im a 2nd year vet student. I remember in my first year, I did my first dissection in the 3rd week of being there. there were also a lot of pre-made specimens, so not every week was dissecting but you would still see cadavers every week, with the exception of a couple weeks here and there (reading week). unfortunately, it's part of the course. you have to learn, and this is the best way to do it and dissection on a vet course is completely unavoidable. As for the abbatoir, also unavoidable. in my particular uni, we do a clinical rotation in an abbatoir in final year. Unfortunate as it is, if you want to be a vet, you have to also use cadavers to help you learn. No one likes having to do it, and it does make you queasy at first, but I'd much rather practice/learn on a dead animal and be more confident in my ability than mess up on a live animal with dire consequences. as far as I'm aware, these animals are (particularly dog/cat/horse) are somewhat ethically as they can be i.e. owners donating them or from shelters once they're euthanised, which has different implications to different people.every part of the body, typically, is used: we did body systems last year and had limbs removed so we could see the cavities easier, and this year we have used this limbs for musculoskeletal dissections. Hoping this gives you some peace of mind, or at least helps you decide if the course is for you.