Our Medical Team

Visiting Specialists

Veterinary medicine is a very exciting and rapidly changing field that has seen an explosion in the state of the art medical knowledge and diagnostic technologies available to veterinarians to treat our animal companions. It is a field that has seen a great increase in the number of specialties veterinarians are entering after obtaining a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Degree. The expansion of knowledge can be very daunting to the generalist veterinary practitioner and therefore a great deal of effort and emphasis is placed on continuing education to be sure that the latest advancements in medicine are available to treat our animal family members. In fact it is a requirement of veterinarians in most provinces to obtain a certain number of hours in continuing education to maintain their licensure. At Alpine Veterinary Medical Centre, we pride ourselves on being as up to date as possible on the latest advancements in veterinary medicine. All of our veterinarians and veterinary technicians participate in continuing education annually which typically involves attending veterinary conferences in major centres in southern Canada and the US. In addition to this ongoing education, we also bring continuing education to the Yukon from time to time in the form of visiting specialists. Here are some of the specialists who have come north to provide education to the veterinary team at Alpine Veterinary Medical Centre.

Dr. Nigel Caulkett, DVM, MVetSc. Diplomate, ACVAs  

Dr. Caulkett is a veterinary anaesthesiologist at the University of Calgary, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. He graduated from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine with his DVM degree in 1989 and became board certified in anaesthesiology in 1994. He has taught anaesthesiology at the college for many years (including many of the doctors at Alpine) until recently joining the University of Calgary faculty. Alpine Veterinary Medical Centre had the privilege of having Dr. Caulkett join us to review anaesthesia techniques and protocols and to implement new procedures in pain control. Dr. Caulkett has played a big role in developing the anaesthetic protocols at Alpine to some of the highest standards in private practice.

Nigel Caulkett
   
  Dr. Terrie Faber, DVM, FAVD
Terrie Faber

Dr. Faber is a veterinary dentist at Woodlands Veterinary Hospital and Animal Dental Centre in Calgary, Alberta. Our clinic has often referred dental cases to Dr. Faber and in 2008 we had the opportunity to bring her and a certified veterinary dental technician to the Yukon to do continuing education in veterinary dentistry with our veterinary team. Veterinary dentistry is an area of veterinary medicine that has seen a dramatic increase in research and implementation with subsequent dramatic improvements in the quality of life of our pets (see Dentistry section under Veterinary Services). Having a veterinary dentist visit Alpine Veterinary Medical Centre allowed the clinic to expand even further on our dental commitment to our patients.
   
Dr. Valerie Macdonald, DVM, Diplomate, ACVIM (Oncology)  

Dr. Macdonald is a veterinary oncologist (cancer specialist) who teaches at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine. She obtained her DVM degree from the Atlantic Veterinary College and finished her residency at the University of Wisconsin in Medical Oncology. Alpine Veterinary Medical Centre had a chance to have her visit the Yukon to perform a chemotherapy treatment for one of our patients. We were able to discuss oncology cases and learn chemotherapy techniques from her during her visit. It was a pleasure having her up to increase our knowledge base in the expanding field of veterinary oncology.

 Valerie Macdonald
   
  Dr. Pete Vaden, DVM
Pete Vaden

Dr. Vaden has been providing equine expertise to the Yukon for over 10 years and has been visiting Alpine Veterinary Medical Centre annually since the opening of the clinic. Each summer he travels north from his home town of Uvalde, Texas to do intensive specialty equine clinics with the veterinarians and staff of Alpine Veterinary Medical Centre and provide cutting edge medicine to the horse owners of the territory. The work Dr. Vaden does in the territory raises the bar on the standard of horse care and allows for improved treatment protocols and diagnostic abilities. It is a great pleasure to have Dr. Vaden with us each year. If you would like to enquire about the timing of clinics put on by Dr. Vaden, please feel free to contact our office..
   

Dr. Vincent Defalque, Dr. Med. Vet., Diplomate, ACVD

  

Dr. Defalque is a veterinary dermatologist who is currently head of the Dermatology Service at Canada West Veterinary Specialists & Critical Care Hospital in Vancouver. He is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Dermatology and attended the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Liege, Liege, Belgium. After doing an internship in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery at the National Veterinary School of Lyon, Lyon, France, Dr. Defalque completed a Dermatology Residency at Michigan State University and a Dermatology Lectureship at the University of Pennsylvania.

Alpine Veterinary Medical Centre was very pleased to host Dr. Defalque in July, 2009 for an evening in continuing education in the complex field of veterinary dermatology. Dermatology is a significant part of veterinary practice at our clinic and any chance to gain knowledge from specialists in this field is a great asset for our veterinarians and our patients.