INTERVIEW: Doctors look to expand on new season of ‘The Vet Life’

Photo: Matilda and Dr. Diarra Blue are face to face on The Vet Life, airing new episodes Saturdays at 10 p.m. on Animal Planet. Photo courtesy of Animal Planet / Provided with permission.

---

The Vet Life, the successful reality series on Animal Planet, has returned to the network to give audience members even more chances to experience the adventures of Dr. Diarra Blue, Dr. Aubrey Ross and Dr. Michael Lavigne.

Their practice is based in Texas, and on the new season of episodes the vets decide to expand their operations and open a second clinic in the Houston area. This means business is good, but it also means business is quite busy for the trio of veterinarians.

Of the many stories that TV viewers will watch this time around, there are many anticipated highlights. A lizard named Shredder needs immediate surgery, according to press notes, and a pug mix needs his nasal passage cleared.

The Vet Life, of course, doesn’t only follow the professional lives of these doctors, but their personal lives as well. Their spouses and children are important factors in their lives, and how these family members interact with the clinic is documented each week.

Recently Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with the three veterinarians about their hit series, which airs new episodes Saturdays at 10 p.m. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.

Dr. Michael Lavigne

What do you love about working with one another?

As much as we enjoy doing the work that we do just as a profession in general, the best days are truly when the three of us are all there together. It doesn’t matter if the day happens to be a little more stressful or if we’re just having a good time making each other laugh at work, when the three of us are working together it’s always a good day. No matter what happens, we have each other’s back and help make sure things are flowing as smoothly as possible throughout the day.

How difficult is it to start a new veterinary practice?

Starting a veterinary practice, or just a business in general, is not an easy task, especially when your education is not in business such as a veterinarian! Luckily I have the advantage of having two brothers and partners to share the burden of duties and responsibilities. We continuously strive to learn to become not just better in our practice of veterinary medicine, but better practice managers and business owners as well.

What’s one of the most common issues you see with dogs that can actually be prevented by the owners?

I’d say the most common issue we see that can be prevented by owners is dental disease. By getting your pet’s teeth professionally cleaned by your vet once a year, in most cases, you can prevent the build up of tartar and plaque, which leads to gingivitis and periodontal disease. Dental disease leads to heart and kidney disease as well as causes pain to your pets and can be easily avoided by having routine cleanings performed.

How many pets do you individually own?

We currently have two dogs, a schnauzer mix named Woody and a French bulldog named Yama, and a cat named Sugi.

How do you juggle both professional and personal duties?

One day at a time! There are days when things get pretty hectic, and I wish I had more time in the day. And then more rarely, there are days when I get caught up on either personal duties or projects around the house or just kick my feet up and relax.

What can we expect on the new season of The Vet Life?

You can expect to see some really cool and interesting animal stories along with the growth of our Cy-Fair family and our families at home!

Dr. Diarra Blue

What do you love about working with one another? 

What I love most is the ability to bounce ideas off of like-minded people [whether] it be about veterinary medicine, relationships with my wife, kids or family. The daily discussions are as if I have my own personal trusted shrink daily.

How difficult is it to start a new veterinary practice?

To start a new practice takes the same time and dedication as it does to start the first practice; however, the challenge is to make that practice as or more successful as the first, which can be difficult when you are not putting your work sweat into building the clientele. You know what experience you are able to provide for clients, but you can only hope that your associate vets provide the same service and experiences. 

What’s one of the most common issues you see with dogs that can actually be prevented by the owners?

The most common diseases that are preventable are fleas, heartworm disease and dental disease.

How many pets do you individually own?

I own two dogs, one bearded dragon and about 100 fish. 

How do you juggle both professional and personal duties?

I juggle both professional and personal duties very carefully. I plan time for duties throughout the day based on my schedule. For example, I wake up at 5 a.m. to allow time for professional duties and use the evenings for personal life. 

What can we expect on the new season of The Vet Life?

More fun stories, family growth, and more animal education and cuteness.

Dr. Aubrey Ross

What do you love about working with one another?

I really love the working relationship we have with one another because when we are at work it feels as if we are hanging out having fun instead of doing our job. I also love that we have each other to bounce ideas off of, and we can assist one another during a difficult surgery or procedure.

How difficult is it to start a new veterinary practice?

It is very difficult starting a new veterinary practice because fearing the unknown can create a lot of stress — stress coming from not knowing what to expect, will the business be successful, employing the right staff members, the long hours, the less time you have to spend with family, and the stress of not knowing will you have enough revenue to cover all expenses for the practice, and at the same time have enough revenue to pay yourself so you can take care of your own household bills and family.

What’s one of the most common issues you see with dogs that can actually be prevented by the owners?

One of the most common issues I see with dogs that can actually be prevented by owners is obesity. Dogs cannot prepare their food nor can they give themselves treats; it is our (owners’) responsibility to monitor their caloric intake and ensure they get the proper exercise. Obesity can lead to other serious issues like heart disease, arthritis, hypertension and diabetes.

How many pets do you individually own?

I own a total of four pets. Two dogs named Elsa and Max, a bearded dragon named Hermee and an iguana name Whipper.

How do you juggle both professional and personal duties?

Juggling both professional and personal duties can be difficult at times, but the great thing about working with Dr. Blue and Dr. Lavigne is that we are in agreement that family comes first. As business partners we tackle our professional duties by first knowing and understanding our role. Secondly we hold each other accountable for our duties, and lastly we assist one another in areas where one is weak to ensure we all succeed.

Juggling personal duties is made easy because since we are all husbands and fathers we understand and are in agreeance of our role as husbands in our home. We hold each other accountable to our families and ourselves. We ensure each one of us has the time to tackle personal duties. In the event we cannot tackle some of our personal duties, we have loving and understanding wives that handle those task we could not complete. Thankfully our wives believe in our dreams and always push us to be better and continue pushing for us to do better.

What can we expect on the new season of The Vet Life?

You can expect lots of fun, family, laughter and tons of cute adorable animals.

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

The Vet Life continues with new episodes Saturdays at 10 p.m. on Animal Planet. Click here for more information.