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Bud, an oversized steer at the College of Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital, just might be the busiest bull in town.

Since being donated by the federal government in 1983, Bud has been a valued fixture at the College of Veterinary Medicine, holding roles as diverse as teaching tool, donor and unofficial mascot.

“[Bud] is a very good way for teaching veterinary medicine and is a good visual aid for students to learn with,” said Phyllis Peters, communications specialist for the college.

Peters said the college uses Bud to show students the digestive system of a bovine animal.

“He has a lid near his back upper-left hip, called a fistula, which has been inserted so you can look inside and see how the digestive track works,” she said.

Bud weighs nearly a third more than an average steer, and his weight fluctuates between 1,800 and 2,000 pounds throughout the year.

His size not only makes it easier for students to observe how a cow’s stomach functions, but it also makes his stomach more accessible to doctors seeking valuable fluids found in his rumen, the bovine’s biggest stomach.

“[The fistula] has a screw cap, and we can just reach right into his rumen to collect rumen juice, or as we call it, ‘Bud Juice,'” said Jennifer Ivany, adjunct instructor of veterinary medicine.

Bud has an overabundance of microbes, which are used for digestion of foods such as hay or straw. The microbes in Bud’s stomach are collected by one of the doctors or students and used to inoculate other animals, mostly cattle and sheep.

The fistula, which looks similar to a porthole, causes Bud no discomfort and makes it easier to obtain samples, Ivany said.

“It is a lot easier to get the juice this way. It would be hard to stick a stomach tube into him and try to pump out juice,” she said.

Bud also holds a bit of a celebrity status in the college, Ivany said.

“He is sometimes called a mascot because everybody in the college knows him,” she said. “A lot of students right before an exam rub his nose for good luck.”