island is beautiful and full of amazing food, music, and culture worth enjoying. There is no reason that their economy, which exists greatly on the money brought in by tourism, should suffer because of PETA's ridiculous attack on Ross.
Please support St. Kitts despite your feeling about the school!

Posted by: Samantha | September 13, 2008 01:57 AM

I got the impression that she was saying it was "non-necessary" because it is not needed for that animals medical benefit. However even that is not correct by a long shot. Spaying and neutering animals is not only beneficial to the animal population as a whole, it is extremely beneficial to the individual animals as well. It decreases and in most cases completely gets rid of the chances of mammary cancer, testicular cancer, prostatitis, benign prostatic hypertrophy, pyometras, mucometras, prostatic cysts, mammary cysts...the list goes on and on.

I will be forever greatful to Daisy, Nashville, Seven, and Lumpy, for all of the experiences they gave me so that I may better serve the patients I see today. Their sacrafice is not something any Ross student takes lightly. We took care of these animals every day, spending hours feeding, medicating, walking, watering, and loving them. When Daisy, my surgery dog had difficulty waking up from anesthesia after her spay, I stayed behind for hours watching her until she was one-hundred percent, crying because I was so worried for her. These animals have a place in the heart of every Ross student and graduate.

Posted by: Lauren | September 13, 2008 07:52 AM

To those people who are for the hands on veterinary training on live animals:the very fact that you can care for an animal as though it were your own and then turn around and perform unnecessary surgeries on him or her, and then euthanize that same animal for no good reason demonstrates that there is something wrong. There are many veterinarians who are not kind people and are not to be trusted with or around pets outside of the pet owner's supervision. Why do you think we have a Better Business Bureau or a Veterinary Medical Board or a Chamber of Commerce? It is because some "professional" people are not trustworthy nor safe and some don't know what they're doing. I have heard of these people. So, going to Ross University of Veterinary Medicine and operating on, cutting into, and then killing live animals does not MAKE you a more caring, understanding, or more proficient veterinarian. If you don't care enough about the animals when you're going through a veterinary program to take a stand for them and refuse them unnecessary harm and death, you are not going to all of a sudden become this loving, caring and concerned for animals veterinarian. It does not work that way. Empathy, compassion, love and understanding DOES NOT come from HANDS ON KILLING! If that were the case, then those who work in slaughterhouses and research facilities would be some of the most loving people on the face of the earth, and we all know that is not the case.

Posted by: Sharon Girouard | September 14, 2008 03:17 AM

I graduated from Ross 2 years ago and I must agree w PETA on a few things. I am a small animal vet that will never do surgery or practice on a horse or sheep. Cutting on a donkey's leg a million times did not teach me anything useful to my career. Putting him down AND then doing a necropsy on an animal that I became attached and started to love was one of the hardest things I had to do.

However, doing surgery on a dog taught me a lot and I am grateful for her sacrifice and the experience she gave me. I personally think that taking both surgery labs should be elective. Mandatory to take at least one, but taking both is useless and cruel for most of us.

Looking back, I am not impressed w the education at Ross, not any different or better when compared to other schools. Is overrated. The only thing I'm grateful for is that Ross gave me the chance to become a vet that state schools denied me.

Posted by: another ross grad | September 14, 2008 01:51 PM

I would have to agree with Grace. In order for the world to help stop un-necessary animal cruelty, getting your pets spayed/neutered can easily be a necessary thing. without such procedures, who are we to complain about stranded animals being picked off the road for experimant, farming etc? i personally think in many cases, having your pets spayed/neutered is DEFINATELY for the best

Posted by: Tash | September 15, 2008 02:12 AM

I would just like to say to all of you:
First plastic models ARE accurate
Second How are [Ross] vets *relieving* pain if they are killing innocent animals sedated or not they will still be trained WITHOUT taking another animals life in the process
you know what im gonna stop here or else im just gonna get to mad

Posted by: Katie | September 18, 2008 08:44 PM

Okay thats gross and no one or any animal should go through that its disgusting and wrong! People may say that it helps man kind yet we are killing animal kind. I say a video we 3 people ganged up on a monkey and injected drugs into killing him instantly. Its total retarded! Who spends their time killing and hurting animals? JERKS GOD!!!!!!!!

Posted by: Samantha | September 19, 2008 04:49 PM

Wow.. People are cruel and mean.. This is wrong! People need to OWN up and do this to themselves instead of living thing's... ]:<

Posted by: Courtney | September 25, 2008 11:30 PM

I am a Ross graduate and very grateful for my education I have received. I am very sad to hear of this going on, not only for the school, but for the islanders as well. I cannot tell you how many times islanders had put their trust in me, as a student, regarding their animals. Because of Ross they wanted to do their best to help their pets.

It seems to me that there will always be people in the world who assume they know what is going on, and sadly make assumption without having the proper facts, or elaborate the truth. On this forum it is the Ross students defending Ross simply because we know, we lived it and we attended state schools where there really is no difference.

Veterinary schools in America have, wait for it, research animals in cages that are often euthanized. Gasp! Why? Some say it is to be cruel, others say it is to benefit the human race to learn of emerging diseases, fight the ones we know and to develop medications to aid us, and to gain funding to support the veterinary school so that there can be more veterinarians out there.

To those of you who are all for the models, think of this. Before you get to your destination you may read a map. You learn the anatomy of the streets, may learn that the road is a single or double highway, but in actuality it is not what it seems when you get behind the wheel. There are red lights, slow drivers and one way streets. We all know the more you drive the same path, the more proficient you become with it. That is just with driving, now do surgery.

I know I was trained well, and I see that reflected in the patients I help daily. Thankfully I learned from mistakes that I made on my surgery animals (shocking, I am human!) and am better able to provide care to a companion animal. In actuality, let's face it animals are property. I want what is best for my patients, but I also do not want to be sued over some misdiagnosis or mishap with surgery.

On another note, I would like to comment that neutering is the general term for gonadectomy. Spay or Ovariohysterectomy is reserved for the female and castration for the male. Thank you, Bob Barker.

Posted by: Ross DVM | November 13, 2008 07:04 PM

I think it's profound to analyze the level of articulation put into each side of this issue. Ross students offer a balanced perspective where they discuss how difficult it was for them to harm their animals, yet how much they gained as a student from it.

PETA supporters scream cruelity to animals, and tell the students that they hate animals.

I do not attend the vet school, nor do I have any biases or opinion in the matter, I'm simply analyzing a trend.

Posted by: Peter Creed | November 30, 2008 04:08 PM

I am a supporter of Animal rights and I do agree that Ross University should not be doing such things. However, as a citizen of St. Kitts, I must tell our side of the story. We are being attacked by Peta for a school which I might add is an American school. Ross University operates in St. Kitts but the average Kittitian is a world away from Ross University. The Ross students have their own social networks and live very separate lives from us. Knowledge of such practices at Ross would not be common knowledge to us. It does state in Peta’s report that the inhumane treatment of animals is illegal in St. Kitts yet we are under attack. This Ross issue came to light after Peta brought it to light and immediately we received the backlash. Before we knew as citizens what was happening we were being grouped with Ross University which again is foreign to us. I must say that our culture is very different and we are now seeing changes in our society where persons are becoming more aware of the need for animal rights. I have done research to find out if Peta has ever initiated any educational strategies so as to help to provide Kittitians with a better understanding of their cause. So far I have found no proof of such. All I was able to find proof of were threats and campaigns against us.
I simply ask that before you condemn us as Kittitians for the actions of a few foreigners that you seek to understand us and to provide us with info on your organisation. All we are hearing are threats and bad reports when we, just like Peta, have only become aware of the situation, it is unfair! If our people were allowed to find out and to understand what exactly was happening, we would have had the opportunity to change not only Ross University’s Methods but to begin an overall change in our views of animals on a whole. We are not the blood thirsty animal hating people that Peta is painting us to be.

Posted by: Kim | December 2, 2008 09:57 AM

First of all, we "retards" are in medical school, what's you're degree? Second of all, the surgery's and "mutilations" done here are simple spays and neuters, and other minor surgeries that actually prolong the HEALTHY life of the animal. All these procedure are done under the tight supervision of board certified veterinarians/surgeons. And before any student is allowed to work on an animal, there IS a model that we first learn the procedure on. Please before you continue making ridiculous claims, educate yourselves.

Posted by: Ross Student | April 8, 2009 01:45 PM

There is a difference between animal welfare and animal rights. If you do not understand this, then I suggest you do a little research. If someone believes that a squirrel has the same rights as a human being than they are beyond having an intelligent conversation with...

Posted by: Daniel Restis | August 7, 2009 12:50 PM