A Wide-Ranging Conversation with CVMA President, Clinic Owner, and Founding Member of Veterinarians without Borders Canada Dr. Enid Stiles - Part 1

Dr. Enid Stiles graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College with a DVM in the year 2000. Prior to her veterinary degree, she completed a Bachelor of Science (Conservation Biology) at the University of Ottawa and in 2009 she completed a Masters in Clinical Sciences (Behaviour Medicine) at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Montréal.

As a founding member and past President of Veterinarians without Borders Canada, Dr. Stiles has been fortunate to work with people and animals around the world. She believes strongly in working for and with communities in need to foster the health of animals, people, and the environments that sustain us all. Dr. Stiles works closely with Montreal based cat and dog rescue groups as well as her continued work with VWB and CVMA on improving veterinary services for remote and underserved communities in Canada.

In recent years, Dr. Stiles has become a regular presence in print, television, radio and social media advocating on current national and international animal health issues. Her interest and experience in veterinary behaviour medicine and animal welfare have been highlighted at speaking engagements with a recent focus on alternatives to feline partial digit amputation (declawing). In 2015, Dr. Stiles was selected as a member of the CVMA National Issues Committee and soon went on to be council representative for Quebec. She is now the current President of the CVMA.

Dr. Stiles was born in Newfoundland, however since 1987 she has had the opportunity of living in Zimbabwe, Ottawa and Guelph and now Montréal. In 2009, she opened her own small animal practice in the West Island of Montréal, Sherwood Park Animal Hospital. It has grown rapidly and is now staffed by six veterinarians as well as a complete veterinary behaviour service and newly developed mobile service for palliative and home euthanasia called Compassion Vet Montreal.

In Part 1 of this diverse conversation with Dr. Stiles, we discuss:

• The development of Dr. Stiles' professional career
• Wildlife experiences in Africa
• Relationships with people and pets
• Being a good mentor
• "Gold standard is just a perspective" - there's an in between new vets must understand and be able to operate in
• Connecting with owners during euthanasia
• Dealing with work fatigue, COVID issues, and Enid's "Swiss Army Knife"
• Through ownership you realize you have to get good at doing a lot of things (and you realize what you're not good at)!
• Running a clinic during COVID
• Managing staff, managing operations, and managing the bottom line during uncertain times

Join us next week for Part 2 of the conversation with Dr. Enid Stiles!

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- Jonathan Leicht, DVM and Michael Bugg, DVM