EP 098 Veterinary medicine in the wild with Dr. Michelle Oakley

In this one, I talk to veterinarian Dr. Michelle Oakley, who stars in the National Geographic reality television show “Dr. Oakley, Yukon Vet.” The show follows her and her family around as they administer veterinary care to domestic and wild animals. Many of Dr. Oakley’s most memorable moments have involved her family. From close encounters with a massive Kodiak brown bear to a rotting rumen in a reindeer, close calls, gross-outs and heartfelt moments are typical when you surround yourself with the ones you love in a place that’s constantly challenging you.

Dr. Oakley says that when she’s working, she has to adapt veterinary medicine so that it can be applied in the field in Alaska. And, oftentimes, that means being a jack-of-all-trades. When she’s outside of a sterile clinic, in remote areas and it’s 20 below and her hands are freezing, she’s just trying to give the best care possible with the tools and the medicine she has. In some cases it might not look great, but she’s doing the best she can.

Dr. Oakley’s daughter Maya also joins the conversation. Maya was 14 when they started filming “Dr. Oakley, Yukon Vet,” so she’s been there through all of the change and growth of the show.