Dr. Lillie Davis on owning your feelings and fighting for what's right.
Regular veterinary care is an essential part of keeping pets healthy. If a beloved animal develops cancer, worried owners may well turn to Dr. Lillie Davis for answers. Dr. Davis is a board-certified Veterinary Oncologist, and has a special interest in fostering the human-animal bond as well as supporting caregivers of pets with cancer.
Dr. Davis had a very rough start in life. Due to the precarious position her mother found herself in, her mother considered having an abortion when she found out she was pregnant. Luckily, her grandmother stepped in and convinced Dr. Davis’ mother to keep her. She is to this day profoundly grateful for that choice.
Life in a bad neighborhood filled with violence toughened her mind, and made her more determined than ever to succeed in life. She realized that medical care for animals existed at around 13 years of age, and became determined to attend Cornell University in order to pursue that dream.
She did it. She became the first person in her family to attend college, the first to become a doctor. She published scientific papers while the was still attending University, and became certified by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Oncology) in 2018.
Dr. Davis, like many veterinarians, is very concerned about the mental state of those in the profession. The suicide rate for veterinarians is at an all time high, and she worries that the Pandemic is only going to make that worse.
She believes that mental hygiene should be taught in veterinary school right along with anatomy and medicine. This is especially the case since those who apply to and get into veterinary medicine tend to be “A” type personalities who don’t cope as well as some other personalities when it comes to mental stress.
The people who tend to become veterinarians are perfectionists, go-getters, and constantly on the move. They have the grit to deal with the profession, and the ability to pay attention to the tiniest details. These perfectionist tendencies have a downside however—it’s easy to fixate on mistakes, or to let go of work when at home.
Dr. Davis listens to music or works out to help clear her mind, but not every veterinarian or student knows what to do in order to cope. If this were taught in schools, it could help many veterinarians by giving them coping skills right off the bat.
Dr. Davis is very passionate about the mental health of people, and brings that to her work. Cancer can be a big shock for owners, and helping them cope with the stressful news, as well as taking care of a cancer patient, is something she strives to do.
Cancer is a complex disease, and every case is different. Dr. Davis makes it her goal to help every client and pet understand the cancer their dog has, and navigate treatment as well as grieve the loss of pets that can’t be saved.
Dealing with cancer can be a tough job, but Dr. Davis has the grit to keep going, and the empathy to say the right thing at the right time for the people and pets she works with.
You can stay up to date with Dr. Lille’s journey by following her on Linked In.