HerFeature

Kimberly Wallace

WHEN Sunnyview Vetcare Services first

opened its doors in late 2009, it was just a small business operating out of an annex at Dr Emily Cappon's Blue Range home in Diego Martin.

Today the clinic, which moved to larger premises in 2015 to facilitate its growing clientele and staff, is the largest female-run veterinary clinic in west Trinidad. Out of its staff of 17 which includes doctors, veterinary technicians and receptionists, 16 are women.

The fact that the clinic is operated mostly by women on the front line and behind the scenes is purely coincidental, says its owner, veterinarian Dr Kelley Camacho who also sits on the management team.

'In general, over the last 15-20 years the number of female students per graduating class is much higher than male students... In my graduating class of 110 students, I was the only international student, and the class had 80 female students and the rest were male,' says Camacho who studied overseas.

'This trend is most dramatic in the veterinary profession. But this is also a trend in law schools where there are more women than men in the graduating classes.'

Camacho joined the clinic in 2012 and is everything one would expect of a veterinarian; she loves animals, has great interpersonal skills and a strong work ethic- which is especially important since her job, though rewarding, is very demanding.

It is often said that a veterinarian's job is similar to that of a detective; not all problems that arise among animals are obvious to the naked eye, some are hidden. And since Camacho's patients can't explain what's bothering them, she has to combine her extensive knowledge and training to identify the problem and decide whether the condition can be managed or treated. Veterinary medicine is huge and diverse; Camacho's duties go way beyond simply vaccinating cats and dogs, she's a general practitioner, dentist, cardiologist and surgeon wrapped up in one. But Camacho is quick to point out that a vet's role is not limited to the clinical setting.

'We work very closely with animal welfare groups in our community such as the Mutaspha Project, Tomi Rescues, the Animal Welfare Network and Animals 360, just to name a few.

We help them with adoptions and provide low cost spays and neuters to animal rescues, we volunteer our time to do this on a monthly basis,' says Camacho.

Like every other essential service, Sunnyview Vetcare has had to make major adjustments over the past year. They have limited face to face interactions which has always been at the core of their business and installed a kerbside service where they collect their four-legged patients from waiting vehicles. All consultations are done over the phone. The clinic's veterinarians still respond to emergency cases at any hour of the day.

It takes real grit and dedication to do the work of a veterinarian. For as long as Camacho can remember, she has always been interested in animals. Although she considers herself a 'city girl', Camacho grew up in Sangre Grande where she spent hours outdoors, barefoot, playing with animals.

"Usually when my family couldn't find me, I was either with the dogs in the dog kennels or somewhere in the yard with the animals,' recalls Camacho who kept a pet snake when her family lived in the east.

As a teenager, Camacho took up horseback riding and even competed for Trinidad and Tobago in showjumping. Given her love for animals both large and small, there was never any doubt in her mind that she would pursue a career in veterinary medicine. In 2008, she graduated with a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Illinois and started working at a small animal clinic in Chicago for two and a half years before finally returning to Trinidad.

Since then she has been part of a team who are driven by their absolute love for animals.

'We all have a desire to keep learning and pushing ourselves to be better than yesterday. We're in this because we love it,'' says Camacho. 'What makes us so special is our amazing team. This job is hard, it's dirty and smelly, it may even be gross. It's also emotionally challenging, we see really sick pets but then we have outcomes that are better than we could have imagined. I'm so lucky to be a part of this group of amazing women that provides really good healthcare for the animals in the community.'

The team of doctors, technicians and receptionists at Sunnyview Vetcare Services.

(Left to right) Dr. Luissa Jacob, Dr. Shirelle Sammy, Dr. Amanda Soulette (also part of the management team), Dr. Kelley Camacho (owner, part of management team) and Dr Rhea Rambarran.