The Beginning

I decided I wanted to be a veterinarian when I was 12 or 13 years old. I was at the barn and one of the draft horses was colicky. The veterinarian was there and slid a needle into the 1200 lbs animal’s abdomen. As she spun the needle a couple of drops of clearish fluid flowed out. I was mesmerized by this. How amazing is medicine that a couple of drops of fluid can give so many answers?

Thus, my path to veterinary medicine had begun. In high school, I worked at the local veterinary clinic cleaning kennels. From there, I learned my technical skills from drawing blood and placing catheters to monitoring anesthesia. After high school I attended a state college and then was admitted to one of the top Veterinary Universities during my second year of applying.

I loved veterinary school. To be learning from the best of the best was thrilling to me. Now, let me say that my veterinary school experience is not everyones’. Many feel intimidated and belittled as a veterinary student, but I saw it as an opportunity to take in as much knowledge as I could. I worked in the veterinary teaching hospital as a surgery technician overnights and attended lecture and clinicals during the day.

I graduated veterinary school during the recession. Shortly after graduation, I married my highschool sweetheart, who has been by my side during this entire journey. We then moved back to our home state and I begun practicing as a small animal veterinarian. Seven year later, we had our first son, sold our home and moved out of the city. We had purchased a veterinary practice in a small town and decided my husband would stay at home with our son while I worked. Shortly after the move, we had our second son.

I am still practicing veterinary medicine in our small town. So when I share my stories with you, all the identifying information will be changed to protect privacy, including my own. But all the events are factual minus the name, sex, breed, location changes of course. Some of the stories will be funny and some will be sad but they all have had a part in molding me into the person I am today.