Dr. Lauren Howard

What do you like most and least about your job?
What I like most is the variety in our day, both with the animals and the people we work with. Just this past Monday I started out planning to examine a maned wolf for possible bladder stones, but ended up performing surgery on a naked mole rat with a broken leg instead. Zoo veterinary medicine is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get. What I like the least would be the negative reactions the animals (mostly the larger carnivores and primates) have towards the veterinarians. We are the ones who inject them, dart them, and work on them when they are feeling at their lowest, so it is no surprise they sometimes don’t like or trust us.

 

How long have you worked at the Houston Zoo?

I've been at the zoo for 4 years.  Before that, I did a residency in zoo medicine at the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park.

What kind of education and training would a person need to become a Houston Zoo Veterinarian?
First, someone wanting to be a Houston Zoo vet would need to do well in high school and get into a good 4-year college with a strong biology or agriculture program. After 4 years of college, he or she would take 4 years of veterinary school. There are only about 35 veterinary schools in the country (compared to over 200 medical schools), so they are hard to get into. After veterinary school, to specialize in zoo animals he or she would complete an internship for one to two years. After that, he or she would need to complete a 3 year residency that specializes in zoo medicine. At the end of the residency there is a specialty board exam to become certified that some zoo veterinarians take, but not all do.

Why did you want to be a zoo veterinarian?
I wanted to contribute to the science of conservation and improve the health and well-being of wild and exotic animals. Being a vet at a zoo lets you take care of individual animals, as well as, support and perform conservation oriented research beyond the zoo borders.

What advice would you give to young people who may pursue a job like yours?
Study hard, but try to be well rounded. Get used to talking to lots of different people, being a good observer and a good listener. Try out different aspects of animal work and veterinary work by volunteering, taking classes, or observing to see what you really want to do.

Do you have a favorite individual animal or species of animal at the Zoo? What makes it, or them, special?
I really like the Okapi. I think they are fascinating because people didn’t even know they existed until the 1920’s, since they are so secretive and live in the jungle. They are one of the few large hoofed animals that can be trained to do a variety of behaviors like let us look at their feet, listen to their heart, ultrasound their belly for pregnancy, and check their eyes and ears, without sedation. Plus, Okapi babies are the cutest!

Describe your “typical” day?
We start our day around 7:30 am. We have rounds with the hospital staff and discuss all of the patients and procedures for the day. We check on the animals in the hospital and also drive around on grounds to check on other animals with problems. Many times, we will have a scheduled examination (check-up) for a lion, bear, or monkey. Other times, we respond to emergencies for animals that are sick or injured. We are also responsible for a lot of paper work, including medical records, prescriptions for sick animals, and communicating with the curators and managers about their animals.