Why large animal vol. 1

Many people ask me why I have chosen to be a large animal veteinarian.  After all, don't small animal vets make more money?  Don't you get tired of being cold and dirty?  Aren't you afraid of getting kicked?  Aren't you sick of all that crap?

OK, we all have some of those days.  And yes, the job would be a bit nicer if I didn't have to deal with crap (both the literal and figurative kind).  All in all, however, I really love what I do - and the reasons generally fall into three categories; the animals, the outdoors, and especially the people.



Young Joe with Chipper

 First of all, the animals.  I guess it goes without saying (or it should) that a veterinarian loves his or her patients.  I began my career with animals as a zookeeper in my home town.  I feel very fortunate that I had experiences that very few people get to have - from cleaning a giraffe stall to playing with a baby jaguar.  This job sparked my interest in animals and I began to hang out with the zoo veterinarian Dr. Larry Ackerman.  The tortuous road from chimps to cows may come out over time but there's no doubt that my time there cemented my love of animals.









My time now is spend almost exclusively with dairy cows, although our practice does often see sheep, goats, a few horses and beef cattle. Our exotic animals are limited to llamas and alpacas (although I did draw a blood sample from a zebra once.  The same client had some ocelots - but that's for another day).  Having grown up in a city with little experience with cows it still is sometimes a surprise to me that I have ended up where I am. 

Cows that are well cared for are among the most gentle, forgiving creatures that exist.  Not much in the brainpower department but once you understand what makes them tick and how they perceive the world you can't help but fall in love.  I've been fortunate to work with dairy cattle who are used to a humans presence and learn to trust the people that care for them.  Treat them with respect and kindness and they will respond in kind. I still love my dogs and cats but my place is with the herd and I couldn't imagine myself anywhere else.