Emergency & Critical Care Services

Contact Information
general@avah.on.ca
Phone number: 613 731 6851

Personal Bio

Dr. Begin joined Alta Vista Animal Hospital in 1998 as an emergency/ICU associate. She previously worked in the Boston area as a small animal veterinarian at the Harvard Veterinary Medical Center and concurrently served as track veterinarian at the Wonderland Greyhound Park in Revere, MA. She completed an internship in small animal medicine and surgery at Rowley Memorial Animal Hospital in Springfield, MA.

Dr. Begin loves the intensity of emergency medicine, the challenge of having to think and react quickly in different situations. "You never have the same day in this part of the hospital. Alta Vista Animal Hospital has a fantastic staff. Working with this set of people is my favorite aspect of this job."

Her most memorable on-the-job experience was when a large dog was presented in emergency after a motor vehicle accident. "After initially treating him for shock, it became apparent that our patient was not responding and becoming quite anaemic. We determined there was an internal haemorrhage Our patient was going to need multiple blood transfusions and exploratory surgery to assess and fix the problem. What followed was like a perfect dream: within minutes the ICU and emergency personnel each found a task to complement the others. We were able to transfuse the patient with his own blood. I aseptically drew the rapidly pooling blood from the abdominal cavity, someone else gathered it into an intravenous set for transfusion, another called the surgeon to prepare for emergency surgery, another administered the blood, it was almost as if we had planned it ahead of time. It was a great example of the kind of team-work that happens here. Our dog did so well he went home the next day to a very happy and relieved owner."

Dr. Begin has two domestic long haired cats who barely tolerate each other. "It's fun to watch them fight. Buddy is hyper and Girlie is so timid that if she were human she'd undress in the dark."

Professional Bio

• Doctorat en Médecine Vétérinaire (DMV), l'université de Montréal, 1996

Meet the team