Animal Lover Final Boss

I am the self-proclaimed Snow White of Michigan (formerly Arizona). I believe animals know I have a good heart and therefore they love me. This might be a delusion, but I do know for a fact I LOVE animals. I wanted to attend the University of Michigan for pharmacy school because I saw they a veterinary pharmacy rotation for P4s, which then started a snowball effect into me getting really into veterinary pharmacy as a career option.

Now I've gone back and forth with this a lot over the past 3 years. On one hand, saying I want to be a veterinary pharmacist when pharmacy school is (mainly) focused on human medicine and disease states is kind of silly. On the other, I don't care :p Growing up, I wanted to be a veterinarian (and still kind of do) but I don't think I have the emotional bandwidth to see animals be euthanized, go through traumatizing experiences, or get sick with terminal illnesses. I don't even support zoos and I cry every time I think about wild animals being trapped in zoos, so I think I ultimately made a good call with the pharmacy thing. I still get my fix of animals pet sitting on the side (hit me up for $20 off your first booking on Rover) and whenever I get to administer or manage their medications I always find it to be a special treat.

Now what does this mean career wise? That's an awesome question and if you ever find the answer before graduation PLEASE let me know. Allegedly there are veterinary pharmacist jobs out there, but I have yet to find them (beside the ones I make up in my head). 

"What is the purpose of a veterinary pharmacist?" SO MUCH! I don't think I can even do it justice with how diverse their skill set can be, especially with their deep understanding of human drugs (which we often use in animal patients). I think the one that is most relatable to our current coursework is antibiotic stewardship. The USDA tightly regulates what antibiotics we can give food animals because of the risk of resistance. Who is better to understand and manage that than a pharmacist? Another parts that really appeals to me is how animals metabolize things completely differently than humans. Did you know mirtazapine, used in humans for depression, is used in cats for allergies? Who would've thought! Also, the amount of Benadryl you would give to a cat or dog is SO MUCH more than what you would give to an adult human.

"So what are you going to do to pursue this?" That's a great question, thank you for asking! I have a little bit of a plan. There are PGY1 residencies out there! I think there are only two, but that is a non-zero number which is better than nothing. There are also veterinary-specific pharmaceutical companies, so I have considered pursuing an industry role in that field. You can also compound and specialize in veterinary medicines, but after P1 year I don't really care for compounding (I could for animals though). Finally, I might just say YOLO and go back to school and pursue a DVM degree at some point. PharmD, DVMs are not unheard of so if this is truly my calling I know that is always an option. Fun fact: we have a faculty member, Dr. Patrick Lester, who is a registered pharmacist AND veterinarian, he's been a great resource to me and has really helped me figure out what I can do to pursue this dream!

"Do you have a back-up plan?" Another great question! I have probably at least ten. I think my inclination towards veterinary pharmacy is rooted in my empathy and compassion for others. If my interests shift, or I need to do a stint in human pharmacy I would love to work in women's or transgender health. I don't know if this job exists (yet), but my dream human-patient job would be working with transgender individuals to improve and optimize HRT, mental health medications, and working closely with organizations such as The Trevor Project to be a better ally and resource for the LGBTQ+ community.

In conclusion, I spent an entire blog post talking about myself. Now, here are some photos of me and animals :)








This is Linda, my leopard gecko!! She was so little here :')










This is Roger, my friends bunny!! He's such a sweetie! 




I don't remember what this bunny's name is but she was being watched by my roommate in college and I loved her so much. She was such a sweet angel baby she was like a cat.





xoxo, Ziana

Comments

  1. Kristen GApril 17, 2025 at 8:47 AM

    I love all the pics and I didn't know Dr. Lester was a vet! Also have you seen the live snow white movie?

    ReplyDelete

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