USU College of Veterinary Medicine Students Help Address 'Vet Deserts' With Rabies Clinic

In a shed in Clarkston, Utah, next to the church, behind the fire station, four Utah State University students in the College of Veterinary Medicine rolled up their sleeves last Saturday, ready to meet some dogs and their owners.

Clarkston has a population of 769, says Mayor Craig Hidalgo, and about 300 registered dogs. For 20 years, dating back to when he was on the town council, Clarkston has partnered with veterinarians from the Cache Veterinary Practitioners Association and USU to offer a clinic administering rabies vaccines to its citizens’ dogs.

“We do have some dog bites,” Hidalgo says. “And people love their dogs.”

The service is more convenient for residents than driving to the closest veterinary clinic, in Richmond, 12 miles away.

According to the Veterinary Care Accessibility Project, which compares population data to the number of veterinary care services per county, Cache County’s Veterinary Care Accessibility Score is 45 out of 100, which means “care is somewhat accessible.” There are 2.9 veterinary employees per 1,000 pets in Cache County. Compare this to another Utah county, Sanpete, with a score of 19, where “veterinary care is nearly inaccessible.”

Sanpete County would be considered a “veterinary desert,” a term the American Veterinary Medical Association formalized in 2023 to define areas with limited access to veterinary care, in order to aim program expansion and implementation to these places.

Logan-area veterinarian Susan Benson, with Bridgerland-Cache Animal Hospital, is on hand to provide licensed oversight. She says she enjoys coming to this annual outreach effort.

“It’s my favorite of the clinics,” Benson says. “It’s fast-paced.”

She’s right. Over the next two hours, the shed door opens again and again, as dog owners burst in holding leashes restraining all manner of canine companions. There are at least a dozen German short-haired pointers, a great dane, a frenchy, a dachshund, a corgi, a husky, several labradors, a bulldog and a chihuahua, all getting their temperature taken and their heartbeats assessed with varying levels of patience.

Students Jared and Katelynn Slater (they’re married), Tessa Ganellen and Bailey Bunker each came armed with their own thermometers and stethoscopes, dressed warmly as instructed. All had previous experience as lab technicians or in veterinary practices doing pre-vaccination exams and administering shots.

The great dane defecated in nervous anticipation, and the mayor removed the pile with one swift scrape of a shovel.

In all, 36 dogs received rabies shots, at $25 each, a similar turnout to the previous year’s. The proceeds contribute to scholarships provided by the Cache Veterinary Practitioners Association for the College of Veterinary Medicine. Four other vaccine clinics are held in South Nibley, Paradise, Richmond and Mendon, Utah, between January and March.