The hospital is one of the toughest places to work in.
We do our best for our patients. We make the kindest decisions for those we cannot save. We grieve with a family who just lost their old friend. We laugh with a couple who got a new kitten.
We feel all kinds of emotions but cannot get too emotional.
I guess that’s what it means to “tough it out”. No matter what the weather. Or how you feel. We wake up every morning to do the things that need to be done.
when did you join the mount pleasant family?
When I was younger, I always brought my pets to the vets at Mount Pleasant. After graduating from Otago Polytechnic (New Zealand), I was offered a job in a vet clinic. A year later, in 2011, I joined Mount Pleasant and have never left!
What makes me stay? Definitely the team I’m working with. The best part is making some really good friends, learning from my team mates and being able to do so much more for our patients.
Concordia, Rosemarie, Verg, Annie, Amanda, Mabel with Dags & Bow, the beloved residents of Mount Pleasant Central Veterinary Clinic!
Working in a vet clinic can be very emotional. How do you cope?
Usually I’ll cry when it comes to coping with loss or helplessness or when I’m feeling extremely frustrated. I need to get it out of my system before I can think straight. I try to look at things from all directions and make sense of it. To de-stress, I surf the internet with my cats lying around or on me!
Kitties! Mia, Momo, Puck & Milly.
Momo & Mia all grown up, with foster kitty Astro.
Astro loves Momo!
have you always wanted to work with animals?
From the time I was 16, I knew what I want to do when I grow up. It was either F&B, sports (I was a runner in my school days) or animals. I eventually chose animals because I couldn’t see myself in sports or F&B when I get older.
If I could be anything in the world, I would be a surgeon. I enjoy the adrenaline rush!
do you remember your very first pet?
Coffee joined our family when I was just 3. We grew up together. After my elder sisters left Singapore to study in New Zealand, Coffee and I grew even closer. I loved Coffee a lot. It was really hard when I had to let her go. She was a huge part of my childhood. I don’t think I can ever find another dog like her.
Do you consider yourself brave?
I think being brave is to choose and be so sure about what you want to do in life.
The good thing about me (sometimes the down side too) is that I can be extremely patient. Life is tough. That’s just how it is. I do not waste time sulking or complaining. When things are rough, I will tough it out till it is over.
As they say, “tough times never last, tough people do”. We hope Mabel will “tough it out” with our Mount Pleasant family for many many more years to come!
Meet the rest of the family at Mount Pleasant Central Veterinary Clinic (Whitley)!
Dr Cheryl Ho
Dr Lesley Teo with her cat Mika
Dr Estella Liew with her dog Mason
Daffin, Eunice, Janice with Hoki & Mason
Marc, Song & Vanessa with Panda
The big family at Mount Pleasant Central Veterinary Clinic (Whitley)!
