Veterinary Oncologist

What animal lover hasn't daydreamed about ditching their desk job and applying for a job at the zoo? Or at a doggy daycare? Or tracking gorillas in Africa? We sure have, but since most of us may never actually get to work with the animals we love, we thought we'd introduce you to a few people who do.

Name: Dr. Avenelle Turner
Age: 34
Job: Veterinary Oncologist

How long have you been a veterinarian?
Almost 10 years.

What made you want to be a vet?
I'd always wanted to be one, since my earliest memory. I've always liked animals. Friends I've known since elementary school have always remembered me wanting to be a vet.

What does it take to become a vet?
First you'll need a four-year degree from an undergraduate school. Then it's similar to going to medical school. You apply, and if you're admitted, veterinary school is four years.

You specialize in veterinary oncology?
Yes, I'm board certified. Most oncologists have gone to veterinary school, then at least three to four years of post-education to get certified in oncology. We take two exams – one is a qualifying test, the second is more of a specific test for oncology. If you pass both, then you become a board-certified oncologist.

Did you grow up with animals?
Yes, dogs. I like cats, but didn't grow up with them. When I was old enough to get animals, I got a cat to see what it was like to live with one and I do love them.

What made you want to go into oncology?
It's hard to say. I never actually wanted to do it. I thought it was quite sad. But when I did my internship, I got to see a lot of different cases and I liked the oncology patients better. I think the owners are more dedicated, the patients are typically older and they usually come with a story.

When you refer to "patients" are you talking about the animals you see?
Yes. Owners are clients. Dogs and cats are patients.

Do you only treat dogs and cats?
I do. Technically, veterinarians can treat all large animals, but if you don't use it, you lose it, so I wouldn't know what to do if I saw a horse or a cow.

Isn't it a sad job sometimes?
My goal is to make these animals as comfortable as possible for as long as possible. If I do that, that's a success. So, is it sad? Sure. I absolutely know that I'm going to say goodbye to these animals -- sometimes in a couple of months, sometimes in a couple of years. But if I didn't do it, all of these animals would be dead in a few months. So you have to evaluate what your goals for success are. And success is not always a cure.

How do you handle the down side of your job?
You realize that in life there are sad things. You realize that there are certain people and animals that you can help. I feel like if I didn't do this, nobody would be there to help them. During their treatment and afterwards, they have a significant amount of time where their quality of life is relatively good. They usually have the exact same – or very close to – quality of life they had before they got sick.

What are the pet owners like that you meet in your practice?
It takes a special person to actually pursue treating their pet for cancer. Most of the animals are members of their family, so maintaining their family unit is very important. When they know there's something that can be done to make their animal feel better, most people do it.



Why does it seem like cancer amongst dogs and cats is becoming more common?
I don't think it's more common. I think veterinary medicine, in general, is better so pets are living longer. And it's just as it is with people – if you live longer, you see other diseases show up.

Do most people see you once their dog or cat has been diagnosed with cancer?
Most times. Occasionally, they'll come to me with a presumptive diagnosis; some things are obviously cancer.

Are they devastated?
I would say that most owners are. It's scary to hear that your animal has cancer. Most times you think that means they're going to die. The thing is, everything is going to die; it's just a function of when. With most diseases I see, there's something you can do to make the animals feel better or to prevent them from dying in the near future. Occasionally, I can't.

Do you get attached to your patients and cry when they die?
I do cry. Maybe not with everyone; there are patients that you are closer to than others. Some of them you see longer and see more frequently.

Does a particular patient stand out in your mind?
A dog named Rebecca who came to me after being treated at another veterinarian for about a year. She was a schnauzer and she had sarcoma of the spleen. Most animals die within a year of getting diagnosed. But when she came to me, she had a recurrent lesion a year and a half after the original diagnosis and was bleeding in her abdomen. Given that she had exceeded every expectation of her original diagnosis, there wasn't a lot I could think of to do for her. But we tried, and we gave her a transfusion so her blood cell count would go up again. And this dog lived another year, so she lived a total of two and a half years post her diagnosis. Her prognosis had been three to six months.

The treatments must be expensive, right?
It's a fraction of what it would cost for you or I. It's not cheap. The average owner will spend $2,000 to $10,000 trying to treat their pet. It's something people can afford if you budget for it or have the means, but not if you live paycheck to paycheck.

How do animals handle chemotherapy?
Chemotherapy in animals is nothing like it is in people. We don't use as high of doses. A lot of people think with chemotherapy that their animal is going to be sick, lose all their fur, not be able to eat or drink, be in the hospital and basically waste away. But that's not the case. Our drug therapies are much better tolerated in animals.

Are there times you don't recommend further treatment?
Yeah. If it's not working, or if the animal is having side effects that are too significant. We either change the treatment or we stop. Sometimes that's a difficult thing for people to hear, but if it's the best thing for the patient then we stop. Our main goal is quality of life. To me, that's the most important thing. If they don't have a quality of life, we seriously reconsider what we're doing.

Could you imagine yourself doing any other kind of work?
No. [Smiling.] I feel I was made to do this. I enjoy seeing my patients and interacting with people. I do grieve when my patients die, but I couldn't imagine not doing this work.

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Tags: avenelle turner, cancer, veterinarian, veterinary oncologist