Telling
Our
Story
As I was elbow deep in the abdomen of a stallion,
owned by Terry Bradshaw, I was thinking many
thoughts; how do I get this jejunal volvulus untwisted?
How do I save this horse? What does he think of me
right now? He and his wife were in cap and mask
standing at the hind leg poles of the stallion. They
were nervous, but I can tell you I was more nervous!
Finally, Terry and Tammy decided to go home and
almost instantly I was able to feed the intestine back
through itself and untwist it. There was quite a lot of
work left to do but the first step was done. Luckily,
after resecting twenty-seven feet of strangulated small
intestine the horse has been fine for several years. I
humbly tell this story to say that I still look back on
that day and think of all the things that had to happen
to get to that point. I am grateful for all of the mentors,
colleagues, and opportunities I was afforded to have a
successful moment such as that.
with
The Texas Equine Foundation
believes that one of the best ways that we can
confront the shortage of equine veterinarians
is by letting the successful, fulfilled, stero-type
shattering veterinarians that are making waves
every day, tell their own stories. We are our own
best advocates. We believe that there are a
multitude of ways to define success in our careers.
We support each other in defining what success
looks like for them.
Shem
Oliver,
DVM, DACVS
11 | TELLING OUR STORY
