Tank, the guinea pig

Today was a special day for Tank. A friend of mine asked me to bring him in as a practice patient for a bunch of high school students learning veterinary medicine. The students were part of a summer program, Duke TIP, where high achieving middle and high school students go to various universities for about 3 weeks of intensive learning in a particular topic. I was a bit skeptical at first because Tank hates the vet and I wasn't sure if we would be in a real vet examine room. It turns out we were in a large lecture hall and there were only 3 other dogs so things worked out great. Tank had a team of 4 high school students and one real vet. Each student took a turn taking a history from me while the vet guided them through each question. I tried to keep it interesting so for each student I made up some complaint or illness that Tank has had in the past (he broke his toe once, he had an allergic reaction and a swollen paw once, he has chronic ear infections, and sometimes he regurgitates his food if he eats too quickly). Then, they took turns checking his pulse (apparently hard to find because he was so calm) and listening to his breathing. One girl started her exam with his face and shined a bright light in his eyes. Luckily Tank was on his very best behavior and just laid there while they all poked and prodded. It was great to get him out of the house and I couldn't have been more proud of how he behaved!

Tank, just laying around in a viking hat. Such a sweet baby :)