Vandana Krishnan - India
This summer I got to spend 3 weeks visiting my aunt’s veterinary practice, The Animal Care Clinic, India.
I grew up visiting this clinic and have many memories here far before I knew I wanted to be a veterinarian. I remember my aunt showing me around the clinic when I was in elementary school and pointing out the operation theater- I asked her what kinds of movies she plays for the dogs to distract them from their surgeries. Many years and a couple career changes later, it was very special being back at the place that inspired my love for veterinary medicine.
This story of how this clinic came to be is a pretty cool one. After graduating vet school, my aunt opened this clinic in the garage of her family home. Over the years she has expanded it to be one of the most prominent veterinary clinics in the country.
Being back at this clinic as a vet student allowed me to notice so many cultural differences in the ways we practice veterinary medicine. There is less of a distinction between primary care and emergency medicine- most doctors in human medicine will see emergent cases and this translates into clients expectations for veterinarians as well. Another huge difference was how involved pet owners were while at the clinic. Owners are expected to restrain their pets and can be with their pet the entire time at the clinic- there is even a peep hole that allows them to watch their pet in surgery! They also do not have formal specialist training programs for veterinarians like we have in the US. My aunt has done a lot of CE in specialty surgery and performs IVDD surgeries, cataract surgery, TPLO’s, FHO’s, etc.
My aunt also connected me with one of her colleagues while I was in India who runs a huge animal rescue and low-cost veterinary clinic for the local community in Chennai called the Besant Memorial Animal Dispensary. The veterinarians working there did such a great job of including me during appointments. I got to practice reading bloodwork and cytologies, and doing physical exams. I am one of the Co-Directors for KLOHC so it was interesting seeing how an access to care clinic is run abroad.
After my first year of vet school, it was the perfect time to reconnect with the environment that inspired my love for vet med.
