Chewy’s resident veterinarian Dr. Katy Nelson, DVM, of the Belle Haven Animal Medical Centre in Alexandria, Virginia, took to our Instagram feed for a live chat to answer some of your most pressing questions about COVID-19 and pets, as well as offer up advice and wisdom on how to keep your pets happy and healthy during these unprecedented times. You’ll find the entire question and answer transcript here, but we thought you might also like to know a bit more about fellow pet parent, Dr. Nelson.
Here are three things to know:
- She’s a pet parent (and then some) with four family members who are either furry or winged, each of whom were rescued and given a wonderful new life.
Roll call:
- Mookie Betts is an 18-month old Labradoodle saved from an Ohio puppy mill.
- Eddie Underbite is an 8.5-year old Shih Tzu mix rescued from rescued from a Maryland drug house.
- Ouizer Boudreaux and Shelby Latcherie (characters from “Steel Magnolias”) are two lucky parakeets that came home from a local shelter.
2. She always knew she wanted to be a doctor, but it wasn’t until her early college years that she decided what type of doctor to be—a veterinarian. Why was she bitten by the vet bug? Spending a summer interning in the animal care center of a small zoo—where she looked after animals ranging from macaws rescued from an exotic animal smuggling ring, to an orphaned White Handed Gibbon, to hedgehogs, deer, tapir, and even a 17-foot long python—did the trick. She’s now been in practice for 19 years.
3. If you don’t already love her, there’s this: In addition to being a passionate advocate for rescue pets, she’s also a lover of fashion and beauty and envisions a world where all products are cruelty-free, not tested on animals, made in a sustainable manner, and free of harsh chemicals that are unsafe not only for us, but for our pets.
Finally, in her own words, “Veterinarians are considered essential businesses, so most are staying open. They feel the need to continue to provide care for pets during this scary time and because they care so much, they’re staying on the front lines … for you, your family and your pets. So be patient. Be kind. Take their advice and follow their protocols … we’re all just doing our best during this unprecedented time.”
Share:
