I’ve always had a love for science - and in particular medicine. I also love animals, so it was an easy choice to go for veterinary medicine. During my rotating internship, I became really interested in internal medicine. Every day is so different in medicine and the cases are like a puzzle that needs to be solved. I enjoy doing medicine procedures and following up with the patients long-term. We often require input from other disciplines, and it’s great to interact with and learn from my colleagues. The best feeling is to be able to help the animal and the owner, so they can spend as long as possible together.

How did your experiences during your rotating internship and residency shape your approach to internal medicine?

During training, you learn a lot in a short time and see a high number of cases. For me, I learned the importance of communication and to approach every case differently, considering the individual animal and the owner. Veterinary medicine is not just about the animal, you’re also working closely with the people who care for that animal. I learned that different approaches to one case always exist, and it is very important to find the one that fits the patient and the owner.

Becoming a diplomate is a significant achievement - can you share what that experience was like?

Becoming a diplomate was a long and hard road! But I would do it again without a doubt. I loved learning that much so quickly and working with different people - not just the specialists - every person in the hospital I was trained taught me something.

Some colleagues are now friends for life, and I discovered how much a person can do when you put your mind to it. I learned different life lessons, not just about medicine but also about communication and working together as a team.

Your PhD focuses on hyperthyroid cats and iodine therapy - what drew you to this area of research?

I love endocrinology. The cases can be straightforward but also very complicated. So many different factors play a role when it comes to endocrinology patients.

During my residency, we treated a lot of hyperthyroid cats using radioactive iodine. I was intrigued by the process of scintigraphy and how a single injection (if planned well) can make such a difference for a patient. I’m also very interested in the (patho)physiology and physics of scintigraphy and iodine treatment.

Hyperthyroidism in cats is a very common disease, so it’s very important to treat these cats as best we can – especially because they have a very good prognosis when treated successfully.

Can you explain the significance of scintigraphy and blood pressure monitoring in managing hyperthyroid cats?

Scintigraphy is essential when considering treating a cat with hyperthyroidism. It allows us to treat the cat with the most ideal iodine dosage and is the best way to prevent overtreatment. An overdose of iodine will influence the prognosis of these cats significantly, by creating hypothyroidism and worsening possible kidney disease.
When it comes to blood pressure, hyperthyroidism has always been considered a big risk factor for hypertension in cats. We suspected that the demeanour of these cats (often because of the disease) also played a big role. We confirmed this in a study and establish the prevalence of hypertension in a large group of hyperthyroid cats before and after iodine treatment. In general, we need to measure blood pressure more often in elderly cats, as part of routine health screening.

What are some of the most exciting or promising developments you’ve encountered in endocrinology research?

The recent use of SGLT2 inhibitors for cats with diabetes and its other advantages in heart and kidney disease is very exciting, and I expect the developments over the next years will be as exciting in this area!

You have a special interest in endoscopy and minimally invasive techniques - what advantages do these methods offer to patients and clinicians?

It allows us to approach the treatment of certain diseases differently, ensuring we can treat them less invasively for the patient. This leads to easier recovery. For certain diseases, it allows treatment, where there were little or no options before. For clinicians, these procedures are more efficient and we encounter fewer complications than would be associated with more invasive techniques.

You’re passionate about delivering CPD and speaking at international congresses - what motivates you to share your knowledge with others?

When I do these lectures it’s always about topics I am very enthusiastic about. I love to teach vets a practical approach to cases that they can use in their practice. And I’m always learning from them too! And for congresses, it’s a way to share knowledge and this benefits everybody’s patients.

What does a typical day look like for you as a veterinary specialist in small animal internal medicine?

The day always starts with rounds and book club with the residents and students. As medicine specialists like to talk and discuss a lot, this can take some time!

I do consultations or procedures and supervise the residents for the rest of the day until evening rounds. We also offer email and telephone advice for other vets and of course, we need to complete tasks like finishing reports and checking the reports of the interns/residents.

Every day can be very different, sometimes we spend all our time doing procedures on different patients or we can spend the day with one case in the ICU.

How do you balance the demands of clinical work, research, and lecturing?

It requires planning, I’m always thinking months ahead as to which project I will be focusing on when. I try to focus on my clinical work when I am at the clinic, with research and lecturing outside of that time. I try to say yes to what I know I have time for, but some things are so exciting or interesting it’s impossible to say no!

What do you find most rewarding about working in internal medicine?

You make a difference for the animals and their owners; even small interventions can make an impact. Even if we spend the day on just one case, it’s so rewarding to see how happy the animal and owner are when they get to go home.

What advice would you give to early career veterinarians considering a career in internal medicine or pursuing a diplomate status?

It will be a long road, so it’s important to try as much as possible to maintain a good work-life balance! Keep doing fun things, seeing friends, and getting some exercise. You’re running a marathon, not a sprint.

Making mistakes is part of the process, learn from them and then let it go, they do not define you as a veterinarian. And put everything in perspective, taking distance from a situation always helps to be able see things in context. Always keep an open mind.

You adopted your dog Sunny during your residency – tell us more about him!

I adopted Sunny during the first year of my residency, he’s a shelter dog from Malaga in Spain who was rescued from the streets. He is the cutest, most stubborn little dog and makes our lives better every day. He forces us to go for long walks, which made such a difference during the residency. He comes to work with me and gets so much attention! He loves it, and students learn to do clinical exams (= cuddles for him) on him. He’s also been a blood donor for other small dogs. He lives for food and loves tiny cucumbers.

What hobbies and interests do you have?

I love to read; it’s the perfect way to relax. I enjoy going out with Sunny (and sometimes some of his friends), and my partner and our friends at the weekends for long walks and dinners. Recently, I started drawing lessons. I’m sure I’ll find more hobbies as soon as my PhD is done!

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Worry less, you will always find a way. Problems are often much smaller than they first seem to be.