Description

Build your veterinary career while helping Animal Friends create a more humane and compassionate world for every animal friend.

For 80 years, Animal Friends has been saving, impacting, engaging, and enriching the lives of the pets and people of the Pittsburgh region. Since our humble beginnings in 1943, we have grown into a full-service companion animal welfare organization employing over 100 staff members and enjoying over 300,000 hours of volunteer support each year. 

From our 75-acre suburban campus including a 30,000 sq. ft companion animal resource center, a 17,000 sq ft. wellness center and clinic, and over a mile of wooded walking trails, we are uniquely situated to support and rehabilitate pets in need and people who are struggling to care for them. We provide top-notch veterinary care to our resident dogs, cats, and rabbits, including seniors, those with unique medical needs, hospice cases, medical behavioral support and more in preparation for their foster or adoptive homes. From investigating cases of cruelty and neglect to offering a full complement of behavior training classes for the public; from pet placement services to supporting pet owners who need affordable spay/neuter, vet care and pet food; from supportive programs for pet-owning veterans to a robust pet-assisted therapy program – at Animal Friends we are committed to thinking outside the cage. 

Our Shelter Medicine team provides advocacy and lifesaving care for our animal residents. Whether they are with us for days, weeks, months or even years, our level of commitment to the dogs, cats and rabbits in our care is unwavering. Veterinarians are key in driving our progressive standard of care that sets the bar for furthering the standard of shelter medicine.

As an Associate Shelter Veterinarian in our shelter, you will supervise the day-to-day medical care of animals—dogs, cats, and rabbits--both residing on site and in foster care. This may include providing medical care and testimony for residents involved in Humane Investigation cases.

The team thrives on a culture of mentorship and development. A big-picture view of animal welfare and the ability to work in emotional situations with multiple stakeholders while remaining poised and collaborative is a must. In this role, Veterinarians will cultivate a working knowledge of shelter medicine and epidemiology. They will be able to expand their scope of proactive and develop surgical proficiency.

The Associate Shelter Veterinarian must have a big-picture view of animal welfare, herd health, and shelter medicine while being able to work in emotional situations. As with every position within Animal Friends, this leader is expected to be a positive ambassador for the organization, abide by and promote its mission, policies, and vision. 

Essential Functions: 

• Oversees the daily veterinary functions of medical, surgical and foster care programs to ensure quality, professionalism, and timeliness; 
• Provides veterinary care of animals (dogs, cats, and rabbits) and performs surgical procedures on a daily or as-needed basis including, but not limited to, ovariohysterectomy (including pediatric), orchiectomy/castration (including pediatric), tumor/lump/cyst removal, dew-claw removal, hernia repair, teeth extractions and ocular (i.e., entropion repair) procedures;
• Follows standards for the administering of euthanasia for animals to be done in a timely and compassionate manner; 
• Consults as needed with the Behavior Department concerning the disposition of animals, providing appropriate pharmaceutical interventions as needed 
• Provides the Humane Investigations department with a set standard of efficient evaluation, documentation and testimony on animals involved in suspected cruelty and/or neglect investigations; 
• Responsible for performing clinical forensic exams, gross necropsies, completing reports for law enforcement, and expert witness testimony as needed in a timely fashion; 
• Utilizes current accepted and standardized scientific procedures for the analysis and reporting of scientific findings, promoting the improvement of shelter medicine within the organization; 
• Responsible for following set protocols and guidelines for medical care as established by the Director of Shelter Medicine, providing input for new protocols and aiding in finding weak areas within the department as needed; 
• Engages in appropriate and legal handling, use and recording of controlled substances, ensuring records maintained at highest standards as required by the DEA; 
• Responsible for regular on-call shifts on an assigned rotational basis along with Director of Shelter Medicine; 
• Ability and willingness to participate actively in development of new care initiatives, special operations events, and other events as a representative of Animal Friends; 
• Performs other duties as assigned 

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities 

• Knowledge of principles and practice of current veterinary medicine, animal disease and their prevention, control, and eradication; 
• Excellent communication skills, interpersonal skills, computer literacy, organizational ability, and time management skills. Computer competency in a Windows environment required; experience with ShelterLuv (animal shelter software) helpful; 
• Ability to provide surgical and medical services and care for a variety of well, sick, and injured animals, including euthanasia and necropsy services;
• Ability to establish and maintain cooperative and effective relations with those contacted during the course of work; 
• Ability to handle dogs, cats, and rabbits as well as other species of varying breed, size, age, background, and temperament; 
• Willingness to apply Fear Free principles to daily work in all situations and settings; 
• Ability to work in an environment that includes exposure to high noise levels, animal bites and scratches, animal dander, and excretions, exposure to disinfectant/sanitation chemicals as well as hazardous chemicals such as volatile anesthetics, injectable anesthetics, injectable antibiotics, etc. 
• Ability to push, pull, lift and/or carry up to 50 pounds.

Requirements

 Requirements

• Doctoral degree in veterinary medicine 
• Current Pennsylvania license required – must be current or able to be obtained 
• Current DEA license required – must be current or able to be obtained 
• Prior veterinary experience in shelter medicine, preferred 
• Prior HQHVSN experience, preferred - strong interest required
• Interest and/or experience in exotics a plus
• Reliable transportation, regular onsite attendance and punctuality is required for this role and vital to organizational operations.