Our Maine Street's Aroostook Issue 10 : Fall 2011 | Page 64

Advances In
Veterinary Medicine
by Christiana Yule, DVM

fort kent animal hospital

Photo by Matthew Michaud

When most people think of veterinary
medicine, they picture James Herriot driving across
the English countryside and stopping at various
farms to deliver a calf here, stitch up a horse there
and popping into the widow Bartlett’s cottage to
gently chastise her for feeding her little dog until he
was too fat to walk. It’s easy to imagine that times
are still so simple, especially given that the peaceful
Maine countryside is so reminiscent of the farms in
Herriot’s books. But things have changed quite a bit
in the field of veterinary medicine over the past 80
years or so.

These days, each veterinary hospital is
an independent state-of-the-art medical center
equipped to deliver top-notch diagnostics and
treatment for your animals.
Most hospitals
specialize in either pets or large animals; many are
starting to narrow their focus to a single species. It is
not uncommon in larger cities to see a feline animal
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FALL 2011

hospital, an avian animal hospital, or a reptile animal
hospital within a few blocks of each other. And it’s
no wonder; the more medical information that
becomes available about each species, the harder it
is for a single veterinarian to learn everything about
each species and keep on top of the latest advances
every year! Some veterinarians specialize in pets and
some in horses or farm animals, while some pick and
choose select species that they enjoy working with.
For an additional year of internship and several years
of residency, some veterinarians choose to become
board-certified specialists in certain body systems
like cardiology, ophthalmology, internal medicine
or orthopedics. Referrals to such specialists are
common for problems like heart defects, glaucoma,
and hip dysplasia. For a price unheard of in the days
of James Herriot, your pet can receive treatments
including a total hip replacement, cataract removal,
a heart valve replacement, a pacemaker, and even a