Veterinarian's dedication gives 'paws' for thought
Hsiu Chia (Grace) Lin founded the AVC Veterinary Hospital in Shanghai in 2018.
Hsiu Chia (Grace) Lin aspired to become a veterinarian in junior high school. After achieving the top 5 percentile in her state university entrance exam and passing a personality interview, she was accepted into the prestigious University of Sydney’s Veterinary School where she attained her degree in Veterinary Science.
After years of international experience, she founded the AVC Veterinary Hospital in Shanghai in 2017, which is dedicated to providing top tier veterinary medicine and raising animal welfare awareness in China.
Her clinic has won the wholehearted trust of pet owners for the staff's expertise, patience and spirit of selfless devotion.
Dr Lin and her team have a very busy schedule which starts with checking the condition of hospitalized animals, reviewing and following up medical history and treatment progress, followed by outpatient service and communications with pet owners on treatment plans.
Veterinarians at the hospital will check up on animals, conduct ultrasound, x-ray and blood tests and surgeries as part of their daily routines.
"Easing the pain of animals and advocating for their welfare is the principle mission of a veterinarian, and we work as a team," said Dr Lin.
Dr Lin grew up in Australia.
Her elder sister took in two stray kittens one day when she was a teenager.
Lin bought these decorations in memory of her first two cats.
"The two kittens accompanied me through my childhood and they were like my family members,” she said.
One day, one had a heart attack, and was rushed to hospital.
“I realized the importance of animal health and good quality veterinarian at that time, when I felt helpless,” she recalled.
A vet conducted an ultrasound examination on the cat and explained the situation to her.
“That experience aspired me to become a veterinarian, however, nobody in my family supported my decision given its career prospects until my uncle persuaded my parents to let me do it.”
Lin studied hard at university day and night, with her cats accompanying her five-year campus life.
Family portrait at Lin's graduation
Lin arrived in Shanghai in 2017 and established her own clinic (AVC) in 2018 after working at a large hospital group in Sydney.
Unlike most vets focusing on the treatment of animals when they are ill, she pays attention to physical examinations, life style, behavior and the medical history of pets instead of simply relying on instruments for diagnosis.
She even integrates Traditional Chinese Medicine in her treatment to give animals complete medical care.
"For older animals, Western medicine therapy can only play a limited role while TCM offers much broader options and gentler approach which can help them better," she explained.
For example, Dr Lin used acupuncture and moxa treatment to help a 13-year-old dog with kidney failure paralyzed from a spinal injury to walk and eat again.
"We don't want to cause trauma on sick animals, and acupuncture helps neurological recovery and is quite effective in relieving their symptoms," she added.
She was also able to use TCM to help animals suffering from liver failure to recover and being able to eat again.
Many pet owners do not know what to do in most cases. Dr Lin is always patient asking details of their pets and their symptoms to provide the best solution for their recovery.
"We need to explain to them why we do this and find the problem and corresponding diagnostic plan," she said.
"Before physical examination, we ask about the intake of water, weight change and change of mood of their pets to provide better service," she said. "Machines are not hundred percent accurate, and we also need to manage nutrition and change habits in life to maintain organ health of the pets and give them a good quality of life."
Health and welfare of animals remains vet's priority.
Over the past decade, Dr Lin has not only welcomed many new animals into this world and into their owners’ families, she has also accompanied many pets and their families through the last chapter of their pets’ lives. Along the way, many clients became good friends and she gave them many tips on how to give their pets the best possible quality of life.
She has an account on Xiaohongshu, the Chinese equivalent of Instagram, to popularize knowledge of pet raising and their health management.
Her childhood experience of raising two stray kittens aspired Lin to become a veterinarian.
"There is much false information on social media about veterinary medicine, health management of animals, nutrition advice and even the exact number of meals and amount they need,” she said. “I want to change this.
"The suggestions pet owners obtain are quite limited, and a veterinarian plays an important role in making them aware what's the right thing to do.
"Physical examination is necessary as it can help spot many diseases or inappropriate lifestyles early. Many diseases can not be detected if pets don't visit hospitals regularly."
A hospital can offer professional advice to guide pet owners to make preparations before they bring pets to the clinic in advance and teach them how to relieve stress of their pets. It will observe the conditions of animals and give them enough time for adaptation and decide the best day for examination.
"It also takes time for pets to establish trust with a hospital," she said.
Due to utmost sense of responsibility and a loving heart, Dr Lin and other doctors at AVC often skip lunch and even have no time to drink water or go to toilet sometimes. They work over-time quite often.
"We make animals as the priority, and our own needs are at the bottom," said Lin. "The health and welfare of animals is always our pursuit."
