medicine, mentoring, and music: Dr. Zubin Emmanuel, DVM

Inspired by his volunteer work at an animal shelter and the wonderful writing of veterinarian James Herriot, Zubin Emmanuel was well on his way to a career in veterinary medicine at age 10. Now, as an Area Chief of Staff for Banfield in the Seattle area, Dr. Emmanuel, DVM, devotes his time to taking care of pets, serving clients, and mentoring teams. He also loves to travel and see live music and musicals!

What inspired you to become a veterinarian?

When I was ten, I started volunteering at an animal shelter. I went every Saturday morning for a couple of years, to help with the dogs and clean up, and talk to potential clients about which dog to adopt. I loved doing that. And I got to follow the vets around sometimes, and I would watch them do spays and neuters, and take care of the pets. And I thought: You know, I want to do that. I want to be that.

And I was also crazy about these books by [veterinarian and author] James Herriot. I was in love with his books. And the combination of the two, I thought, yes, that's definitely what I want to do.

Are we better at taking care of pets now than we used to be?

I’ve been a vet for 14+ years, and a lot has changed. For one thing, we’ve really embraced technology – we’re able to communicate with clients virtually and over social media, text message, and email, and people can make appointments online. And there have been great advances in medicine and surgery, including some amazingly effective new drugs for pets. We've really come so far with that, which is wonderful.

Why do relationships matter in veterinary medicine?

Over the years, you build relationships, and it’s great for pets and people. I now have long term clients who really trust me to do what’s best for the pet they love. And I’ve reached the point where I'm not afraid to tell them I don't know something. It's OK to say “I don't know, but I'll  find out. I'll look into it. I'll call a specialist.” That’s OK, and it’s part of practicing good medicine. 

If you weren’t a vet, what might you be?

Growing up, I didn't really have any other profession that I wanted to do. But interestingly, since becoming a veterinarian, I’ve had the chance to do a lot of mentoring and teaching of newer doctors, and I talk with kids at schools about being a veterinarian – and I’ve realized how much I enjoy teaching. And the more teaching I’ve done, the more it’s inspired me to go and learn more about internal medicine and be more knowledgeable.

Got any cool hobbies?

Before COVID, I loved, loved, loved to travel. I don’t have a lot of free time, but when I could put a couple off-days together, I would take off for the weekend somewhere, you know? I love road trips, love to visit national parks, and I’ve been to 32 states so far. And I also love to go to live performances – concerts and musicals. During the pandemic, I had to distract myself with board games and at-home workouts, which is fine. But I’m looking forward to doing some of the things I love again.