A Day In The Life Of A Veterinarian – Brainerd Dispatch MN
A Day In The Life Of A Veterinarian – Brainerd Dispatch MN
Being a vet is the only job Deb Piepgras has ever had. Her father, Richard Piepgras, bought the practice in the early 70s when Lakeland was located on Excelsior Road in Baxter. Deb Piepgras said when she was young she walked the dogs, cleaned the kennels and the clinic, was a receptionist and a technician to being a vet. She received her doctor of veterinary medicine from the University of Minnesota in 2000. Lakeland opened at its location on Woida Road in Baxter 11 years ago.
“This is all I ever wanted to do,” said Piepgras. “I’ve always loved small animals.
“The most rewarding part of the job is seeing the animals come in as puppies or kittys and seeing them through their entire life and seeing the bond they developed with their owner.
“The nice part of the job is when something bad happens and there is an emergency and I’m able to help them get well and be healthy again to where they can go home and they are happy. Knowing I helped save their life is nice.”
• 8:32 a.m.: Piepgras’ next appointment was a surgery consult on a dog named Petey, another new patient. Petey’s owner wanted a second opinion on its illness. The dog has had lupus for a long time and had two lumps on its face and one vet thought it could be cancer. The owner wanted to be sure what the lumps were and what kind of treatment was needed. The visit was unusual as the owner had her father bring the dog since she lived in Eagan.
Piepgras told the father the treatment options and then called the daughter to see what she wanted to do with Petey. The options were for Piepgras to do a biopsy of both lumps to be tested for cancer cells or to have the dog take steroids to see if they would shrink the lumps. The daughter decided to have the lumps tested, so Petey was brought to the treatment room and the father left to wait for the call for him to come back for the dog.
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