I have been on a journey for the past 2 years which has finally led me to this spot. I have always loved what I do. I love the pets and the people I interact with everyday. I enjoy the relationships I have built over the years and it always amazes me how strong these relationships can become when the human-animal bond plays a role. I feel that this bond is so important in our society and I have made it my life's work to nurture this bond and keep it strong. There is nothing else I would rather do as a career.
I have been practicing veterinary medicine for over 15 years now and it has been a very rewarding and fulfilling experience, but the past 2 years have seen a lot of changes for me and to tell the truth I felt a little lost. I have been working relief work, and although I really enjoyed it, the relationships just weren't the same. Although I was able to set the building blocks for relationships in an appointment or two, I didn't really get to know each patient and owner. I liked the flexibility and the newness of this type of work but something was missing. I was missing the relationships I had built over so many years. I missed watching puppies and kittens grow into adults and even further into their twilight and senior years. That is where the magic really is in veterinary medicine.
The more I know about a particular pet, the better able I am to help it. Yes, that includes what type of food it eats and how often but it also includes things like the environment in the home. How many other pets are there; how many kids and what are their ages? What type of work do the pets parents do and how long is she/he home alone? How much space does the pet have; how much exercise and where? Of course I can ask these questions but it's not the same as living in the same community and really knowing the pets and people around me.
I decided that this is how I wanted to practice again. I wanted to be in my own community, I wanted to follow cases through and I wanted to do it in my own way. I worked hard over the past few weeks to prepare everything and last week I opened my doors, so to speak. I have started seeing patients in their own homes and I love it! I have never seen pets so happy to see me and if I give them a treat, they are even more excited. They didn't have to go on a scary car ride. They didn't have to leave their homes where they are most comfortable and most themselves and there aren't any odours which are strange to them. They are most themselves when I see them at home.
Of course I can't do everything at the home. I will not be able to perform surgery, x-rays or hospitalization, but I am working closely with a full-service hospital where I will be able to refer and transport my patients should it be necessary.
It has only been a week but I see the beginning of a beautiful thing and can not wait for the weeks, and years to come. I am looking forward to keeping pets at home and building relationships in their own environments.
