ALABASTER – All of the pre-K students at Meadow View Elementary got a chance to be veterinarians for a day on Wednesday, Oct. 9, and even performed surgery on a dog – with supervision, of course.

The students were full of excitement as Dr. Brandon McKim, owner of Mercy Animal Hospital in Gardendale, taught them how to perform surgery on a dog stuffed animal that had ingested foreign objects – a sticker and a toy.

The students donned gloves, face masks and hair nets as they opened up their patients, felt around in the stuffing to remove the foreign objects and closed them back up using adhesive bandages.

Afterward, McKim talked to the students about what it’s like to be a veterinarian and showed them pictures of the different types of animals that veterinarians take care of.

“I wanted them to understand that it’s not always just cats and dogs,” McKim said. “Some veterinarians work with cows, pigs, marine life, horses and any other type of animal that you could think of.”

He also talked to the students about the paths they need to take in life to become a vet, such as staying in school and studying hard to get good grades.

They day was even more special for McKim because his daughter was among the students in group. His daughter’s teacher, Lisa Conner, contacted him about coming to the school to be a part of a lesson about community helpers.

Conner said the pre-K students are learning about various types of jobs that help the community. Conner said it’s important to start introducing and educating children to the various types of careers available to them at an early age.

Firefighters are also set to come to the school in the near future.