I believe that veterinary students have not right to  practice on anyone's beloved pet without that caregiver's consent.  Furthermore, I feel it would be a wise practice for them to observe until the start of their third year.

A few years ago, I was set to have my cat get a radioactive thyroid procedure done at Virginia Tech, but I had a bad feeling about it and cancelled.  I ended up making the long trip to and from to Radio Cats in Richmond.  That proved to be the right decision, as the Virginia Tech tech told me my cat would stay isolated in the facility basement for one full week, which was entirely unnecessary and unimaginable.

Virginia Tech must not put the lives of these innocent creatures in jeopardy for the sake of furthering the education (which is questionable) of the the vet students.