Impawsible Conditions

Dr. TOSHA STARKE grew up on a grain and livestock farm in Brunswick County, Virginia. Pursuing her passion of caring for and healing animals, she received her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine in 2004. Since then she has been providing exceptional veterinary care in many capacities throughout Northern Virginia. She has practiced as a Chief of Staff in two hospitals, provided medical care to shelter pets as well as worked as an associate veterinarian. Dr. Starke’s experience is varied and well-rounded, and she loves the interaction and relationships that she is able to build with patients and clients. In 2013, Dr. Starke created All Four Paws Veterinary Relief. As a mother of two amazing kids, she needed a way to balance her passion of being a mom and a veterinarian. Starting her own relief practice has given her the flexibility to do both while creating a lasting positive impact on the veterinary profession. Her most recent venture in the veterinary field, Vets To Pets, was founded in 2021 to alleviate some of the strain on veterinary clinics. By seeing non-emergent patients in their homes and virtually, Vets To Pets is able to help decrease the wait times in Emergency Clinics and General Practices as well as eliminate the majority of stressors for pets and their owners that can be associated with a typical vet visit. Offering the in-home pet care service makes veterinary care more accessible to clients whose pets have anxiety about traveling in the car or being at the vet’s office. Dr. Starke lives in Northern Virginia with her husband, her children Christopher and Gabrielle, and their three dogs: Dozer, Bruce, and Kettle. MICHELE PEVAHOUSE is a seasoned veterinary professional who has spent the better part of 20 years working in various roles in veterinary medicine. She began her career as a kennel worker and quickly grew into a veterinary assistant. After that she spent several years working as a technician in Emergency and Specialty medical practices in the DC Metro area. She rounded out her experience working as a Hospital Administrator in both private and corporate hospitals as well as serving the farming community with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Michele now lives in the Blue Ridge mountains where she enjoys hiking, gardening, traveling and spending time outdoors. KAITLYNN SCHARAPOWA has been involved in animal care in many capacities throughout her life. She grew up fostering dogs and visiting veterinary clinics that her mother worked in. She continued fostering and volunteering for her local animal shelter when she moved to Northern Virginia while working as a veterinary assistant. She later began working as the medical coordinator for a non-profit animal shelter where she took an interest in shelter medicine and animal behavior. Kaitlynn moved from the busy city to the peaceful Blue Ridge Mountains to care for her teenage siblings and her two dogs, Buck and Meatball. Kaitlynn is the self-taught producer of the Real Talk Unleashed podcast. She also manages social media and marketing for several companies, including Real Talk Unleashed, All Four Paws Vet Relief and Vets To Pets Mobile Vet. Kaitlynn is passionate about making a difference in the future of veterinary medicine and uses her skills in marketing and graphic design to call attention to the issues in our industry.

Acknowledgments
About the Authors
A Note from the Authors
Introduction

Chapter 1: The Straw that Broke Veterinary Medicine's Back
Chapter 2: The Job We Love Is Killing Us
Chapter 3: Buried in Debt
Chapter 4: A Tragically Toxic Work Environment
Chapter 5: Clients in the Dog House
Chapter 6: The Profit-Driven Machine—A Corporate Monster
Chapter 7: Working Like a Dog—Dealing with a Nonexistent Work-Life Balance
Chapter 8: A Prescription for Healing—Navigating Substance Misuse in Veterinary Medicine
Chapter 9: Misogyny and a Lack of Diveristy in Veterinary Medicine
Chapter 10: Fuzzy Expectations—Exposing the Lack of Practical Preparation in Veterinary Medicine
Chapter 11: The Power of Kindness—What Your Veterinarian Wants to Know
Chapter 12: The Heart of Being a Pet Parent

Conclusion