MudPuddle’s Veterinary Scholarship

Hello! My name is Annabelle Sellers. I am a second year veterinary student at Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine. My interest in veterinary medicine began at a very young age. I grew up working with my dad and grandpa on a small cattle farm in Anacoco, La. I learned the value of hard work and how truly remarkable animals are. I completed my undergraduate studies at McNeese State University and was blessed with two opportunities to learn more about the veterinary profession. I worked at a small animal emergency hospital as a veterinary technician and gained lots of experience caring and treating for animals as well as communicating with clients. I also worked for a mixed animal day practice with the primary goal of working with large animals. I gained experience with horses, pigs, and cattle and fell in love with the challenge. In my opinion, large animal medicine requires a particular drive and ingenuity. You can’t restrain them like you would a dog, cat, or rabbit. Just to get them to the clinic is quite the process for the owner, so farm calls are a frequent occurrence. Farm calls are so challenging at times but so rewarding. As a veterinarian, you’ve got to be able to improvise and think on your feet. 90% of the time the owners aren’t going to have the animal already put into a state-of-the-art hydraulic squeeze shoot upon your arrival. In lots of instances, we had to work with a singular tree to tie the animal up to or a wooden shoot that was borderline falling apart. I learned so much working at that hospital, and fell in love with the challenge. I assisted with some Graduate Research Projects on the McNeese farm studying the effects of MultiMin administration on their sheep flock. It was my first time ever handling sheep and I loved it. I went onto veterinary school and worked for a different mixed animal practice closer to home the summer before school and after my first year. I was able to go on more farm calls and perform even more procedures such as cortisol injections, field x-rays, hoof trims, etc. The main reason why I got so much experience was due to the high quantity of clients the veterinarian I was working for received because he’s the only one in the area that does farm calls. He has to let the whole community know when he’s going on vacation. It was great experience for me, but it opened my eyes to the lack of large animal veterinarians in the area. I recently started a job at LSU SVM on the Large Animal Critical Care Team. I have only been working for a couple of months, but every time I leave a shift I feel a sense of excitement for what I’m going to be able to accomplish once I obtain my Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine. My current primary goal is to obtain my DVM, and my future goal is to open an after hours mixed animal practice emergency clinic and farm call service for my community back home. It would be an honor to receive this scholarship as it will reduce the financial strain of veterinary school. I appreciate your time and consideration.