Day 15: Bienvenue à IRSEA

After taking an early bus,  a plane, a train, and one more bus, we finally arrived in Apt, France. Our first day in IRSEA was a quick introduction to the facilities followed by a wine and cheese welcome reception (But of course! We are in France!) We were given a warm welcome by the entire …

Day 12 – Arrivideci Teramo!

Day 12 was sadly our last day at IZSAM. We were asked to present on what we took away from experience this year and suggestions for future visits. Giorgia Canulli, Stefano Messori, Laura Arena, and our very own Dr. Siracusa were in attendance to listen to our input. We greatly appreciated all the time and …

Day 11 Food Safety and Food Safety Labs

On day 11, we were back at IZSAM headquarters covering the topic  of food safety. We received a little introduction on food safety research being conducted at IZSAM at the conference held at CIFIV the previous day, so this was a great opportunity to get a more detailed overview. Particular food safety pathogens that were covered …

Day 10: Conference on IZSAM Research Projects

On our second Wednesday in Teramo we returned to IZSAM’s beautiful International Center for Veterinary Training and Information (CIFIV) in Colleatterrato. There we attended a series of lectures of the Istituto’s various projects throughout Italy with several state, academic, and general practice veterinarians participating as a part of their mandatory continuing education Italy requires for …

Day 8 Cappola slaughterhouse visit

Monday kicked off with a pickup at 7am as we were headed to the Cappola meat plant located outside of the Pescara area. We were greeted by one of the owners who doubles as the slaughterhouse's vet. Cappola is owned by three brothers and produces prosciutto cooked ham, cold cuts, and cuts of meat. We …

Day 5-7 fri-YAY and the weekend!

On day 5, we headed back to the IZSAM Headquarters in Teramo. The morning lectures covered topics on Animal Welfare during transport, while the afternoon lectures spanned Lab Animal Science. Animal Welfare during transport lectures included: Animal Welfare during transport Protocols of evaluation of Animal Welfare at Transport and in Control Post Animal Transport Guides: following the …

Day 4 – Land and Sea

We were picked up in the morning and driven to the Torre di Cerrano in the beautiful town of Pineto on the Adriatic sea. The Torre di Cerrano is an ancient coastal tower from the 16th century which is now home to a small marine museum (Museum of the Sea), but more importantly for our …

Day 3 – CIFIV Field Trip

On our third day we drove up the beautiful mountainside of Teramo and arrived at the International Centre for Veterinary Training and Information (CIFIV) where we spent the day participating in a lecture series focusing on both Italian and US policies on animal welfare and dog and cat population management. We attended the series not only with …

Day 2 – Companion Animal Welfare and Shelter Visit

Tuesday morning began with companion animals and the issues in Europe involving their welfare, particularly with stray dogs. Our first lecturer, Dr. Paolo Dalla Villa delivered to us not only an informative but inspiring opening to what our training day would bring to us. In Italy, stray dogs are a large part of the country's …

Penn Vet Italy Year 2! Day 1: Introduction to IZSAM

On Monday June 6, Penn Vet Italy arrived at the Instituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise Giuseppe Caporale  (IZSAM) with a warm welcome for its second year of study abroad! IZSAM is a public health institute acting as the scientific branch of the Italian State commissioned by the Ministry of Health - IZSAM covers the …