This month we are celebrating our 30th Anniversary at the Manchester Animal Hospital. With Jacqueline, my partner in this endeavor, it is a very sweet time to reflect and consider the journey we have been on and the many changes in Veterinary Medicine since my graduation from Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine and during the time we have spent practicing in Manchester.
I was very fortunate to have been accepted to the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine after only two years of undergraduate study instead of the usual four. As a result, I was probably one of the youngest graduate students to complete a doctorate degree from the university. To be honest, it was somewhat uncomfortable to put the “Dr.” before my name at such a young age.
A similar experience followed, as I entered the Air Force as a base veterinarian and military public health officer to become a Captain in the USAF also at a very young age. Of course, it turned out to be a great advantage as I was exposed to a great deal in a short period of time. Especially, considering being stationed in Southern Italy my position required me to travel around Europe.
My real experience as a small animal veterinarian began after serving those two years in the military, first as an associate in a small animal practice, after which I ran a small animal hospital in New York City.
After several years, I felt my life experience was limited and I prepared for an adventure that satisfied my desire to live among the people and animals in Africa. That year and a half that I spent in Africa was life altering.
Driving a vehicle with two other adventurers thru the Sahara Desert, across the African Congo, from West to East Africa and finally all the way down to South Africa taught me much about the wildlife of that continent, but more importantly about the wonderful nature of the people who live there.
Returning home, I rejected an opportunity to work in a major veterinary establishment in an urban area, and instead bought a 30-acre farm near Stowe, Vermont and with Jacqueline at my side, established the Beaver Pond Animal Hospital, which was attached to our farmhouse.
It was here that we began a journey in Veterinary Medicine that was very different than what we do today. I cherish that experience, because at the time, there were no veterinary specialists to refer to. If a patient broke a leg, it was up to us to learn how to perform orthopedic surgery, up to us to do intraabdominal operations to remove foreign bodies from the intestines of patients and perform a host of other experiences like that, that gave me the opportunity to expand the service I had to provide. In time, Jacqueline and I built a large Veterinary Hospital in the capital city of Vermont, and we employed one of the first board certified specialists in veterinary medicine in the state.
Jacqueline grew up in Magnolia, and in time we moved back to Manchester-by-the-Sea. Establishing the Manchester Animal Hospital was a dream come true. As we practiced in this town, the profession of veterinary medicine changed in profound ways. I was very fortunate to apply my experience garnered after my years in the profession, but now I also had the opportunity to apply my skills with the option of referring certain cases to specialists who bring the practice of veterinary medicine to closely resemble human medicine.
Today, it has become more difficult to be a veterinarian. The costs of obtaining a degree are astronomical and, in my opinion, the trend of investment groups purchasing the larger practices changes the dynamic of practice. Personally, I consider myself blessed to be able to practice the profession in this town. I don’t believe it is old fashioned to give each patient the time it deserves in establishing a diagnosis and one of the rewards is having a personal relationship with my clients that transcends a quick automated office visit.
There is an old expression, “nothing new under the sun.” However, veterinary medicine has evolved to a scientifically sophisticated place where we have external laboratories to perform many tests, referral practices with C-Scans and MRI capacity and veterinarians with advanced degrees in many specialties. In my mind, the veterinarians who work in this profession are very special people and I feel honored to be part of that.
The greatest gift is this: after all these years I get to practice the art of veterinary medicine in one of the best places in the world.
Dr. Lamb is the Veterinarian at the Manchester Animal Hospital.
