Get to know our new vet - Dr. Nate Tyndall
Dr. Nate Tyndall joined the Ballard Animal Hospital team in November, moving from Toronto with his fiance. Dr. Nate is especially fond of brachycephalic dogs and cats and is passionate about surgery, preventive medicine and client education.
Tell us about your pets:
Bumperegard ("Bumper") is an 8-year-old tabby domestic shorthair, whose main hobby is headbutting folks who are not giving him enough attention.
If you have a pet who came to you in an interesting way, tell us about that:
Bumper worked for 7 years at a retirement home keeping the residents company. He knew how to use the elevators, and made multiple daily rounds of the various floors and the fenced-in grounds, visiting everybody. Unfortunately, when additional therapy animals were introduced, he did not get on with the other cats, and became stressed, which led to him spraying around the hallways.
He was surrendered to the clinic I was employed at then, and after several weeks of advertising with nobody being interested, I offered to foster him to give him a chance to prove he wouldn't soil a new home. The foster was a complete failure, as it rapidly became clear he was home for good. He has yet to have an accident.
How long have you been in the veterinary field?
I graduated Ontario Veterinary College in 2015, began practicing immediately and have continued ever since.
What inspired you to work with animals?
I have wanted to be a veterinarian since around 4 years of age, never seriously considered doing anything else.
Most memorable experience working with animals?
My first day volunteering with a large animal vet to build experience for my application to vet school, they mentioned we'd be stopping off between farm visits to vaccinate a litter of golden retriever pups for one of their clients. I excitedly asked how many of them there were, and they replied that it was a very small litter, only 2 or 3. When we arrived they walked ahead to the gate, grinned back at me and said, "I lied." As they threw open the gate, I was promptly engulphed by a river of nine very excited and bouncy golden retriever puppies. This remains one of my most cherished memories.
Favorite activity of your job?
I really love distracting/comforting pugs for nail trims. They really hate them, and can be quite a handful during, but I enjoy making it a more pleasant experience for them. It is also very funny when they're whining and complaining to me between mouthfuls of treats, but never exactly stop eating despite their objections to the situation.
Do you have an all-time special pet - that “heart” animal, and what makes or made that animal such a soul mate?
My dearly departed pug Juno. I got her at 8 weeks of age one week after my acceptance to vet school. She saw me through four challenging years of school, not to mention my first year in practice, and my first time living otherwise by myself.
She loved to cuddle, and was incredibly gentle -- the only time she ever bit anyone was one time with my parent's (much larger) dog who was attempting to play too rough with a tiny foster kitten. Juno then sat protectively over the kitten growling at this cowering golden doodle anytime he tried to get near it again.
She had a personality that was far larger than her adorably tiny body. Losing her was the hardest thing I've gone through in my career so far. She was my shadow for 9 years, and I wish we could have shared more time, but sometimes I swear I can still feel her presence.
The grief fades, but the footprints in our hearts remain forever.