Dr Ashley O’Driscoll, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the Ontario Veterinary College in Canada.  Dr O’Driscoll also holds a Bachelor of Science – Honours Biomedical Science – from the University of Guelph, Ontaria, Canada.

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Dr O’Driscoll loooooves cows

Dr O’Driscoll has worked in several New Zealand veterinary clinics – on both Islands – as a pet and farm animal veterinarian since moving here in 2010.

As you’ll pick up, Dr O’Driscoll has a strong interest in animal welfare – she started the Waikato’s first home euthanasia referral service for dogs in the Waikato – as well as working for MPI and the SPCA in animal welfare.

Certified Body Condition Score Assessor

As well as being a large animal vet (she loooooves cows!), she’s also a Certified Body Condition Score Assessor.   The Body Score Assessor Certification Programme was designed to help rural professionals help standardise condition scoring across New Zealand.  It was developed  as part of the Transforming the Dairy Value Chain Primary Growth Partnership programme, led by commercial partners, including DairyNZ and Fonterra, and partnered by MPI.

Emergency Veterinarian

In addition, Dr O’Driscoll also picks up a couple of shifts a week at the Animal Emergency Centre, where she’s worked in the ER for the last ten years or so.    Anyone who’s worked in an ER hospital will tell you it’s a high-stress work environment that has strict expectations around patient care and client communication.   But, they’ll also tell you that every day (or night) that you go to work you absolutely know you’ve made a difference.

In her spare time and as a way to decompress, Dr O’Driscoll enjoys being a mum to her toddler daughter, her farm and her retired Heading dog, Nell.

Dr O’Driscoll first came to my attention through a Hamilton suburban FB group we’re both members of where she mentioned her Paw Print referral service which currently provides home euthanasia for pets in the Northern Waikato and Hamilton regions.

As a referral service, Dr O’Driscoll works closely with a pet’s regular veterinarian to ensure the ever-important bond between the client, pet, and veterinarian is maintained.

As you’ll pick up from listening to what Dr O’Driscoll says, she’s very staunch on dignity and respect… and it’s a dignified farewell for faithful companions she offers.

OTHER EPISODE LINKS MENTIONED IN TODAY’S EPISODE

PawPrint – home euthanasia service

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