I started as a fresh-faced graduate veterinarian with Yass Valley Veterinary in 2016! It’s a bit surreal that I’m already reaching my fourth year with the team. I feel so at home in the Yass Valley because of the variable & always interesting case load, strong community values & clients who allow me the opportunity to assist in keeping their beloved animals healthy & happy. One of the things I absolutely love is that our team always has a can-do attitude. It was a very hot, dry summer day last year when my nurse Brodie and I were scheduled for pregnancy testing 150 cows on a farm about 30 minutes out of town. When we arrived to, lets say a very basic yard, I then noticed that there were far more than 150 cows in the yards & paddocks behind. I asked the farmer how many we were checking for pregnancy, he then replied with 450!
This was one the first times that Brodie had been with me & experienced the joy of dust, heat & a ridiculous amount of cow poo. We rang the clinic to let them know we’d be a fair while longer & we got stuck in.
On this day, the farmer had several things he had to do including walking cows back to their paddocks, so it was largely a girl-power effort. Brodie was constantly jumping over yard rails to run a few more cows into the forcing yard, pushing them down the race to me, then changing draft gates to keep the empty (not pregnant) cows separate from the ones who were pregnant.
By the end of the day we were EXHAUSTED! But proud of what we’d achieved with mostly just the two of us. Since this day the yards have been vastly improved & far more efficient for such a big job, which is always appreciated. I’ve also learnt to ask who will be there to help on the day.
It wasn’t long after this day that the clinic had received a phone call for a Bucking Bull who had been drooling & very lethargic. I went out to this farm to examine the bull, named Stealth who had evidently hurt himself in a paddock accident & fractured his jaw. Without hesitation, his owner & contractor advised me to do whatever was necessary to fix Stealth.
I then called on the back up of my ever-supportive boss, Stuart. We then wired up his jaw so that it was able to heal. Since the 8 weeks of nursing & pain management by his owner, he has gone on to win a national title & perform at an elite level. He’s one to watch & a real testament to the commitment of his owner.
I’ll always have a real soft spot for cattle but it’s not just large animal stories that I really get a kick out of, even if it’s some un-godly hour in the morning, which is exactly what happened when I received a 4am phone call for a German Shepherd who had been in active labour for far too long & no puppies had been passed.
We all came into the clinic & I examined her. I then ultra-sounded the puppies & determined by their low heart rate that they were in foetal distress & needed to be removed via caesarean. After which I made the call to wake up one of wonderful nurses to help me. That very “EARLY” morning, we were privileged to deliver 9 healthy puppies. A few of them went to local homes & from time to time, I see them out on a walk or in the clinic for routine health visits.
I am finding now that I’ve been able to follow a few long-term cases through & really feel that I am making a positive, genuine difference to a family. I love being a part of the Yass Valley Veterinary team & wouldn’t change it.
