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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Thursday, April 19, 2012 · 12 Vet helps forever homes last a little longer Continued from page 10 "I worked at a veterinary clinic in Virginia as an assistant and receptionist when I was 18," she said. "They were very supportive in helping me learn what I needed to do in order to become a veterinarian." Gauthier completed an undergraduate Bachelor of Science degree in biology in 2000 at the University of Virginia and went on to graduate from the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) at the University of Guelph in 2004. Soon after completing a rotating internship in small animal medicine and surgery at OVC, Gauthier finished a three-year residency in oncology in 2008 at Tufts University (near Boston, Massachusetts) and began working at the local emergency hospital in Oakville shortly after. "During the summers while at vet school, I worked for some professors for two subsequent summers in research projects that involved cancer in some way, shape or form and that peaked my interest. I really liked the idea of specializing and becoming good at one particular thing rather than being a general practitioner," Gauthier said of her decision to become a veterinary oncologist. "Specializing in oncology was sort of a natural thing, since I had already gained experience working on these summer projects, spent time in the oncology service at the university, and I really liked how you got to know your patients very well -- you were helping ani- Meredith Gauthier TM WHEN YOU ACTIVATE 2 NEW SMARTPHONES ON ANY COUPLES ON A 3-YR. TERM VISIT YOUR LOCAL ROGERS STORE FOR DETAILS. 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See www.rogers.com/xbox for full terms and conditions. © 2012 mals feel better that were affected sometimes by terminal illnesses and you got very close with their families. It's a very close association you develop with your patients as opposed to if you just saw them once or twice a year for checkups or vaccinations." Gauthier says she sees about 40-50 patients per week, both new and returning. The pets referred to Gauthier receive chemotherapy and the same types of drugs used in the cancer treatment of humans, she said, but they are used in doses and ways such that most animals will not develop any severe side effects. "Part of the reason why we don't use the word cure (in treating animal cancers) is because we're not willing to put that pet's life at risk in order to do very aggressive chemotherapy treatments," Gauthier said. "We know we can extend their survival rates and make it a good quality of life, but is it fair for them to be hospitalized with side effects and that type of thing, which most of the time won't meet my clients' goals for their pet and most of the time those treatments are very costly." The majority of dogs that Gauthier sees, she said, never need to spend the night at the hospital. "They come in for their treatment and they go home." The prognosis for dogs and cats diagnosed with cancer depends on the type they have, Gauthier said. "For instance, canine lymphoma, which is probably the most common cancer that I treat here, with no treatment the average survival rate is about one month, with chemotherapy treatment the average survival rate is one year. And that's usually a very good year, not one where the pet is in and out of hospital." For feline lymphoma, she says the survival rate with no treatment is less than a month and with treatment about six months -- the difference in prognosis is due to the fact that cats are more sensitive to the side effects, so veterinarians have to be more careful with the dosing of chemotherapy. Gauthier said the toughest part of her job is when her patients reach that end-of-life moment. "The whole process and coming to the decision that it's time to say goodbye, that's the toughest part. One of the things that I love about my job is that I get to become very close with my patients and their families and they in a way become part of my family because I see them so often, but at the same time, it's like losing a family member for me, too," she said. "In a way, I'm happy that I'm there to help them through it, but it's also very emotionally taxing for me so there is emotional exhaustion that you can go through if you're not careful." Gauthier said maintaining a good balance between her work and life outside of her career is how she gets through those tough moments. "For me, it's really just decompressing on the weekends and taking the time to be with my husband and my pets and family," she said. When asked if there was ever a single moment in her career where she thought to herself this is exactly why she chose to be a veterinary oncologist, Gauthier said every time she treats a patient and they return feeling better. "There are so many joyous moments in this job, it definitely makes it worthwhile," she said. "Even colleagues of mine tell me they don't know how I do what I do and that it must be so depressing, but there are so many happy moments and just talking to the clients and feeling that joy with them in having that extra time (with their pets), it re-enforces why I do it."