By Nina Atanackovic, Student Veterinarian, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Sciences 
 
Hi everyone! My name is Nina and I am a UofG graduate, class of 2021. I have wanted to be a veterinarian ever since I was little, and never had a back-up plan despite being aware of the difficult competition to attend OVC. So, if you have found yourself in a similar position, please continue reading.
 
I applied to OVC in 2020 and unfortunately was rejected. This is when I realized I should start looking into other options, and began researching international schools. I decided to stay an extra year at Guelph to boost my GPA. When I reapplied to OVC for the second time, I received an interview (I guess the extra year worked)! During this time, I also applied to a ton of international schools through VMCAS as my backups. Come June, I was devastated to find out that I had been rejected for a second time even after attaining an interview. I realized that my options were simple: either stay and re-apply for a third time, risking being turned down again, or attend one of the international schools I was accepted by and start my vet journey immediately. This is when I made the best decision for my future career and chose to pursue my veterinary degree at the University of Edinburgh, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Sciences. ​

By Christina Mozzon, M.Sc., B.Sc., Student Veterinarian, OVC Class of 2024
 
Like any vet student, I loved animals ever since I was a little girl. From helping my grandparents raise their backyard chickens, to begging for a puppy (of course), I was always involved with anything animal-related. Little did I know that this passion of mine would soon become my lifelong career.
 
My journey to veterinary school truly began during my undergraduate degree at Laurentian University, where I studied Biomedical Biology. Throughout this stage of my life, I was trying to gain as much animal experience as possible to enhance my vet school application, which included volunteering at a local small animal veterinary clinic. I assisted with tasks including prepping patients for surgery, anesthesia monitoring, and laboratory work. I remember when I was able to watch my first live surgery and I immediately thought to myself: “wow, now THIS is what I want to do for the rest of my life!”. 

Eventually, I discovered my enthusiasm for animal ecology by working at a local science centre caring for native Ontario wildlife species and educating the public about their biology. After all, who wouldn’t want to walk a porcupine or perform flying squirrel shows for crowds of people? This experience allowed me to understand how crucial these species and their interactions are to the world we live in, and the many efforts we can make as humans to save those that are endangered. ​

By Alison Whitey, Director of Advancement and Communications
 
For the Love of Wildlife
 
With the advent of spring comes a dramatic increase in the number of injured and orphaned animals being brought to Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary.  After all, wildlife is on the move once again.  
 
Aspen Valley has been caring for wildlife for almost 50 years.  It started as the passion of one woman – Audrey Tourney – a high school teacher from Parry Sound, Ontario who was well known for her love of animals.  Since she first took in an orphaned raccoon, Audrey has nursed many more animals back to health as they were brought to her doorstep in increasing numbers over the years. Today, her legacy has been expanded upon by a dedicated group of staff and volunteers.
 
Located on 460 acres of pristine habitat in Rosseau, Ontario, Aspen Valley’s primary goal is to rescue and rehabilitate wildlife. Once rehabilitated, these animals are released back into the wild to give them a second chance.  In 2021, the Sanctuary took in over 1,100 animals – many orphaned and in need of around-the-clock care and feeding.
 
Aspen Valley’s year-round staff consists of three full-time and two part-time employees. It’s a small team with a big responsibility – one that requires a lot of heart, a great deal of support from the community, and a small army of volunteers to boot.  In fact, well over 100 volunteers work alongside the sanctuary’s skeleton staff each year. ​

By Jaiden Gubbels

Despite putting the world on hold, the COVID-19 pandemic provided me with moments to reflect and assess how to achieve my goal of working in the field of veterinary medicine. After volunteering and working at a local general practice veterinary clinic for ten years, the pandemic was the first time I had not been around animals and veterinary medicine regularly. Once adjusted to the discomfort and uncertainty that the COVID-19 pandemic brought to my life, I had the time to reflect on things that had brought me joy which I had taken for granted in my everyday life – involvement in veterinary medicine being one of them. I realised that veterinary medicine was not merely a job, but a passion of mine, and I was eager to find ways to include it in my life as an undergraduate student once again.

After applying and securing an animal care attendant position at a 24-hour veterinary emergency hospital, my eyes were opened to the field of veterinary emergency medicine. The environment was much more fast-paced than what I had experienced in general practice, and I was given more responsibility for completing individual tasks in my role, such as walking and feeding all the patients in the hospital. In contrast to my work in general practice, such seemingly simple tasks are often complicated by the acute degree of the patients' needs, as well as the volume of patients in this regional facility. I quickly learned that success in this environment requires good communication, organization, and observation skills.
The hospital works on a triage basis; patients who are deemed stable at the initial triage are sent to wait with their owners until a doctor becomes available to assess and treat the animal. In addition to walking, feeding, and general patient care, my role involves assisting with any restraint that happens during triage or procedures, recording and reporting unusual behaviour to technicians and veterinarians, and ensuring animal housing is clean and comfortable. I also perform customer services as needed, carry out general hospital maintenance and restocking, and assist the veterinary team with various tasks and treatments.

Moreover, working in veterinary medicine during the COVID-19 pandemic has been a very interesting experience. The hospital must constantly balance the safety of its employees and clients while effectively communicating with patients’ families to ensure the best care. Most interactions now happen over the phone, including getting background history on the patient, the doctor's communications with the clients, and any discharge information that needs to be given. At the beginning of the pandemic, clients were not allowed to come into the hospital for any reason, but as months passed and winter came, this became unreasonable. The cold weather meant that owners were no longer willing to sit in their cars for hours waiting for a veterinarian to become available to treat their pets. Furthermore, euthanasia became an extremely difficult procedure to perform while still safely following COVID-19 protocols, since owners were often distressed and found it difficult to always stay six feet away from the veterinarian and patient. With more time to adapt to the new norms of a COVID-19-marred society, the hospital has been able to better meet the needs of patients during this procedure by having a private room that is regularly cleaned for clients to enter the building.
The valuable experiences I have been afforded by watching a large staff of RVTs and DVMs work in a high-stakes fast-paced environment while combining compassion, respect, and care for their patients and their families has been key for my development as a pre-veterinary student. While working 12-hour night shifts alongside my first-year studies in Bio-Medical Science during the pandemic, my colleagues have inspired and bolstered me with the same compassion, respect, and care that they show their clients. The shifts that I enjoy the most, despite the traumas we may encounter, are the ones where the staff demonstrate proficiency and expertise balanced with high regard for each other’s efforts. As a new employee, I made mistakes and had gaps in my knowledge, but the RVTs and DVMs who considered those to be teachable moments allowed me to move forward with new knowledge and feel like a valuable member of our team.​

Hey everyone!
​My name is Natalie Pridham and I am a 3rd year undergraduate student studying Animal Biology at the University of Guelph. Similar to many people in my program, I have had a lifelong dream of becoming a veterinarian.


My love for animals has been very strong for as long as I can remember. I grew up with cats in the house, always played with my neighbors’ dogs, and eventually got into horseback riding when I was 8 years old. Now, at 21 years of age, that love remains strong and passionate – which is what drives me to pursue a career in veterinary medicine. Animals have had a very positive impact on my life, and I would love to give back to them as much as possible.
This past summer, I was fortunate enough to work as a Veterinary Assistant at an incredible veterinary hospital. Working alongside some pretty awesome veterinarians solidified my decision to continue on the path to vet school. Every day, there was something new which always kept me on my toes, and I never stopped learning. Some days there would be a big litter of puppies in for their first vaccinations, some days there were multiple back-to-back surgeries, and some days were unfortunately on the tougher side. The months I got to spend there provided me with such valuable experience, and I will be forever grateful for that opportunity. The endless amounts of puppy kisses and kitten cuddles were OK too, I guess.

Due to COVID turning life completely upside down, there were certain safety protocols that had to be followed. This included curbside veterinary appointments – meaning only animals were allowed inside the clinic, while their owners waited in the parking lot. I was the one doing most of the patient intakes, which involved talking with the owners and getting a brief history on their pet. This is where I learned the importance of building a relationship with clients and gaining their trust. People started to recognize “oh hey, this is the same blonde girl as last time!”, and they took comfort in knowing that I was a familiar face to their animal (with a mask on, of course). It was really nice to build these relationships with the owners, and was one of my favorite aspects of this job.


I know there is this strange predisposed idea that you won’t have to deal with humans if you are in the veterinary field… but that is far from the truth. People LOVE their animals – they are like family. So, when it comes to veterinary medicine – where the patients can’t speak for themselves – their humans do the talking for them.

It is very scary to think that this time next year, I will be submitting my application to the Ontario Veterinary College. Before coming to university, everyone told me that the years would absolutely fly by – and they were 100% right. It feels like just yesterday that I failed one of my first-year finals. If you’re in first year and you’re reading this, just know that it will get easier!!! First year (and second year too, honestly) were fairly tough – I am not afraid to admit that I struggled, and it made me lose a bit of confidence in my ability to get the grades I need for vet school. But I don’t give up that easy… and neither should you. If vet school is something that you’re serious about and you want it bad enough, anything can be accomplished if you put your mind to it.
Thanks for reading, and best of luck with everything in the future!

Natalie Pridham
3rd Year Animal Biology Major
University of Guelph

​Hi Future Vets! My name is Nadia, and I am a first year student in Biological Sciences. Last summer, I had the rare opportunity to work at a vet clinic during a global pandemic! Never in a million years would I have ever dreamt I would experience something as unexpected as this and I can’t wait to share my experiences…

Oh COVID-19! How you have impacted us in so many ways…It is strange to imagine that around the same time last year our lives were normal and we were oblivious to how a virus would soon change our lives. However, under the circumstances, we have all adapted to living in this new COVID-19 infiltrated world and developed a new ‘normal’. These adjustments came with many new protocols that affected our society — veterinary clinics were no exception. As an employed veterinary assistant, I personally experienced the impacts of the pandemic through the way our clinic was run, the effects on our clients, the pets, and us — the staff.

Before I begin to recount my experiences, let me elaborate on how the clinic I work at changed their policies in respect to COVID-19. The clinic established a curb-side rule where only pets were permitted into the clinic. Clients would come to the parking lot, call in, and a staff member would go out to retrieve the pet. The main challenge was the greater influx of clients we received as many of these clients were working from home, spending more time with their pets and were in tune with their pets’ behaviours and needs. In addition, the lockdown hit right at the peak of heartworm season which even in a regular environment, is one of the clinic’s busiest times.

Another downside was the fact that we had to refrain from taking in volunteers. The summers are usually a perfect opportunity for clinics to accept volunteers especially because most volunteers are students looking to gain some experience while on their break. Unfortunately, given the circumstances we had to do all we could in the effort to minimize risk and exposure to COVID-19. If you are someone who might be struggling to find volunteer experience amidst the pandemic, my advice would be to still approach different clinics and ask if they are accepting volunteers — it never hurts to ask! Many clinics might love an extra helping hand.

Additionally, due to staffing issues and laboratory delays, many services were backlogged. Hence, blood sample results, fecal results or other samples were often delayed. At times there was a delay in receiving medications as well. Some clients took this in stride but for others it was frustrating. Even though we strive for excellent customer service, these issues were beyond our control and we had to bear the brunt of the occasional irritated customer.

By far the worst moments in which our staff and clients felt the COVID-19 blow was when we had to euthanize an animal. For any pet owner, putting their pet down is a painful experience as they are letting go of a part of their family. At a time like this, families heavily rely on each other for support and compassion to get through the grief and to say goodbye to their pet. However, due to social distancing mandates and other protocols, our clinic had to put in place safety measures in which a small group of maximum three family members were allowed in the room at one time, standing six feet apart, and wearing gloves and masks. After the procedure, the rooms were properly and regularly sanitized, and each staff member was well equipped with PPE. Our clients for the most part were very understanding. However, at times I have had to turn away family members of bigger groups which caused much pain and frustration.

On a much happier note, COVID gave rise to people adopting many new puppies and kittens. I guess many people at home decided their lives would be a lot more enjoyable with a four-legged companion — and I can’t say that I disagree! These new puppies and kittens that our clinic calls ‘COVID puppies/kittens’ always put a smile on our faces. The best part was that since the clients were not allowed in the clinic, we got extra cuddle time with these adorable animals!

So far, I have focused on the impact the pandemic has had on humans, but there are also significant emotional impacts on the pets themselves. Pets are spending extra quality time with their owners and lapping up all the attention. Even though that is a great by-product of the pandemic, the downside is that when these pets come to the vet clinic and need to be separated from their owners, they may get separation anxiety or if they are predisposed to aggressive behavior, they can get more aggressive. We try to calm these animals but sometimes despite our best efforts, these pets can be difficult. To overcome these concerns, some dogs required medication prior to coming to an exam to calm them, while other dogs were taken to the backyard and examined with the owner present to comfort them. This strategy works with dogs, but we cannot take cats out into the fenced backyard. In the case of a cat, we often just resort to a lot more restraint.

As the saying goes… ‘Every cloud has a silver lining’ and in this case the pandemic brought out the best teamwork skills within our staff. We learned to rely on each other and communicate effectively in a time-pressured environment outside of our comfort zone. In general, the new arrangements of curbside pick-and-drop worked quite well. Clients were understanding, patient and accepting of the changes. However, we did occasionally run into some hiccups such as people leaving their pets inside the appointment room and driving away to run errands. At times it was a challenge to balance emergency cases with scheduled appointments. Our poor doctors were constantly bombarded with cases in which they had to stay past clinic hours to accommodate all clients. 

In short, I am particularly proud to be a part of a team in which each member puts the needs of the animals before themselves, working tirelessly (and often past closing) to treat the pets to the best of our abilities. Overall, as busy and overwhelming as times got, I have to say that I am so fortunate that the group of people I work with kept the laughter and smiles going throughout and I would not trade that experience for the world!
 
Nadia Shamsi
First Year Biological Sciences Major
University of Guelph

​If you are reading this post, you are probably wondering who I am and why my blog post title mentions reptiles. Well, I’ll introduce myself! Hey, my name’s Kris and I’m a phase 4 vet student at OVC. There are plenty of posts dedicated to getting into vet school, and though it’s an important aspect of my life, instead, I want to focus on my experience with exotic animal species. My journey to veterinary medicine was pretty similar to many of my colleagues, however it was not necessarily the same to get into vet school. 
 
In first grade, my friends and I wanted to be vets when we grew up. As we grew older, many of my friends changed passions, but my love for veterinary medicine never faltered. After completing 3 years of undergrad, volunteering, and submitting my first application, I was accepted into the OVC class of 2021. The volunteer and application process really and truly made me think critically about this future profession—far more than I had ever before. I went from believing that veterinary medicine was a job where I would be playing with puppies and kittens all day, to realizing my impact and how I could do so much more.
 
In my first year at the University of Guelph, I met a friend who told me about a summer internship program at Reptilia Zoo. Prior to this experience, I had never really worked or even thought about working with reptiles. However, I kept thinking about how I couldn’t pass up such an invaluable experience, so I decided to apply.  
 
I completed the 4-month unpaid internship and it was one of the most career-changing experiences in my life. Working with reptile species ranging from snakes, lizards, crocodiles and turtles brought me an appreciation and understanding for these animals that I had never had for any other species. I was able to appreciate how misunderstood and feared these animals are. When I started the internship, I had poor preconceived notions of what reptile handling and husbandry (care, food, and shelter) would be like. To my surprise, this experience was fantastic. Initially I felt that these animals were scary and solely survival based, but throughout time I got to know each animal’s personality. These animals surprised me in ways you could never imagine. The internship was not without hard work, but I developed skills that I would use for the rest of my career. 
 
Education and outreach became a part of my goal as I continued working with Reptilia. Being able to watch and mediate the shift in visitors’ perspectives, from being deathly afraid of snakes, to learning so much that their fear for these animals dissipated to the point of touching them, was one of the most rewarding aspects of the job. Along with this crucial experience, I was exposed to many of the health concerns exotic animal veterinarians are faced with from husbandry to trauma and infectious disease. It was during this job experience where I realized my future career needed to have impact on the health and wellbeing of reptiles in the form of both exotic animal medicine and public education.
 
After an internship and 3 additional years of working with Reptilia, I was finally able to start my goal of working with exotic animal species in a veterinary setting. During my first year of veterinary school, I started looking for opportunities to expand my practical reptile knowledge into something more medical. I was able to work with an incredible vet at the Toronto Zoo, where I assisted with anesthesia research in ball pythons. This experience was unforgettable and strengthened my husbandry and care knowledge into something more medically based. My experience at the Toronto Zoo demonstrated to me that my passion for veterinary medicine and love of reptiles could be established into a career, with additional research allowing me to incorporate education into my future as well. 
 
For example, some of the biggest differences with working with reptiles as opposed to small animal or large animal medicine is how vast reptiles really are. Canines are a species, felines are a species, but reptiles are a class. Treating 2 different dog breeds is still treating 2 dogs but treating a ball python and a red-tailed boa constrictor are 2 different species of animals. With a different species comes a whole heap of anatomic and physiologic differences that need to be considered for medical management, and these differences may not even be understood. This lack of foundational understanding of reptilians has resulted in very little advanced research in the field, and the research that has been done tends to be centered around a more common species like the ball python. Reptile veterinary medicine is a field of extrapolation, attempting to identify a better-researched species of reptile that may be most closely related to the species you’re treating. 

Reptilian veterinary medicine is also a field primarily directed at husbandry, care, and prevention. This in part is due to the fact that reptiles are so good at hiding their health conditions, making it really difficult to know if something is wrong until the condition is highly developed. This poor detection makes it difficult to provide appropriate treatment, as treating a bacterial infection after it’s already walled off is a lot different than treating a bacterial infection when you’re first starting to see respiratory symptoms. These were just a few of the differences that really became apparent to me while working with exotic animal species. 
 
Now that I’ve explained some of the ways I was able to get involved with these incredible animals, I want to share some key lessons I learned throughout my journey. When it comes to veterinary medicine as a profession, there really is so much you can do. Though the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program is primarily directed towards establishing new veterinary healthcare providers in areas such as small, large, mixed and exotic animal medicine, there are many DVM alumni working outside of clinical veterinary medicine. Some DVM graduates work in corporate fields with food companies to help formulate diets, and other DVM alumni work at zoos exclusively as zoo animal vets. Additionally, many DVMs also work with laboratories to ensure adequate medical treatment and welfare for laboratory research animals such as mice, rabbits, pigs, and chimpanzees. There are even DVMs working exclusively in academic settings designating their lives to research, emergency animal medicine, referrals, post-mortem clinical pathology, and teaching their future colleagues about this incredible profession we get to call ours.
 
With that being said, if you’re looking at pursuing this profession, I urge you to step out of your comfort zone and experience different aspects of the field. Take some time working with reptiles, exotic animal species, large animal species or even in academia, because you never really know what you’re going to love until you give it a try. If anyone is ever conflicted or wants more information on how to approach this incredible career I’m always available by email at [email protected]. Thank you for taking the time to read this post and I hope this helped solidify and expand your understanding for the veterinary profession. 
 
Kristopher Afshaun Zaman
OVC Class of 2021

​Hello aspiring veterinarians!

My name is Dr. Laurel Gale, DVM, and I graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College in the Class of 2009.  After graduation, I spent approximately 5 years working at two different companion animal practices in the GTA.  In May of 2014, I joined the team at the Humane Society of Kitchener Waterloo and Stratford Perth (HSKWSP) working as a staff veterinarian, where I have been employed since.  In November 2018 I moved into the role of Veterinary Director for the organization. 

As a veterinary student, I was never really made aware of shelter medicine as a pathway that was available to veterinarians.  My years in private practice had many ups and downs, and when the opportunity arose to join the team at the HSKWSP I jumped into shelter medicine with both feet – and never looked back!  Working as a shelter veterinarian allows you to improve the lives of some of the most vulnerable populations of animals – both those coming through the shelter doors, but also those in marginalized communities that may not otherwise receive much needed care.  The job is very demanding and days are busy, but the results are highly rewarding!

A day in the life of a shelter veterinarian is always varied, and we are constantly seeing new things to challenge us and continue our learning.  Typically, the day is spent providing a combination of both surgery and medical care to animals housed in the shelter or foster homes.  The majority of surgical time is spent performing high-volume high-quality spay and neuter services, as well as other “routine” shelter surgeries such as enucleations, cystotomies, amputations, mass removals, and wound repairs.  Medical care is provided on daily rounds, where shelter animals receive physical exams, vaccinations, and treatment for illnesses/injuries as they arise.  For those shelters that are associated with local animal control services, we also see a variety of emergency cases (ie. hit by car) and wildlife cases regularly. 

As the nature of animal sheltering progresses, we are seeing more and more shelters offering veterinary services to the public.  These may include wellness exams, vaccination and/or spay/neuter surgeries for reduced costs; Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) programs to control community cat populations; microchip clinics; or medical/behavioural consultations for pets in their homes.  These programs are invaluable in working towards keeping pets in their homes rather than entering the shelter. 

Veterinarians working in shelter medicine also need to develop their knowledge and skills in relation to population management and medicine.  They need to consider “herd health” in treating their patients – i.e. how the condition of one animal affects the condition of those housed around it, particularly with regards to infectious disease.  Additionally, they need to be able to evaluate the housing conditions of the animals – such as population density, cleaning protocols, stress levels, environmental enrichment – in order to maintain the physical and mental well-being of their patients.  Looking at the big picture of the shelter population and environment, not just the conditions of one specific animal, is key in shelter medicine. 

Luckily for veterinary students today, there are many different resources they can access if they are interested in a career in shelter medicine.  Many veterinary schools are offering externships in local shelters, and some are offering both internships and residencies in shelter medicine.  Additionally, in 2014, Shelter Medicine officially became a board-certified specialty through the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners (ABVP) – a very exciting time for shelter veterinarians!  My advice for anyone interested in pursuing shelter medicine as a career is to spend time at your local shelter getting to know the ins and outs of the sheltering world, and check out online resources for shelter veterinarians such as the Association of Shelter Veterinarians (www.sheltervet.org) and the Ontario Shelter Medicine Association (www.ontariosheltermedicine.org) for more information.

– Dr. Laurel Gale, DVM