The Erin 4-H Veterinarian Club met at the Masonic Hall in Erin on recently.
The meeting was opened with the 4-H Pledge. The leaders of the club are June Switzer, Craig Switzer and Dawn Dolson. The topic of discussion for the night was the digestive system.
Members discussed types of eaters: carnivores, herbivores, omnivores and domesticated birds. They talked about how food is digested and the fermentation process of the food. Members also discussed which organs are used to assist in digestion.
They learned the salivary glands, pancreatic juice and bile are all key components of digestion. The parts of a bovine stomach were reviewed (rumen, reticulum, omasum, and abomasum).
Common digestive diseases were discussed along with how to properly treat them. Some of the diseases are stomatitis, contagious ecthyma, hardware disease and ptyalism.
Members participated in some experiments, such as making an emulsion, how villi and micro-villi work, and what happens when an animal bloats.
They put their new knowledge to the test by ending the meeting with a game of Jeopardy. The meeting was closed with the 4-H motto.
Cassandra Chornoboy, 4-H Press Reporter
