Curiosity and Continuous Learning in Dairy Production Medicine

Students at the University of Arizona College of Veterinary Medicine have countless valuable opportunities to learn from experts with years of experience in their fields and explore a wide variety of specialties and interests, including large animal medicine. While dairy production medicine may not be the first specialty that springs to mind when considering the various areas of veterinary medicine, exposure can introduce students to passions they may not have known were possible. Dr. Tony Martin, Associate Professor of Practice, has an established history of practicing dairy production medicine and offers students a unique insight into the career field. His inquisitive, problem-solving nature is exactly what the doctor ordered for both dairy cows and veterinary students.

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Attending veterinary school was a natural choice as he grew up on a dairy farm in rural Alabama and spent much of his time caring for farm animals. While in the veterinary program at Auburn University, Dr. Martin kept his options open. He shared, “As far as whether to do large animal, small animal, or mixed, I did not start vet school already decided. After doing the clinics and everything, I figured my personality matched more with doing production medicine than anything else.” After graduation in 1998, Martin moved to Arizona to work at Dairy Veterinary Services for over 20 years until leaving to become an educator and impart his years of knowledge to the next generation of veterinarians.

Throughout his years of dairy production medical care, Dr. Martin has performed everything from routine fertility work and checking for pregnancies to caring for sick animals in dairies ranging from 1,200 to 6,000 cows per facility. Much of what dairy production veterinarians do is rooted in preventative medicine, and the veterinary medical world has expanded its collective understanding on the physiology of cows and how to prevent disease. He shared,

“The number of sick cows has dropped down. A lot of that is due to better nutrition and better training of the health technicians in the dairies. It's teaching them how to recognize disease earlier. In the end, happy healthy cows are more productive cows. So we really try to focus on making it as comfortable as possible for the cow. And then that's going to decrease the stress, decrease the number of sick cows and increase our production.”

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While practicing veterinary medicine, Dr. Martin had the opportunity to provide training and education to various dairy staff and technicians. Then, as his children grew older, he allowed his daughter and her friends to ride along with him. He said, “I got to the point [where] I was enjoying teaching the students that were riding with me just as much as training [the dairy staff]. When this opportunity became available to work at the vet school, I thought I would take a risk and begin teaching and leave private practice.”

If Dr. Martin could make sure his students took one idea to heart, he said, it would be that they should explore an area and gain insight before deciding about it. He believes it is vital for veterinary students to gain exposure to large animal medicine and understand the field before drawing conclusions and dismissing it as a potential specialty. He shared,

“The first reason is this may be a passion that you have [and] you just do not know. The second reason is I think as veterinarians, we have influence with those that we are around. And I think it's very important for people to know where their food comes from. This gives you exposure to what the agricultural industry is like. We can give you the reason why we do the protocols that we do, whereas if you just see it from afar, you may [not understand it]. But then, when you understand why it's done that way, and what the consequences would be if we didn’t do it that way, you can make a more intelligent decision on whether [a process] is appropriate or not appropriate.”

Understanding the industry in this way provides students with a more holistic view of their profession and opportunities. To pass the NAVLE, future veterinarians must display knowledge of both large and small animals, but Dr. Martin also works to provide a big-picture understanding of dairy production medicine so students develop well-rounded perspectives and become aware of opportunities not previously considered. He wants students to develop problem-solving skills, not just gain knowledge.

“I think there’s a lot of power in understanding why we do what we do. ‘Why’ is a great word. Having a thought process of being able to work through a problem is more valuable than just knowing facts and figures. You can always find the facts and figures, but you need to know the process on why something occurred. And especially with preventative medicine our job is to really prevent a problem from happening. I also think we should never be satisfied with the results we get; we can always do something better.”

The curiosity and aim for continuous improvement have served Dr. Martin throughout his career and shaped his approach to teaching veterinary students. Students learn to get curious and ask questions about the animals and their environment to achieve the best possible results.

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Clinical skills training helps students efficiently care for animals and follow best practices. Between CVM’s Clinical Skills professors and excellent veterinary technician team, students benefit from clinical skills training provided by experts with proven histories working with large animals. For example, Lily Bonhoff, Veterinary Technician, created a model cow tail for students to practice bovine blood drawings. Bonhoff’s experience working with large animals helped her put herself in the students’ positions and understand where students might need practice before working with a live animal. Students benefit from our veterinary technicians’ years of practical experience and learn skills they might have to otherwise learn for the first time in the field. When students apply their skills on a live animal, they will be better prepared to efficiently draw blood while keeping the animal calm.

Students periodically apply their learning in local dairies, allowing them to utilize vital skills and supply care for local animals. This hands-on application brings classroom learning to life and allows students to enact technical skills honed on our clinical skills models. Our team’s extensive experiences with bovine medicine ensure students gain detailed insight into production medicine as they are introduced to their potential future specialty. Developing the requisite skills and understanding prepares students to enter the world of production medicine and to make an impact on both human and animal needs.