Every year in May, Hood River Alpine Veterinary Hospital opens it's doors to local kids and classrooms for tours of our clinic. This
year we had approximately 200 kids come through the clinic to learn the workings of the clinic and to meet a variety of animals.

We had a great crew of volunteers this year who brought their animals to share them with the community. Blonde Velvet Alpacas brought in two alpacas, Julie Harvey brought in her loved cow "Norman" and our favorite dog "Smoothie" who helped patrol the groups. Little Bit Ranch Supply loaned us some chicks and Arlene Allen shared her pregnant pony. Mr. Schreiner of Schreiner Farms brought a baby kangaroo and a two year old camel, which was a hit.

The tours started with meeting our staff members, then a tour of our patient treatment area and a discussion of animal dental care. The next stop was our surgery room set up to demonstrate how it would look for a real surgery, including the instruments used, a "stuffed" surgeon and patient and anesthetic monitoring equipment. The next stop was a presentation by Cats In Action - Skamania County 4H group. They discussed proper grooming and cat care. We also paused in our laboratory to learn about internal and external parasites and the types of test we run to better determine animals' illnesses.

We headed out to the barn next to view our equine surgery area and digital xray system.

The kids' favorite part of the tour was visiting with the animals.