Clinical Veterinarian

The Clinical Veterinarian (CV) has responsibility for all aspects of veterinary care for beagles, cats, ferrets, and minipigs. This includes those aspects of husbandry that impact animal health, and all elements of health care, including observations, treatments, procedures, and surgeries. The CV shares these responsibilities with other clinical veterinary staff. The CV, as a member of the veterinary staff, has authority to make final decisions regarding animal health and welfare. The CV interacts closely with the Director of Veterinary Care (DV), the Director of Production (DP), Animal Health Supervisor, and management. The CV reports to the Director of Veterinary Care. 

Specific responsibilities of the Clinical Veterinarian include: 

Domestic/ International Animal Health 

• Provide professional guidance and input related to animal health, welfare and veterinary issues at foreign beagle kennels
• Participation in regular conference calls with DP and international staff
• Develop vaccination and treatment procedures
• Interaction with international veterinary staff
• Visits to the international kennels (several times a year)
• Addressing selected veterinary or animal health concerns from domestic and foreign customers
• Furthering efforts to harmonize animal care and welfare across sites and other related duties as assigned
• Shared veterinary responsibilities in the domestic beagle, cat, minipig and ferret colonies with DV
• Provide guidance for the detection dog health monitoring, vaccination, physical exams, and sick calls. These responsibilities will be shared with DV.

Consultation 

• Verbal consultations daily with the DV regarding all on-going animal health concerns in all areas
• Participate in minimum once weekly direct clinical consult (walk throughs) with the AHC, or designee, or the area supervisors in the following areas: MF-B15, MF whelp buildings, back up for minipigs as needed
• Participate as a backup as a direct clinical consult (enter barrier) with the various barrier production supervisors to discuss clinical, husbandry, or production problems; and provide continued training as needed for technician activities, such as treatments, procedures and pre-shipment examinations
• Participate in minimum twice monthly direct clinical consult (walk throughs) with the AHC and production personnel

Animal Shipment 

• Ensure all animals are determined to be in a state of good health prior to shipment for research or as pets; inspect all individual beagles, cats, and minipigs prior to shipment and routinely inspects groups of ferrets to verify suitability for shipment
• Participate in the oversight of the pre-shipment examination of beagles, cats, ferrets, and minipigs by technical staff to ensure all customer and internal pre-shipment requirements are met and provide training as needed to technical staff regarding pre-shipment examination requirements

Surgery and Procedures 

• Participate as needed in both elective and non-elective surgeries, including pre-shipment neutering and cesarean sections in beagles, cats, and ferrets
• Oversee procedural competency and conduct training as necessary of technical staff for to maintain animal health; and for customer-driven postmortem organ/tissue collection

Regulatory Activities and Customer Interaction

• Interact with pet and research ferret areas. This includes interactions, by phone or email with MBR/MPP sales staff and/or customers directly to address questions or concerns related to animal health and MBR procedures 
• Interact with animal regulatory authorities including USDA and participate in on-site inspections, as well as telephone and other communications; possess a strong working knowledge of all pertinent animal welfare regulations and interact with veterinary staff, DP, and management to ensure on-going compliance
• Interface with customers as needed and determined by management, including on-site and off-site customer visits, customer interchange at scientific meetings, and telephone and e-mail inquiries
• May involve attendance at trade shows, participation in customer visits to MF and occasional visits to customer facilities may be required.