petvet profile
blue silhouette of an alligator
Dr. Doug Mader: "The Vet at Noah's Ark" title
white polka dots
white polka dots
Dr.Doug Mader working with a turtle in a shallow pool
blue silhouette of an alligator
Dr. Doug Mader: "The Vet at Noah's Ark" title
By Jen Phillips April

Photos provided by Dr. Doug Mader

I

t’s not every veterinarian who shares a photo posing with a mouth-wide-open alligator. But, the critically acclaimed lecturer, author, triple-board certified and multi-award-winning veterinarian of over four decades, Dr. Doug Mader, says matter-of-factly, “That’s Casper, the alligator. I’ve been taking care of him for over 25 years.”

Casper spends his days swimming in the pond at a rehabilitation center in Homestead, Florida. Dr. Mader says, “That animal knows me. He can hear me call his name and swims across the pond to say ‘hi.’ I visit him every time I’m there.”

Like most veterinarians, Dr. Mader was an animal-loving child. However, unlike many veterinarians, he started his animal career as a blacksmith.

veterinarian working on a horse
“I took care of the horses’ feet. The local equine doctor would ask if I could make a special shoe for the horse, and I’d make the custom shoe so people could enjoy riding their horse. That experience got me thinking about veterinarian school, so I decided to go to school and work with horses,” he shares.

After attending the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Mader bought a small animal practice in Los Angles. His recent book, The Vet at Noah’s Ark: Stories of Survival From an Inner City Animal Hospital,1 details his years in one of L.A.’s roughest neighborhoods treating all manner of animals—from dogs and cats to emus, skunks and other exotic creatures.

man autographing a book
His recent book, The Vet at Noah’s Ark: Stories of Survival From an Inner City Animal Hospital, details his years in one of L.A.’s roughest neighborhoods treating all manner of animals—from dogs and cats to emus, skunks and other exotic creatures.
In 1997, he sold his city practice and moved to the Florida Keys and started a bustling multi-doctor referral/emergency hospital. He continues to work with wildlife and helps out with several small zoos and other tourist attractions in the area.

In recent years, the human-animal bond has become a focal point for the veterinarian community, and is certainly evident Dr. Mader’s life’s work.

“Every morning when I wake up, my goal is to solidify that bond, because that’s what it’s all about. People think of the human-animal bond as the little girl petting her kitten, but it extends to a biker with his pet snake, or my turtles, or wildlife. Some birdwatchers visit the same nest every week to watch the birds hatch. That’s a bond,” he shares.

While humans have made animal friends for thousands of years, it’s only in recent decades that the veterinarian care community started documenting the strong bonds between people and animals. Organizations such as The Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI)2 and The Human-Animal Bond Association (HABA)3 focus on education and exploring this important bond. HABRI maintains the world’s largest online library of human-animal bond research and information, and they currently offer a Human-Animal Bond Certification to veterinary professionals.

Dr. Mader says, “I think being HAB certified shows the pet owners that you, as a veterinarian, care enough about and understand the importance of the human-animal bond to make the effort (expense and time) to take the course and enhance your skills. Having HAB-certified veterinarians gives pet owners a choice of who they want to care for their fur (and scaly/feathered) family.

male veterinarian with a monkey
two veterinarians performing surgery on a turtle
“People think of
The Human-Animal Bond
The Human Animal Bond
as the little girl petting her kitten, but it extends to a biker with his pet snake, or my turtles, or wildlife”.
– Dr. Doug Mader
“The HABA program is comprehensive,” he continues. “It’s about 30 hours and addresses the psychology of what pets mean to people. For example, if Fido is sick and needs pills four times a day, and the owner is 78 with arthritis and can’t give the pills, how will you help her?”

When not volunteering with the U. S. Wildlife and Fishing Service or nearby rehab organizations, Dr. Mader is writing: “I’m currently working on a sequel to the book The Vet at Noah’s Ark. The book’s been well received and my publisher and agent want me to write another. I’m also working on a fiction piece. I always wanted to be an American James Herriot. And, I’m writing a lecture for the updated version of the HABA [program], focusing on the ‘Atypical Human-Animal Bond;’ aka, reptiles, amphibians, and feathered friends. Between my wildlife work and writing, I’m busier than ever.”

Dr. Mader concludes by reflecting on his long veterinarian career: “We’re so blessed. We get to be there in people’s lives. I’ve gone through two to three generations of pets with some of my clients, and I wish every one of them was still alive. When I had my practice, and a patient was in the hospital, I or a nurse would call the client every day to update them. I was always taught to be truthful and honest and not make promises I can’t keep. Every veterinarian wants to walk on water, but sometimes we can’t find the rocks.”
Resources:
  1. The Vet at Noah’s Ark: Stories of Survival from an Inner-City Animal Hospital. www.dougmader.com
  2. The Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI). habri.org
  3. Human-Animal Bond Association (HABA). humananimalbond.net
Jen Phillips April headshot
A web writer since 2005, Jen’s written over 1,000 articles on pet-related topics. She works with veterinarians and pet professionals around the world to help them attract and retain customers through effective content marketing practices. Passionate about both pets and digital marketing, you can find out more at jenphillipsapril.com. When not working with her fabulous clients, you can find her eating tacos and practicing her Spanish in her adopted home of the Riviera Maya.
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