We’ve got a new large animal vet in the herd…
Born and raised in South Africa, Chanté Kritzinger always wanted to be a veterinarian – although she worried whether she was clever enough for the job. Luckily, she realised that hard work and diligent studying were really the key, and she successfully qualified as a vet.
One year after graduating, she set off overseas in search of adventure and new experiences! Her first destination was Scotland, a place she’d wanted to visit since she was a child. There she spent two years as a mixed vet.
Chanté believes she may have seen more unusual animals in Scotland than in South Africa, weighing up how pet lizards and ferrets, as well as wild pine martens and red squirrels, compare to the wildlife she saw at university. A cheetah with parvo, an ostrich with an impacted crop, and a rhino that needed a CT scan all sound impressive, but she thinks the leopard gecko she had to treat in Scotland was a far trickier case.
However, it’s farm animals that are her favourite. In Scotland she mainly dealt with sheep in small flocks owned by crofters, and in South Africa dairy cows were a big part of her work. Interestingly, South African dairy farms calve and milk all year round to keep production flowing, unlike New Zealand systems which are seasonal. Cows are managed individually rather than as a whole herd, and each day the farms will have a number of cows to AI, some to scan, and a handful to dry off.
The choice to come to New Zealand next, with our strong farming industries and world-renowned landscapes, was an easy one. Chanté’s been with VetSouth Gore for a few months now and loves that as a large animal vet she gets to work with dairy cows or sheep every day. She’s also enjoying getting to know the friendly locals, and she can’t wait to explore the countryside and find hidden gems with her beloved dog. Keltie, a Golden Retriever-Border Collie cross from Stirling, has made the long journey to Southland with her.
We hope the two of them are settling in well!
