At the time that Dr Andrew Matole Konde was growing up in Kilifi County, sick animals in most communities in Kenya would be treated using a combination of traditional practices such as plant remedies and ‘supernatural’ beliefs about animal health.
“Whenever I was out grazing my grandmother’s livestock, I dreaded the experience of watching a sick animal suffering, as I had no idea what to do. I would watch the sheep, goats and chicken wail in agony, and this broke my heart,” says Dr. Matole.
It is this helplessness that drove him to develop an interest in veterinary practice, explains Dr. Matole as he takes us through his journey of becoming the successful veterinary surgeon he is today.
Other than the passion developed due to spending time with the animals, Dr. Matole’s love for Biology is something that can also be attributed to his zeal for the veterinary profession. Having performed extremely well in his ‘A’ levels, he decided that veterinary would be his destination. He had no illusions regarding the challenge, especially the fact that there would be no end to learning.
“I was aware that the career called for endless education to keep up with new advances in veterinary medicine, apart from the long hours of practice,” he says.
His academic credentials as a vet are solid; a Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Nairobi (1993), a Diploma in Opthalmology and Internal Medicine from the University of Sydney (2001) and a Master’s in Small Animal Veterinary Medicine from the University of Nairobi (2015). He is currently studying for a PhD in Public Health at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.
Dr. Matole’s had a clear vision of his career trajectory. As far back as 1993 when he finished college, a fellow student asked him what he wanted to do after school. “My vision is to work in a veterinary clinic for 10 years,” was his straight response, an answer that both amused and surprised his friend. He was determined to use the experience as an employee before eventually opening his own practice.
True to his word, when the holidays came knocking, Dr. Matole would work in a veterinary clinic in his neighborhood, sometimes for a small stipend but mostly pro bono. This is where his experience and skills expanded.
Dream of establishing a veterinary clinic come true
Fast forward, the young boy with a dream is today a renowned veterinary surgeon with his own chain of veterinary clinics, Dr. Matole is the founder and Managing Director at Andys Veterinary Clinic.
Andys veterinary clinic was established in 2004 and today has three branches; two in Nairobi (Loresho and Ngong road) and the third in Nanyuki.
The Clinic has had close to 40 interns who have gone on to practice elsewhere with others who have chosen to start their own practices. The clinic specializes in small animal internal medicine, occasionally dealing with large animals as well. Andys deals with corporates and individuals, all of whom love their pets and treat them as family members, many of whom keep animals such as working dogs or for companionship. The Andys offers services to a wide range of animals, dogs, cats, hamsters, pet birds, tortoises, turtles, snakes, lizards, crocodiles, as well as large animals.
Unique offerings at the clinic include;
Ambulatory, concierge medicine- house visits and treatments including surgeries on site. This enables them to be better in touch with their clients, get to observe them in their natural environment, meet them at their point of need and also, at the convenience of their clients who don’t have to make the visit to the clinic if they do not wish to do so.
They operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year offering emergency as well as regular services.
Rationale to consider before establishing a veterinary clinic
“While a big number of veterinarians choose to work as associates within an already established veterinary practice, a good number also prefers building a new practice from the ground up. Starting a veterinary clinic can be a difficult task, but with careful planning and enough experience, the process can run quite smoothly,” says Dr. Matole.
Once one is confident with the experience gained theoretically and practically, finding a good name for your clinic is vital. A good name that correlates well with the services that you offer at the clinic will always see clients streaming in to seek your services. “A good name is critical for all advertisements, building signage, and the website,” says Dr. Matole.
The location of the veterinary practice is a factor that should be highly considered when coming up with the veterinary practice. One cannot settle on establishing a large animal veterinary clinic in the suburbs, as residents in such places do not invest in large animals, neither do they have enough space to rear these animals. A clinic for small companion animals is ideal in such areas.
One should also consider a location with families with pets for a higher potential of clients. Once the location is secured and all the necessary permits acquired, the clinic needs to be fitted with a variety of supplies, medical equipment, laboratory instruments, and drugs. Some clinics also choose to offer pet food and pet supplies.
Registration of the practice. Any legal business needs to be registered and for any individual wishing to establish a veterinary practice in Kenya, these are the requirements; a Bachelor’s in Veterinary Medicine (BVM), a registered member of Kenya Veterinary Board (KVB) and a registered member of Kenya Veterinary Association (KVA). One also must have completed their internship with an accredited organization.
Attracting clients to the practice. Once everything is in place, the final step is to open the doors and make sure that members of your community know that you are open for business. If a good marketing plan is in place you should be well on your way to establishing a successful veterinary practice.
For Dr. Matole, having established his own Veterinary clinic, getting people to know about the clinic was another whole new process. For many vet clinics, using social media marketing, direct mail advertising, local magazine advertisements, radio or TV coverage of the clinic’s opening works for them.
“Advertising on my already established website, personal Facebook page, twitter page, sign boards and issuing out business cards worked for me. I was able to capture potential clients’ eyes through numerous adverts,” he says.
Retaining the clients. It is one thing to have clients visit your clinic but is another to convince them to stay because every client comes with their own expectations which if you fail to meet, the relationship goes haywire. They expect you to educate them even more of what they know and be on top of your game. You must do a good job without compromise.
“By performing the right lab tests and administering the right treatment, you win the client’s heart and you can be assured that the client will come back to seek your excellent services. You can have a good website but if it does not match with your work, you are bound to fail terribly.”
Achievements as a veterinary surgeon?
As a veterinary surgeon, Dr. Matole has been able to help animals better their lives. Treating creatures who cannot speak for themselves is not something that can be overlooked. Dr. Matole says that he relies on the Subjective, Objective, Analysis and Planning (SOAP) method to help diagnose his patients. He then uses Problem Oriented Medical Records (POMR) to treat the patients. According to him, these two have worked really well in restoring his patients into good health.
The Andys Veterinary Clinic not only focuses on attending to animal patients but also giving back to the community. Students on attachment, interns from vet schools and volunteers all come to learn from his clinic and this has really impacted the society in a positive way.
The clinic has also created employment opportunities for the staff who work in the clinic. From pet groomers, caretakers and other upcoming veterinarians.
Further, Dr. Matole has shown that it is possible for one to come up with their own veterinary clinic, for as long as they have the right skills, experience and above all, the zeal to work with animals.
Opportunities in treating the small companion animals?
There are numerous opportunities involved in treating small companion animals. Such include dog breeding, pet grooming, dog training, boarding facilities, pet shops, pet foods which are sold to veterinarians so they can in turn sell to their clients.
The small companion animal industry has a number of career paths for people who want to work with small animals. Such jobs include caretakers in rescue shelters, animal trainers, groomers, pet sitters and kennel attendants.
Typical duties of animal service workers include feeding, cleaning living spaces, monitoring for health problems, exercising, bathing or training animals to perform specific behaviors. Most service jobs with small animals don’t require formal education. Rather, workers learn on the job.
Pressures around the profession
According to Dr. Matole, working as a veterinary surgeon has taught him a lot in life. He owes this to the everyday challenges he encounters in his profession, attending to animal patients.
Pet owners are as diverse as they can be. No two owners are the same. They have different ideological beliefs, religious and cultural practices and individual wants and demands. Dr. Matole says that emotional intelligence is key to successfully ensure the best interests of the animal and owner. Just as in humans, no two animals are the same, even though they may be the same breed. Animals have personalities too and being attentive to the animal, beyond what the client tells you will go a long way in ensuring they get quality healthcare.
The high pressure and top demands of the job, as well as the long, unpredictable hours can take a toll on the veterinarian’s mental health. Indeed, there are growing cases of depression and even suicide among those in the profession. The proverbial work-life balance can become quite challenging for veterinary surgeons too. Dealing with the death or loss of a patient also takes a toll on doctors.
Every doctor works hard for the survival and good health of their patients, so losing one, is understandably disturbing as Veterinary doctors create emotional attachments with the animals too. In addition, the veterinary surgeon also has to engage in some counselling with the clients who are distraught by the loss of their beloved pets. All these factors are sure to put pressure on the doctors’ emotional and mental well-being.
Work burnouts is also a major challenge in this profession. The veterinarian surgeons work for long hours with little rest and this results to the body not being able to with hold the pressure, leading to a breakdown of major organs. The effects of working long hours combined with issues such as emotional pressure, financial issues, unrealistic expectations, and dealing with distressed clients place considerable stress on both the vet themselves and their families at home. Failure to cope with such stress upsets mental wellbeing and can lead to serious emotional, physical, and behavioral issues.
Managing the strain
Having practiced for over 20 years, Dr. Matole says that one has to develop a thick skin so as not to be affected by harsh comments of distressed clients. “If you do not find your inner strength, you will be unable to balance work and family life.”
Attending workshops on talks on how to cope with these challenges has always come in handy for him. This way, he is able to listen to the experiences of other veterinarians and how they have managed to overcome over time.
Having a strong support system like family and friends is important. There is no greater relief than having the love and support of family and friends and also developing other interests outside of work that would help relieve your mind like sporting activities, working out at the gym, running, reading among others.
