EAST LANSING - The Michigan State University Veterinary Medicine school held their annual open house on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Despite the snowy and cold weather, the parking lot for Vet-A-Visit was full starting at 9 a.m., drawing people in from all over the state.

Four Vet Med buildings were open and with activities for the visitors, making the expo a very big event for both kids and parents.

Vet Med students emphasized that the event was important for kids to attend, because they are able to learn how if they want to become a veterinarian and also how to handle pet situations at home.

Not only was Vet-A-Visit beneficial to the children and parents, but also to the students themselves, who said they had the opportunity to pass information and their passion for the profession and learn more about other areas that they don’t focus on.

Although no personal pets were allowed during the event, there were plenty of animals there for kids to look at, pet and learn about.

A few of the Vet-A-Visit's exhibits included listening to the heart-sounds of a goat and other animals, Proper Pet Handling 101 - learning how to approach unfamiliar animals -, learning about the different foods each animal eats, how clean a veterinarian's hand has to be and how to clean it, Pet First Aid 101 and more.

All attendees had the chance to pet horses, cows, snakes, turtles and more.

People were able to be very close to the animals and learn about what each animal was like, for example habitats, what they ate, what they couldn’t eat and how they act.

Many kids said they attended because they were already interested in becoming a vet before going, and that Vet-A-Visit helped them see that they liked it even more.

Another attraction that got the younger kids’ attentions was the teddy bear hospital station, where children brought their stuffed animals for a checkup and casts if the animal was hurt.

A new part of the event this year was a presentation from Arrow Dog Training Dawn Archer Pizzoferato, who discussed the reasoning behind a dog's actions, what clicker training is and how it can make dogs learn faster.

One of the lecture halls in one of the buildings also gave way to a presentation that taught parents and children what it takes to become a Vet Tech.

The four buildings were full for the entire duration of the event, and some parts, such as petting a horse, hearing a goat’s heartbeat, and milking a cow, had lines with waits of about an hour.

Vet Med is a field with many different areas of focus and work.

Kids who attended had a chance to experience many of them so that they can grow up mindful of professions they might want to pursue.