Veterinarian Spotlight: Dr. Kiel Hausler

Practice: Rose Hill Veterinary Practice, P.C. in Washington VA

Tell us about yourself. I was born and raised in WI where my parents transitioned from the dairy industry to raising bison. We began LowLand Bison Ranch in 1996, quickly growing from six animals to 120. We served the community by providing farm tours and educational school events; in addition, we sold retail cuts from our on-farm store and at farmers markets. I became involved in 4-H and FFA and took advantage of the leadership opportunities the organizations provided. My first 4-H project include raising, exhibiting, and eventually expanding my Simmental beef herd. I attended the University of Wisconsin River Falls for my undergraduate studies and received my DVM from the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary medicine in 2013.I have been practicing at Rose Hill Veterinary Practice for the past five years. I enjoy spending my free time with my wife and daughter enjoying the outdoors and hiking around Shenandoah National Park.

What made you become a food animal veterinarian? Growing up on the farm instilled in me a love for the outdoors. After graduating from the University of Minnesota CVM, I took a mixed animal job north of Madison, WI. This position taught me some valuable skills as well as provided great insight to the fact that small animal medicine was not the career for me. Farmer/rancher interaction is extremely important to me and I really enjoy the problem solving and data analysis associated with making the business more efficient.

Toughest part of the job. I graduated from Veterinary School knowing that on-call and emergencies were going to be a part of my career. I tend start an on-call weekend with the assumption that I will be working from sun-up until sun-down. I am always pleasantly surprised when I can accomplish some personal tasks away from the office on those weekends. Work-life balance is always a hard task to juggle, and maybe one day I will have figured out a way to balance both to my fullest satisfaction.

Advice for those interested in pursuing a career in food animal medicine. Growing up on a farm or in rural America is not a pre-requisite for being an exceptional food animal practitioner. Work ethic, drive and a willingness to learn outweigh location of upbringing. For prospective food animal medicine practitioners, a basic knowledge and understanding of the day-to-day operations on the farms you intend to work is extremely important. Understanding the management and operations of a farm or ranch is just as important as medical knowledge.