Dr. Bill Donohue is an associate veterinarian at Vale Park Animal Hospital. He spends his days seeing, interacting with, and taking care of patients to ensure they are healthy.
Dr. Bill's journey of becoming a veterinarian began at just 16 years old when he got a job working in kennels at an animal clinic in Crown Point. He then became more and more interested and doing more around the clinic, but he will never forget the day he decided he wanted to be a veterinarian.
“We had a dog that came in that was hit by a car that was pretty beaten up,” Dr. Bill said. “The doctor that I worked with was able to patch the dog up, fix the broken leg and bring that dog up to the family of a couple of young kids that were in elementary school. Seeing the glow in their eyes when their dog came home after getting hit by a car gave me the feeling that I could do this. That is really that moment that I knew that's what I wanted to do.”
After that day, he continued to learn within the clinic and eventually went to college. Dr. Bill earned his bachelor’s degree at Purdue University Calumet and went to Veterinary School at Purdue University in West Lafayette.
“In my fourth year of vet school I did an externship here at Vale Park, where I learned about the general practice and the skills, and worked with the doctors in the field,” Dr. Bill said. “They offered me a position to come back and work when I graduated. I've been working here at Vale Park basically since 2005, and about two weeks after finishing up vet school, I came back and started working here as a doctor. I’ve been here almost 17 years.”
During his time at Vale Park Animal Hospital, Dr. Bill has developed strong bonds with many clients.
“I really enjoy the clients that I've been taking care of for many years. The clients are top-notch. They definitely make things pretty amazing for us,” Dr. Bill said.
The Indiana Veterinary Medical Association considers veterinarians “the other family doctor.” Dr. Bill explained how neat it is to be considered the other family doctor and be relied on by families to take care of their pets and keep them healthy.
He explained his favorite part of his job is that no two days are the same.
“You know that tomorrow is going to be a new day, so if you have a rough day where things didn't work out as you wanted, or had a sick pet that's not doing well, you know that the next day when you come in, you're going to have the likelihood of having a different day where you're going to see healthy pets. The day-to-day change is always very important. That's what I enjoy most about it.”
Providing medical support and taking care of pets is a role that is crucial within a community, but veterinarians are not just here to support the animals, they are here to support the families as well.
“One mantra that I like to think about is I always strive to have owners feel like a friend or feel they're being listened to. I don't want them to feel like it's a chore to bring the pet in for an exam, they should look forward to it. It should be enjoyable. That is my goal.”
Dr. Bill is married to a fellow veterinarian in a different practice and together they have four children and four cats.
For more information regarding Vale Park Animal Hospital, please visit valeparkah.com.