In December 2024, Pig Club sponsored an invaluable placement opportunity for six DVM students to undertake one week of pig specific veterinary placement in Victoria with Dr Jonathan Van Dissel from ProSwine, Apiam. The week consisted of shadowing the veterinarian as he consulted three different outdoor pig farms. Overwhelmingly, all students had an excellent week, where they gained valuable insights and practical skills, which they can apply in their future careers as Mixed Animal veterinarians or pig specific veterinarians.
Testimonials from Pig Club students:
The chance to attend this pig placement should not be taken lightly! A good combination of a fun trip with an extremely educational one, this pig placement is a solid choice for anyone going into mixed practice or intensive farming, with a focus on pigs. The chance to visit multiple outdoor pig farms, learning about the many aspects of running a successful outdoor pig farm, and the opportunity to refine your pig knowledge and practical skills proves how invaluable this placement is. I would highly recommend this placement to anyone considering mixed or large animal practice, as well as those interested solely in pigs. – Jackson Judd
After visiting three of Pastoral Pork’s outdoor farms, I gained valuable insight into the challenges and benefits of free-range pork. Engaging with the farm managers and staff was invaluable, and their willingness to student participation made the week enjoyable and productive. We worked alongside Dr. Jono whose vast knowledge and skills were shared in a supportive and relaxed environment has certainly encouraged my interest in the pig industry and has opened yet another door to a potential career path… this experience [was] unlike any other placement I’ve attended. – Lili Du
The hands-on practical experiences were particularly valuable, with the opportunity to perform numerous post-mortems (and sample collection) of different aged pigs, blood sampling in growers, euthanasia techniques, and saliva sample collection. I highly recommend this placement opportunity to future veterinary students who are interested in the pig industry (or mixed practise) and want to gain more knowledge and experience with pigs! – Bonnie Homer
This placement was eye-opening as it allowed all of us to have the opportunity to do a lot more practical work with pigs. ... Everything that was presented was realistic and practical too. – Ruth Khaw
I had a great week and came away with many pig specific differentials and skills. I really appreciated the experience on outdoor farm systems, it was satisfying to see such refinement in the industry and the welfare of the pigs was evident. Throughout the week we had exposure to at least 8x post mortems and 3x euthanasia’s. I felt that my post-mortem confidence improved as did my knowledge of ‘normal’ vs ‘abnormal’ findings. Again, conducting post-mortems is a valuable skill that I can apply to pigs as well as other production animals.- Gypsy Entriken
