Ma 2018, ua hoʻokumu ʻo Texas Tech University i ke Kulanui oLaau holoholonaʻO ka lāʻau lapaʻau e lawelawe i nā kaiāulu kūloko a me nā kaiāulu ma Texas a me New Mexico me nā lawelawe lāʻau lapaʻau ʻole.
Ma kēia Lāpule, e loaʻa ana i nā haumāna makahiki mua he 61 mau kēkelē Kauka Lapaʻau Veterinary mua i hāʻawi ʻia e Texas Tech University, a ʻo 95 pākēneka o lākou e hele i ke kula e hoʻopiha i kēlā pono. ʻO ka ʻoiaʻiʻo, kokoke i ka hapalua o nā haumāna puka i hele i nā hana e hoʻopiha ana i ka hemahema o nā holoholona ma ke komohana o Interstate 35.
"He mea koʻikoʻi ka hana ʻana o kēia mau haumāna i kahi hana i makemake nui ʻia no ka lāʻau lapaʻau holoholona," wahi a Dr. Britt Conklin, ka dean hui no nā papahana lapaʻau. "ʻOi aku ka ʻoluʻolu ma mua o nā haumāna hana nui wale ma kahi laina hui. Ke hoʻonoho nei mākou i kēia mau haumāna puka ma nā kūlana e pono ai lākou."
Ua alakaʻi ʻo Conklin i kahi hui e hoʻomohala i kahi makahiki lapaʻau ʻokoʻa mai ka haukapila aʻo kuʻuna i hoʻohana ʻia e nā kula holoholona ʻē aʻe. E hoʻomaka ana i Mei 2024, e hoʻopau nā haumāna i 10 mau pule ʻehā pule ma waena o 125 mau hoa hana internship ma Texas a me New Mexico.
ʻO ka hopena, kokoke 70% o nā haumāna puka e hoʻolimalima ʻia e kā lākou mau hoa hana a kūkākūkā i kahi uku kiʻekiʻe ma kā lākou lā hana mua.
"E hoʻohui koke lākou i ka waiwai, no laila hauʻoli nui wau i ka ʻike ʻana ua mālama maikaʻi ʻia lākou ma ke kaʻina hana hoʻolimalima a me ka hoʻolaha ʻana," wahi a Conklin. "Ua ʻoi aku ka maikaʻi o ka kamaʻilio a me nā mākau ʻoihana o nā haumāna āpau ma mua o nā mea i manaʻo ʻia. Ke ʻimi nei kā mākou mau hoa hana i nā ʻano huahana like ʻole, a ʻo ia ka mea a mākou e hāʻawi ai - ʻoi aku ka nui o nā kaiāulu a me nā kaiāulu.
E hoʻokumu ʻia ʻo Elizabeth Peterson ma Hereford Veterinary Clinic, āna i wehewehe ai he "wahi kūpono" no ka poʻe e ʻimi nei e hana i ka lāʻau lapaʻau holoholona hānai.
"ʻO kaʻu pahuhopu ma ke ʻano he kauka lapaʻau ʻo ia ka hōʻike ʻana i nā ʻāpana āpau o ka ʻoihana pehea e hiki ai iā mākou ke hana pū no ka mea like mākou a pau," wahi āna. "Ma Texas Panhandle, ʻoi aku ka nui o nā bipi ma mua o ka heluna kanaka, a ke manaʻo nei au e hoʻohana i kaʻu ʻike ma mua i ka ʻoihana hoʻopili pipi e kōkua i ke alahaka i waena o nā veterinarians, nā pipi a me nā mea hānai hānai i koʻu hoʻonui ʻana i ka manawa ma ʻaneʻi."
Hoʻolālā ʻo Peterson e komo i ka noiʻi e like me ka hiki a e hana pū me ka Texas Livestock Feeders Association a me ke Komisina Ola Ola. E lawelawe ʻo ia ma ke ʻano he kumu aʻoaʻo i nā haumāna holoholona a ma ke ʻano he hoa hana.
ʻO ia kekahi o nā haumāna ʻehā makahiki i loaʻa ka manawa kūpono e hoʻohana ai i ka Hale Hōʻikeʻike ʻo Hereford Veterinary's Center of Excellence for Teaching. Ua hoʻokumu ʻia ke kikowaena no ka hāʻawi ʻana i nā haumāna lāʻau lapaʻau makahiki ʻehā me nā hiʻohiʻona maoli o nā holoholona meaʻai ʻoiai ke mālama ʻia nei e nā kumu. ʻO ka manawa kūpono e aʻo ai i nā haumāna e like me Dr Peterson he mea maikaʻi loa ia nona.
"ʻO ka ʻoiaʻiʻo ʻo Texas Tech i hoʻonohonoho mua i nā haumāna e hāʻawi i ke kaiāulu nui," wahi āna. "Ua koho lākou i nā haumāna e like me aʻu i kūpaʻa i kā lākou pahuhopu a me kā lākou hoʻokō."
E lilo ʻo Dylan Bostic i mea kōkua lāʻau lapaʻau ma Beard Navasota Veterinary Hospital ma Navasota, Texas, a e holo ʻo ia i kahi hana lāʻau holoholona. He ilio a me ka popoki ka hapalua o kona poe mai, a he bipi, hipa, kao, puaa kekahi hapa.
"Aia ka hapa o nā mea lapaʻau ma nā kaiāulu a me nā kaiāulu kūloko ma ka ʻākau o Houston e hiki ke mālama i nā holoholona mahiʻai," wahi āna. "Ma Beard Navasota, hele mau mākou i nā mahiʻai i hoʻokahi hola a me ka hapa e hoʻolako i ka mālama holoholona no nā holoholona no ka mea ʻaʻohe mea lapaʻau kokoke e loea i kēlā ʻano holoholona. Manaʻo wau e hoʻomau i ke kākoʻo ʻana i kēia mau kaiāulu."
I loko o kāna hana lapaʻau ma Beard Navasota Hospital, ua ʻike ʻo Bostic ʻo kāna hana punahele ʻo ia ka huakaʻi i nā hale hānai e kōkua i nā pipi. ʻAʻole wale ʻo ia e kūkulu i nā pilina ma ke kaiāulu, akā kōkua pū ʻo ia i nā kahu hānai e lilo i mea noʻonoʻo maikaʻi a hoʻolālā.
"ʻO ka hānai ʻana i nā pipi, inā he wahi hānai, ka nānā ʻana i hope, a i ʻole ka hana pipi bipi, ʻaʻole ia ka hana nani loa," i hoʻohenehene ʻo ia. "Akā naʻe, he hana maikaʻi loa ia e hāʻawi iā ʻoe i ka manawa e lilo i ʻāpana o kahi ʻoihana kahi e hiki ai iā ʻoe ke kūkulu i nā pilina a me nā hoaaloha e mau loa i ke ola."
No ka hoʻokō ʻana i kāna moeʻuhane kamaliʻi, ua lawe ʻo Val Trevino i kahi hana ma Borgfield Animal Hospital, kahi hale lapaʻau liʻiliʻi liʻiliʻi ma San Antonio. I loko o kāna makahiki o ka hoʻomaʻamaʻa lapaʻau, ua loaʻa iā ia ka waiwai o ka ʻike i hoʻokumu i ke kumu no kāna mālama ʻana i nā holoholona a me nā holoholona liʻiliʻi.
"Ma Gonzales, Texas, ke kōkua nei au i ka hoʻomalu ʻana i ka heluna o nā pōpoki hele ʻole ma ka hoʻokuʻu ʻana iā lākou a me ka hoʻokuʻu ʻana iā lākou i ko lākou kaiāulu," wahi āna. "No laila he ʻike maikaʻi loa ia."
ʻOiai ma Gonzales, ua ʻeleu ʻo Trevino i ke kaiāulu, e hele ana i nā hui Lions Club a me nā hanana ʻē aʻe. Hāʻawi kēia iā ia i ka manawa e ʻike mua ai i ka hopena āna i manaʻo ai e hana ma hope o ka puka ʻana.
"Ma nā wahi a pau a mākou e hele ai me nā mea lapaʻau, hele mai kekahi iā mākou a haʻi i nā moʻolelo e pili ana i nā holoholona a lākou i kōkua ai a me ke kuleana koʻikoʻi a lākou e pāʻani nei i ke kaiāulu - ʻaʻole wale i ka lāʻau lapaʻau lāʻau, akā ma nā wahi ʻē aʻe he nui," wahi āna. "No laila ke manaʻolana nei au e lilo i ʻāpana o kēlā lā."
E hoʻonui ʻo Patrick Guerrero i kāna ʻike equine a me kāna mau mākau ma o ka hoʻokō ʻana i ka makahiki holoʻokoʻa ma Signature Equine ma Stephenville, Texas. A laila hoʻolālā ʻo ia e hoʻihoʻi i ka ʻike i kona kūlanakauhale ʻo Canutillo, Texas, a wehe i kahi keʻena kelepona.
"ʻOiai ma ke kula holoholona, ua hoʻomohala wau i ka hoihoi nui i ka lāʻau equine, ʻo ia hoʻi ka lāʻau lapaʻau / hoʻokele lameness," wehewehe ʻo ia. "Ua lilo wau i mea hana ma ka ʻāina ʻo Amarillo a hoʻomau i ka hoʻomohala ʻana i koʻu mau mākau ma o ka lawe ʻana i kekahi mau hana lapaʻau i koʻu manawa kūʻokoʻa i ke kauwela ma waena o nā semesters."
Hoʻomanaʻo ʻo Guerrero i kona wā kamaliʻi, ʻo ke kauka holoholona nui kokoke loa ma Las Cruces, New Mexico, ma kahi o 40 mau minuke. Ua komo ʻo ia i loko o ka papahana ʻoihana bipi ʻo Future Farmers of America (FFA) a ua ʻōlelo ʻo ia he paʻakikī nā holoholona nui i ke kauka holoholona, a ʻaʻohe wahi i koho ʻia no ka hoʻokuʻu ʻana i nā pipi a me nā lio.
"I koʻu ʻike ʻana i kēlā, manaʻo wau, 'Pono koʻu kaiāulu i kōkua me kēia, no laila inā hiki iaʻu ke hele i ke kula holoholona, hiki iaʻu ke lawe i nā mea aʻu i aʻo ai a hoʻihoʻi i koʻu kaiāulu a me nā poʻe ma laila,'" hoʻomanaʻo ʻo ia. "ʻO ia kaʻu pahuhopu helu ʻekahi, a i kēia manawa ua kokoke au e hoʻokō."
Kaomi ma aneʻi e aʻo hou aʻe e pili ana i nā haumāna 61 e loaʻa kā lākou mau degere DVM mai Texas Tech University, kahi hapakolu o lākou he mau haumāna hanauna mua.
E hana lākou i ka mōʻaukala ma ke ʻano he haumāna puka mua o ke kula lāʻau lapaʻau lua ʻo Texas, i hoʻokumu ʻia ma mua o hoʻokahi haneli i hala aku nei a ʻo ia kekahi o nā papahana lapaʻau lāʻau 35 ma United States.
E mālama ʻia ka ʻaha hoʻonaʻauao i ka Lāpule, Mei 18, ma ka hola 11:30 am ma ka lumi ʻaha kūkā ʻo Amarillo Civic Center. E hele mai nā hoaaloha a me nā ʻohana e hoʻolohe i nā kamaʻilio malihini, e komo pū me College of Veterinary Medicine Dean Guy Loneragan, Texas Tech University Pelekikena Lawrence Schovanec, Texas Tech University System Chancellor Tedd L. Mitchell, Texas Tech University System Pelekikena Emeritus Robert Duncan, a me Texas Kia'āina Greg Abbott. E hele pū ana nā luna kānāwai mokuʻāina ʻē aʻe.
"Ke kakali nei mākou a pau i ka hanana puka mua," wahi a Conklin. "ʻO ia ka hopena o ka hana hou ʻana, a laila hiki iā mākou ke hoʻāʻo hou."
Ka manawa hoʻouna: Mei-26-2025