Our New Lead Wellness Veterinarian: Dr. Donald Consla
Tell us a little bit about yourself. I was born and raised in Meadville, Pennsylvania and went to Allegheny College for undergrad and majored in Biology. My wife of ten years and I have a 2-year-old son, Everett and a 5-year-old Bull terrier named Barley.
Which Veterinary Medical School did you attend? Western University of Health Science in southern California.
What do you enjoy most about working at Animal Friends? The ability to offer high-quality care without having to sacrifice necessary diagnostics or treatments due to cost.
What are your favorite types of medical cases to treat? Any internal medicine cases including liver and kidney disease, endocrinopathies – diseases of the endocrine system such as thyroid disease and enteropathies – diseases of the gut.
Tell us about your goals for wellness care at Animal Friends. We’re working to create a strong foundation of prevention through vaccines, flea, tick and heartworm prevention, annual and biannual exams and bloodwork so we can avoid preventable diseases. We also want to establish a strong foundation with our clients and patients to better treat them when they do get sick.
What is the most unique animal you’ve ever treated? A red phased eastern screech owl! I have actually treated many screech owls in the past. The most common injuries are eye disease, concussions and broken bones – all typically from being hit by a car. There is some more focus on how we, as a community, can do better at protecting wildlife since most of the reasons these patients come in is due to human interaction from being hit by car, lead poisoning, cat attacks and more.
Tell us about Ultrasound: What is it and what types of cases do you use it for? Ultrasound is a non-invasive (no surgery, anesthesia and rarely is sedation needed) diagnostic imaging tool that allows us to see organs in the body in 3D. For example, in an x-ray which is 2D you can see the liver but, in an ultrasound, you can see all 6 lobes and all around the liver! It can help us get more information about internal organs when we see abnormalities on lab-work such as increased liver or kidney values or crystals on a urine sample.
What do you like to do for fun? Backpacking, brewing beer, cooking (particularly BBQ, tacos and pizza) and playing soccer. I also play in a band, “Sunday at the Station.” We are currently working on our third full length album. I love when we can make people happy with our music by laughing, dancing and cheering. It has been especially rewarding lately given the pandemic and lockdowns. People are so excited for something as simple as listening to live music.
What are you currently reading? Just finished “The Wild Palms” by William Faulkner and “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini.
What are you binging on TV? “For All Mankind”
What is your favorite trip you’ve ever taken? It’s a tie between hiking the Linville Gorge and eating BBQ in North Carolina or a trip I took to the Amazon and Galapagos!