Page 12 - BCHNews-122023-Web

12 WC DAIRY NEWS  CHRISTMAS 2023
Vet Focus
Walk in the boots of the new vet from Quebec in the Fraser Valley
Mélodie Arès Monast, DVM, Agwest Veterinary Group Ltd.
It’s now been several months since I can officially tell myself that I am a veterinarian. Some days I still don’t believe it. To reach this point, there have been many sleepless nights and big mountains climbed. I knew right from the start that working with large animals was what I wanted to do.
Taking that large animal veterinarian path hasn’t been easy. I’m not from a dairy background and my first dairy herd experience was during my first year in vet school. The diploma in Quebec is mainly oriented towards small animal medicine. My eagerness to seek new knowledge towards large animals was never fulfilled enough. This is how I ended up spending all my summers travelling around Quebec in search of passionate mentors to teach me the fundamentals of how to be a good large animal vet. Each summer, I would go farther and farther away to seek new experiences and learn from the best.
And here I am, working in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia with dairy and beef producers, as well as small ruminant owners, 4600km away from home, speaking English (or trying my hardest) and thriving on what this beautiful region has to offer.
University prepares you well enough to think of every case as a puzzle and how to seek all the parts of the enigma before making a medical decision. They teach you how to be a good thinker, but not how to be a good veterinarian. I learned right on the spot how communication was the most important thing in a client- vet relationship. And when English is your second language, this might end up being the trickiest part too.
So far, this journey has been amazing. I truly think that dairy and cattle producers are a special kind. Their dedication and work ethic inspires me! Learning about each family that you work with and understanding what drives their decisions. How to approach each problem in a way that would make sense to them.
I learned that sometimes, even if you want to try your hardest to save that cow, you have to make the sad decision to let them go, knowing that their disease is already too far gone for a good outcome. Sometimes, you and one of your favourite producers successfully lay down a cow and un-twist her uterus before pulling out a beautiful, resilient heifer - jumping in the air with happiness and disbelief.
My weeks have been filled with moments
Some days you’re a Bovine Obstetrics Surgeon...
of: “Whoa, wait a minute, I can totally do that!” as well as: “Uh-oh. I’ve never seen that before. Let me take a look on my computer and/or call my golden colleagues to make sure I’ll make the best decisions.”
Having such great office colleagues helps me to know exactly where I am supposed to be at every moment because every single day is different. Sometimes I will have only one herd health planned, sometimes three. I may have some in-clinic appointments for elective surgeries on goats or a
calving emergency on the other side of our territory. This unknown makes our day incredibly exciting and challenges us in every good way.
Education is also a big part of my daily work. And I’m not talking about teaching producers some of the things I learned in school. I’m talking about how this beautiful community is teaching me every day how to be a better vet, and more deeply - a better human (an English one for sure).
A la prochaine!
Some days you’re trying to focus on repro checks amid distractions!
◦ 2.5 days of expert speakers
◦ Tradeshow
◦ Virtual farm tours & producer panel ◦ Industry networking events
www.wcds.ca
WESTERN CANADIAN DAIRY SEMINAR
March 5 - 8, 2024
Red Deer Resort & Casino, Red Deer, AB
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Happy Holidays from all of us
at GENEX
Your veterinary partners invested in helping you attain your farm goals and profitability through our custom programs and progressive solutions.
INTEGRITY | PASSION | LEADERSHIP | EXCELLENCE
Agwest VETERINARY GROUP LTD.
Dr. Brent Fawcett BSc, DVM Dr. Lisa McCrea BSc, DVM
Dr. Melodie Ares Monast, DVM Dr. Jackie Wrigglesworth, DVM Dr. Peter Watson, DVM
Fraser Valley | 604.826.5089 Cowichan Valley | 236.800.3089 office@agwestvet.com www.agwestvet.com
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