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The Traveling Dogtor

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I GRADUATED! 😭🔥😭🔥😭 After four year

I GRADUATED! 😭🔥😭🔥😭

After four years of veterinary school, it is official. I am DONE. I just moved to Tampa and have been settling into my new apartment. EXCITING TIMES AHEAD!! I am so unbelievably grateful to be living in this beautiful new apartment and enjoying the moment.

But honestly… finishing clinics, graduating, and moving over a two week period is no joke! I am slowly getting back into my routine and taking some “me” time. Besides that, I plan to explore Tampa over the next few months and spend as much time outside in nature as possible.

What are your plans this summer?!?

#veterinarian #vetschool #vetstudent #tampa #graduation #vetmed #vetlife

🌟NEW BLOG POST🌟 ~ Why We Spay Female Cats (l

🌟NEW BLOG POST🌟 ~ Why We Spay Female Cats (link in bio ⬆️)!

In my last blog post, I discussed my top tips for new kitten owners. Although I mentioned spaying and neutering in that post, I did not get into a whole lot of detail. This is because spaying/neutering is such an important topic with a ton of health implications. Because of this, I decided to write individual blog posts, starting with “Why We Spay Female Cats.” I think it is important for pet owners to know that it is not just about population control - there are a ton of other medical reasons why we recommend these surgeries🐱.

Check out the blog post at the link in my bio and let me know what you think in the comments below.

▶️ P.S. You can now easily access my “Top 6 Tips for New Kitten Owners” blog post in my new “Cat Tips” highlight section of Instagram!

What is a veterinarian? Many people think we cuddl

What is a veterinarian? Many people think we cuddle puppies and kittens all day long, but there are so many different jobs within the title “Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.”

For example, there are veterinarians who work in the food production industry making sure our poultry products are safe to eat and the chickens are humanely treated. These animals are treated using a population/herd health mentality. Versus the patient I am holding here who is someone’s companion. This chicken was seen by exotic animal specialists. Chicken owners will sometimes spend thousands of dollars to ensure their chickens get the best care possible. Both are necessary. Both are right.

Production animal veterinarians have an incredibly important job. If we did not work in production medicine, there would be huge implications. We are on the front line to prevent diseases with disastrous economic impacts, such as exotic Newcastle disease in poultry. We are on the front line to prevent diseases with disastrous public health impacts, such as highly pathogenic avian influenza. We are on the front line to ensure the humane treatment of our production animals. We help establish guidelines and testing procedure to make sure potentially toxic drugs don’t enter our food supply chain. ^^ just to name a few.

However, we also can treat individual patients, such as this chicken. We can treat them for respiratory infections or orthopedic disease. We can treat them for trauma. We can treat their nutritional or metabolic diseases. And this job is incredibly important too, especially for the owners who view their pets as family.

Whatever path we pursue, there is value in that. Our job is valuable on so many levels, it blows my mind if I sit down and think about it.

The title “veterinarian” opens doors to create change. It is truly a privilege to be in this industry. We have the power to impact the lives of both humans and animals for the better. And for that, I am thankful.

NEW BLOG POST ~ Top 6 Tips for New Kitten Owners (

NEW BLOG POST ~ Top 6 Tips for New Kitten Owners (link in bio ⬆️)!

It is KITTEN SEASON, my favorite time of the year🐱! Over the past 6 years, I have fostered more kittens than I can count (swipe right to see what kitten life looks like😂). I know how daunting it can be to add a new kitten into your home. Kittens may be more independent than puppies; however, they also need love, a little bit of training, and regular visits to their veterinarian. Check out my latest blog post for my top tips to make the transition to #catlady or #catdaddy as easy as possible.

What other tips would you include for new kitten owners?? Let me know in the comments below ⬇️

HAPPY WORLD VETERINARY DAY 🔥🔥🔥 My first

HAPPY WORLD VETERINARY DAY 🔥🔥🔥

My first world veterinary day as a REAL doctor!! I am also one day late, but let’s be honest... how often am I on time for these things?!

I spent yesterday sleeping and watching 3 marvel movies 😂 it felt like I was sleeping off the past four years of vet school. I guess I really needed the rest.

Thankful for all the amazing veterinarians, veterinary professionals, and patients who have made me a better doctor and person along the way.

Happy Earth Day!! 🌎 • Why the Traveling Dogto

Happy Earth Day!! 🌎
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Why the Traveling Dogtor? So many of my favorite memories are from traveling the world. From living in France, Belize, California, and Brazil, I was able to find myself in nature. In work. In community. In language. I will forever be grateful for these moments.
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Pictured in order: Belize ➡️ Oregon ➡️ The Grand Canyon ➡️ California ➡️ Colorado ➡️ Brazil x 2 ➡️ Colorado ➡️ California ➡️ France
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Cheers to soon returning to the world of travel thanks to the amazing doctors and scientists who created a vaccine to make it possible.
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Where is your favorite place you have traveled?
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Disclaimer: Monkey in photo was being rehabilitated at an incredible wildlife rehabilitation facility in belize (@wildtracksbelize)
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#earthday #happyearthday

THRIVING because I have two days left of veterinar

THRIVING because I have two days left of veterinary school 🎉

🌟This question is for everyone 🌟 No matter if you are a veterinarian, veterinary nurse/technician, vet student, pre-vet student, pet owner, or other health care worker...

➡️ What is your best piece of advice for all of us new grad veterinarians?

NEW on the blog ~ What is my biggest fear as I tra

NEW on the blog ~ What is my biggest fear as I transition from student to doctor? (Link in bio ⬆️)

One of the orthopedic surgery faculty asked me this question prior to the start of my ortho rotation a few months ago. It took me a while to come up with the answer, but I think my response is relevant to all of my new grad colleagues out there. I hope you find it helpful. I hope you know that you are not alone.

What is your biggest fear associated with your job or otherwise? How do you cope?

ONE. MORE. WEEK. And then veterinary school is ove

ONE. MORE. WEEK. And then veterinary school is over. Who else is freaking out?!?!

I have so many mixed emotions. I am sad to leave my friends behind. Sad to leave Athens, a town I have lived in for the majority of my 20’s. I guess it’s time to start a new chapter of my life as an official Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.

Where all my new grads at 🙋🏼‍♀️

ALSO @medelita_gram came out with some new scrubs and they are 🔥🔥🔥 high waist band on the joggers is where it’s at! Loving these scrubs. If you want some $$ off, use BADENDVMS20 ❤️

Today I was reminded of a very important lesson.

Today I was reminded of a very important lesson.

You never really know what someone else is going through. We go to class, to work, to the store, and we all put on our masks (literally and metaphorically speaking). We hide behind smiles, or maybe not. We don’t speak our truth because, well, it is often easier that way.

But today I sat in a room with two former strangers and we opened up about our pasts. We were vulnerable, and in doing so, in that moment, each of us realized we weren’t as alone as we once thought. We all had a similar experience to share. Today was special.

Every single one of us has a story. But it is our right to choose when and how we share that story. The next time you meet someone, remember that they probably have a lot more in common with you than you think. This is the human experience. This is life.

And that is what makes life so freaking beautiful. Despite some bad news today, I feel beyond grateful for that moment.

So my question is this: Can you be more intentional about your perception of others? When you find yourself in a space of judgement, or any other negative emotion, can you step back and see that person as more LIKE you than different?

Perhaps in doing so, you will also have that moment when you realize… that you, my friend, are not alone.

#mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #wearfigs #nomv

NAVLE. It’s 8 AM. I listened to a pump up song

NAVLE.

It’s 8 AM. I listened to a pump up song on my way here. I did all the right things. Studied hard. Performed well on clinics. They told me to bring snacks, so I did. Dried mangoes and Rx bars. “Surely it won’t take me all day,” I thought to myself.

It’s an old building. I took a test here once in undergrad. It smells like wet dirt or mold. You know that smell? There are three other girls in my class here. They make us empty our pockets - we can’t bring anything with us. They bring me to my computer. My mask is making me feel like I can’t breathe. I realize there is dog hair in my mask and then my exam begins.

Section 1 ends and it wasn’t so bad. My friends told me to take all my breaks. I stepped outside the room and walked down the hallway. “Why am I already so tired?”

I eat and go back in. Another section. And then another. Just a few more to go. I step outside and stretch my legs. It is a beautiful day. How many sections are there again? Time goes by. My vision becomes blurry halfway through. I didn’t expect it to take this long. “Oh no, I missed that one question on the first section. What was that again? Why did I put that answer? Why do I feel sick?”

It’s 3:30 PM. I am done with my exam. I don’t think I failed but what if I did? I always said it wouldn’t matter, but why am I so afraid?

I went home, drank wine, and slept. And the month of waiting began. Shorter for us because of the changes made to testing due to COVID. NAVLE is this huge thing. We prepare for it our entire four years of veterinary school, and just like that, it is over. You pass, or you don’t, and then you move on. You look back and feel like you blacked out because being on clinics while studying was beyond stressful.

You keep going. And then suddenly… you are done with veterinary school. It’s time to say goodbye to your home for the past four years. Your friends. Your routine. It’s time to stop playing doctor and actually BE a doctor.

Can NAVLE prepare you for that? Likely not. The transition from student to doctor will likely be one of the toughest challenges I have experienced yet. But I am ready. And you will be too.

ITCHY DOG ALERT! 🌟NEW on the blog (link in bio

ITCHY DOG ALERT!

🌟NEW on the blog (link in bio)… Do you have an itchy dog? What should you do with a dog that doesn’t respond to typical treatments for allergies? Check out Champion’s story of dealing with chronic allergies and how veterinary dermatologists are helping pets through immunotherapy!

This case was super interesting for me. Mostly because I have known Champion since he was about one year old. I remember him as a perpetually pink dog, on all sorts of allergy medications and hydrolyzed foods. It was amazing to see his case come full circle.

➡️ Do you have an itchy dog? What do you think about intradermal skin testing/immunotherapy?

DISCLAIMER: I am not a veterinary dermatologist. This blog post is supposed to act as a basic summary. If you would like more information, please contact your primary care veterinarian. Everything posted with owner permission.

Can’t wait until I can call Tampa my home in jus

Can’t wait until I can call Tampa my home in just a few months 😍
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Cheers to beers and vacation coming in just over two weeks! Dr. Shelby Baden coming at you for all your emergency pet needs👩🏼‍⚕️

NEW on the blog: 6 Tips for New Puppy Owners! What

NEW on the blog: 6 Tips for New Puppy Owners! What I wish I would have known before getting a puppy 😱

Check it out at the link in my bio 🐕‍🦺

I originally started this Instagram to promote my blog, a place where I get to write more in depth about things. My intention for the summer is to devote more time to my love for writing, starting with this post for my new puppy parents.

Please share if you find it helpful or think these tips could help someone you know.

As always, I’d love to know... what tips would you also include?

Today, I start my very last rotation of veterinary

Today, I start my very last rotation of veterinary school 😱😱😱 For some reason, I barely slept last night. It felt like first day of school jitters.

Only three weeks left.

Three weeks of none other than... DERMATOLOGY 🐶🐱 let’s go!!! Ready to get educated for all the dermergencies I will see at @veterinary_emergency_group next year! If you don’t believe me, check out @vetgirlontherun’s podcast with Dr. Andrew Rosenberg on atopic dermatitis 🤓 (side note: I am obsessed with her podcast. Highly recommend if you don’t already listen - I seriously learn so much).

Photo posted with owner permission of one of my favorite ortho patients, Finn 😍

A haiku: Vet school takes four years barely pract

A haiku:

Vet school takes four years
barely practicing medicine.
Then you’re a doctor.

Inspired by the incredible @vet.lauren. Let’s ta

Inspired by the incredible @vet.lauren. Let’s take a #walkinmyshoes, #vetstudent style.

I am taking it back a few months to large animal internal medicine.

Prior to the start of this rotation, I had been in the hospital 40 days in a row. It’s 4 am and I am awake. I go into the hospital at 5 am to start my treatments. I have four in-patients after all. I have to get all their treatments done by 7 am when the residents come in, and I am somehow supposed to finish SOAPs before 8 am. One horse needs 20 tablets of metronidazole up its rectum. Another needs Baytril pushed IV over 30 minutes. A goat with mastitis needs to be milked but she is in pain and won’t stay still. They all need to be walked. Most of them need bloodwork, at least a PCV/TS.

We round. Appointments come in. There is a neuro case and the owners don’t want to move forward with additional diagnostics. They opt for euthanasia. I steal apples from another horse to give to my patient. We take a walk outside and feel the sunshine. Then we walk into the hospital and the process begins. He is scared. No one he knows is there. I have never seen a horse euthanized. The resident asks me if I am ok, but I am really not ok because I thought this was my easy case of the day. I start crying. At this point, it is time for PM treatments. I walk up to the isolation barn and I see the sunset. It’s beautiful.

I come home and I am exhausted. NAVLE is coming up in two weeks and I have to study. But I also have to write a discharge for my patient that is leaving the next day. What is balance again? I can’t remember the last time I worked out, or did yoga, or even went to the grocery store.

Clinics are brutal. Everyone tells you that. But it is only when you are finally in it that you comprehend how hard it can be. And then it’s over and you are expected to be a doctor.

Am I ready? I guess we will see. Burn out and self-doubt cast a large shadow. One thing is certain, you may never know what another person is experiencing. But you can listen, you can #walkinmyshoes for a brief moment in time, and see that sometimes a smiling face is, in fact, just a mask.

It’s been 5 weeks without my dog, Apollo. And i

It’s been 5 weeks without my dog, Apollo.

And it’s been hard! Traveling and externships sound amazing but the reality is that I have a dog who depends on me. I couldn’t survive without a support system to help me watch him when I can’t have him with me.

However, getting a dog totally changed my life. He has been there for me throughout all of vet school. Through every exam, every heartbreak, every good memory. He is always there to cuddle or encourage me to get outside. He needs me and I need him.

Getting Apollo totally changed my life for the better. He taught me how to be responsible. He taught me what it means to love unconditionally. And I couldn’t be more grateful for him. He is my heart dog forever ❤️

Do you have a pet that has changed your life?

#dogmomma #vetschool #vetmed #veterinarian #rescuedogmom #rescuedogs #dogmom

I lost my dad almost 13 years ago. On February 27t

I lost my dad almost 13 years ago. On February 27th, he would have been 74 years old. He was an older dad, but I didn’t care. He was my best friend. He treated me like a little boy most of the time and I loved it. Because of him, I know how to fish, surf, ride a bike, and camp. He went to every sporting event I ever had. I played co-ed soccer as a kid and I ran straight into this really big boy and knocked him over. I was shocked and started crying. My dad ran over, extended his hand laughing and ecstatic. He said something along the lines of “YES!!! That was incredible!!! That’s my girl!” All of a sudden, it didn’t seem so bad that I was able to knock over a boy twice my size. He did this with a lot of things... like my height for example. I was always taller than everyone else in my class. I might have been insecure about it except for the fact that he always praised me for being so tall. “You’re going to be 6ft tall! You could be a model like Elle Macpherson!” I didn’t know who that was really except I knew she was beautiful. It’s memories like these that stick out in my mind so strongly when I think of my dad.

And then I think of how much he missed. My high school, college and now veterinary school graduations. He missed me travel the world, he missed me falling in love, he missed my heartbreaks. He missed me following my dreams and becoming a woman.

Pain. It sits with me. The darkness is always there. The void his death left behind. And over the last year I have stopped trying to fill the void. I have just let it be. I guess it is truly another phase of healing. It may be hard to understand how one person can impact another. And everyone has a different story.

We all carry variations of pain with us throughout our lives. Mistakes. Failures. Loss. Rejection. Guilt. Sometimes, I think it’s ok to just sit with it. To recognize that it is always with you, but you are so much more because of it. Because there can’t be light without darkness. Without night, we wouldn’t appreciate the day. And today, on this rainy and gloomy afternoon in Atlanta, I am grateful.

🌟GIVEAWAY CLOSED🌟 Congratulations to @rosie.

🌟GIVEAWAY CLOSED🌟 Congratulations to @rosie.vetstudent ❤️❤️ Huge thank you to everyone who entered!
_________________________________________
I am beyond excited to have partnered with @vetsontherise to give away their new book, “New Vet Jumpstart Guide”! I read this book cover to cover and 100% believe this should be every new grad’s required reading. In the book, they tackle the most common cases we will see in GP and ER practice including differentials, treatments, and more. My favorite part of the book is the client communication tips, ensuring that we don’t miss any aspect of communication that might come back to haunt us.

This week, @vetsontherise is also donating 20% of their book sales to NOMV (Not One More Vet). If you don’t know, this is an organization focused on well being, mental health, and crisis intervention in the veterinary community.

All you need to do to enter is:

1️⃣ Follow:
@traveling_dogtor
@vetsontherise
@seniordogdoc
@southernpetvet

2️⃣ Like this post.

3️⃣ Tag a friends in the comments (1 friend per comment = 1 entry, tag as many as you would like)! You can enter as many times as you’d like.

4️⃣ Share to your story and tag us to get extra entries.

Giveaway ends 3/18 at noon. Winners will be chosen at random and announced later that evening on this post and via DM.

This giveaway is not affiliated with Instagram. Good luck 👍🏼🤩

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