SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Local veterinarian Michelle Tuma still has vivid memories of her first ever attempt to dissect an animal.
The newest addition to the Great Slave Animal Hospital's dedicated staff was just seven when her father took her on a fishing trip Prosperous Lake.
Michelle Tuma tends to 3-month-old puppy Red Hero, who recently had to have a his leg amputated after being hit by a car in Behchoko. Tuma, who started working at the Great Slave Animal Hospital this summer, is believed to be the first veterinarian born in the NWT to work in private practice within the territory. - Cody Punter/NNSL photo |
While he was busy filleting his catch, Tuma grabbed a knife of her own and started cutting up and prodding all the guts and heads that he was getting ready to throw out. As if her curiosity hadn't been satisfied enough by her preliminary investigations, Tuma took some of the carcasses home and put them in the freezer so that she could continue her autopsies at a later date.
"I was just really interested in science and weird things like that" she said.
Since graduating from veterinarian school at the University of Saskatchewan in June, Tuma has brought her love of animals and her desire to help them back to Yellowknife's Great Slave Animal Hospital.
"I knew that Dr. Pisch had been here for 30 years and worked his butt off all the time and given so much to the community" she said. "I really wanted to help and give back to him and give back to the community that I grew up in."
Before Tuma came along, the clinic had been without another vet for more than 3 years. Laureen Schidlowsky, who has been with the Great Slave Animal Clinic for 17 years, said having Tuma on board has brought new life to the clinic.
"It's awesome to have fresh blood in the clinic" she said.
Since Tuma joined on this summer, Schidlowsky said the hospital has been able to expand the services it offers, especially to communities outside of Yellowknife. Indeed, just a few months ago, Tuma was able to travel to Dettah to run a vaccination clinic and in the New Year she'll be heading down to Behchoko to treat some pets – something she hopes to do more of as time goes on.
While it is helpful to have an extra pair of hands present at the operating table, Schidlowsky also believes that Tuma is the first ever NWT-born veterinarian to come back to work in private practice. Whether or not the title holds true is immaterial to Tuma, who says she is just happy to be able to be practising in a small city like Yellowknife. One of the benefits of getting to be a vet here, according to Tuma, is she has the opportunity to develop stronger bonds with pets and their owners.
"What I like I about being a veterinarian here as opposed to a larger community is that everything is just a bit more personal and intimate" she said.
"I always laugh because whenever I'm driving around or walking my three dogs at the dog park I'm always like hey there's Nova, she's so big now, or there's Raggedy, he's almost due to get neutered.
"It's really nice to see all the animals out in the community and be able to have that connection with them."
As much as Tuma loves her job, she said the one thing she will never get used to is having to put down an animal.
"It's not easy and it doesn't get any easier" she said. "It's really really hard but to see the owners be so grateful to have this service provided for them and to stop the suffering of the animals is really great."
While Tuma is still settling in to her first ever full-time job, she is excited at the prospect of being able to keep pets healthy in her hometown for many years to come.
"I've been getting so many puppies and kittens and now I'm starting to spay and neuter them and see them grow" she said.
"It's really exciting to know that I could potentially be their veterinarian for their whole life span."
