In the Mix: How Dr. Rose Rumney is Fulfilling Her Lifelong Dream as a Mixed-Animal Veterinarian

Dr. Rose Rumney, DVM 2017, cannot remember a time that she didn’t want to be a veterinarian. She grew up with a deep connection to veterinary medicine; in fact, her distant cousin, Dr. Jean Rumney, was one of the first women to graduate from the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) in 1939, and both of her parents are also OVC alumni: Drs. H. Joel Rumney, OVC DVM 1983, and Edie Haberfellner, OVC DVM 1987.

“My dad was a large animal veterinarian, and I would often accompany him on farm calls. My mom was - and still is - a small animal veterinarian. I remember her treating our family’s senior cat; seeing the difference that her medical care was able to make in his quality of life and longevity truly motivated me to pursue this career.”

Rumney chose to pursue her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree at OVC because of the world-class professors and industry experts that teach its curriculum. She feels that the program provided “a well-rounded education that gave me a solid understanding of medical and physiological principles, as well as the tools to expand on that knowledge in clinical practice.”

It also included, at the beginning of her fourth year, an eight-week externship in a veterinary practice focused on food animals, companion animals and/or horses as part of the Veterinary Capacity Program.

Shortly after graduation, Rumney accepted a large animal veterinarian position at Peterborough Veterinary Services. The area has a large beef sector and Rumney says, “I loved working on all of the small cow/calf farms.” While she enjoyed her time as a large-animal veterinarian, her ultimate goal was to work in mixed-animal practice. Unable to find mixed-animal opportunities in the Peterborough area, Rumney created her own; she started working three days a week at Peterborough Veterinary Services, plus an additional two days a week as a small-animal veterinarian at Brealey Drive Animal Clinic.

Eventually, Rumney decided it was time to return to her family’s mixed-animal practice, North Simcoe Veterinary Services, which her parents run from their 100-acre farm near Midland, Ontario. To this day, Rumney continues to work alternating days in large and small animal practice.

Rumney explains that “the large animal side of our practice sees many different species – horses, cattle, sheep, goats, pigs (including many pet pot-bellied pigs), and even some backyard birds. However, on my large animal days, I usually spend my morning at local dairy farms doing herd health visits, including reproductive exams, preventative healthcare and discussing herd production successes and challenges. In the afternoon, I meet with our equine clients to look at sick horses, provide preventative care, and breed mares in the spring.”

“When I am working a day with small animals, I will perform surgeries as needed, and often see a mixture of routine visits for things like vaccines, as well as urgent appointments for sick pets.”

Rumney adds that one of her core responsibilities as a veterinarian is to discuss antibiotic selection and responsible drug use with clients. “Our profession as a whole has an important job to do in safeguarding human health by encouraging and modelling responsible use of antimicrobials."

Rumney notes that in mixed-animal practice “it can be a challenge to maintain the level of knowledge required to provide high-quality care to all species.” She participates in lots of continuing education opportunities and surrounds herself with colleagues who can share their knowledge with her. She also emphasizes the importance of knowing when to refer. “However, I truly enjoy the variety that mixed animal practice brings – it is almost like having two different careers at once!” “The amount of knowledge covered in vet school was overwhelming, but I still appreciate its importance five years post-graduation.”

The Veterinary Capacity Program is funded by the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance, a collaboration between the Government of Ontario and the University of Guelph.

This story originally appeared in the Summer 2023 issue of The Crest, the research, teaching and health care magazine of the Ontario Veterinary College.