SINGAPORE – The thought of becoming a vet never crossed Dr Travis Jayson’s mind until he was posted to the Singapore Police Force’s K-9 Unit during his national service.
It was there that he developed a love for caring for dogs and picked up some medical knowledge from a para-veterinarian, who was looking after the police dogs.
“I always wanted to be a policeman, so I signed on to be a canine officer at the Singapore Police Force,” says the 46-year-old.
Five years into the job with the unit, he decided to head to Murdoch University in Australia to study veterinary medicine.
“I was a mature student at 26, and I think being older helped me develop resilience to cope with the rigours of the coursework and industry,” says Dr Jayson.
He recalls his younger classmates struggling mentally – something he also sees now in the junior vets in Gentle Oak, which he co-founded in 2015.
Dr Jayson says he makes sure mental wellness is a priority in the clinic, as the veterinary world is a stressful industry.
“The younger vets tend to be 100 per cent emotionally involved with the patients. Then they find it very hard to pull out and look at the situation from a different perspective,” he notes.
Self-doubt also arises. “They start to question if the animal could be saved if they did something else or if they did more.”
He adds: “As long as you did not cut any corners, you should not beat yourself up if you lose a patient.”
Dr Jayson says he had vet friends who took their lives due todepression and compassion fatigue.“Mental health is no longer a taboo topic. I try to talk to my vets about it and guide them along. And if I’m stressed, I let my staff know it, so they know there’s no need to hide if they are feeling stressed.”
Perhaps there is still that cop instinct in him, as he developed a special interest in small animal internal medicine and veterinary ultrasonography/radiology.
“Internal medicine is investigative work in medicine,” he says. “You see a case, you take blood tests, do diagnostic imaging, like ultrasounds, heart scans and X-rays, and then you try to find the link between them.”
He adds: “I am also a very visual person. With imaging, you can see different kinds of illnesses internally and find out what caused the pet to vomit or have diarrhoea, for instance.”
His experience as a canine officer also comes in handy when the clinic gets an angry patient.
“The dog-handling skills I acquired then are useful when there’s a fierce dog,” says Dr Jayson, who used to be stationed with working dogs at Woodlands Checkpoint and Changi Airport as his job was in narcotics.
The bachelor has a pet cat – adopted from local animal shelter Voices For Animals – because his 44-hour work week is not ideal for raising dogs.
“I used to be a dog person, but cats are easier to manage and they suit my current lifestyle,” he says. “They don’t need a lot of attention and are self-sufficient. Dogs also need more social interaction.”
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