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WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO THE FIELD OF VETERINARY ONCOLOGY ? My father was a human medical oncologist , so Iguess itwas in my blood . Igrew up in Michigan and went to Michigan State as an undergraduate and for my veterinary training . As arising �unior in veterinary school , I did an externship in New �ork at the Animal Medical Center in oncology , and fell in love with it . It was the late ’ ��s , and Ididn ’ t know these specialties existed . I did my internship and residency there . While at AMC , Imet my husband , who is originally from �ansas City and isa veterinary ophthalmologist . We lived in �ansas City for three years , where I was the �rst veterinary oncologist in the state , and did radiation there as well .
IS IT HARD TO SEE PEOPLEATTHEIR SADDESTMOMENTS , WHENTHEIR BELOVED PETS ARE CRITICALLY ILL ? A lot of people think the �ob is traumatizing , that patients must die and everyone must be sad . And itcan be emotionally draining , but it�lls me right back up being able to give afamily another Christmas or summer with their dog or cat , oreven afew more years with a pet . I don ’ t sit across from families ; I sit next to them and go through everything . The more knowledge someone has , the better . �nowledge ispower� If Ican teach them all about adisease — what we can do to �ght it , what the prognosis can be — they can make the best decisions for their pet and the family . I want to minimize their regret and scars from all of this . Wecan do surgery or radiation therapy ; your neighbor ’ s dog or cat may have had that , and you see them in the backyard and you don ’ teven know . �uality of life is the goal .
So often there really isn ’ t a wrong decision . There are �ust differences between those decisions — whether or not to even treat the cancer , to go for the full gusto of the most aggressive protocol , something in the middle , or �ust palliative care . Iwant the family to feel heard and loved and understood , and to know they did right by their pet .
CUDDLING WITH COOPER ��� �������� ������� ���� �������
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COURTESY OF BETSY GROSSMAN
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HOLIDAY 2022 MONTCLAIR MAGAZINE