The Inside Scoop!
with Cory Culmer
Interview with Dr. Vern Thacker from the Village Veterinary Clinic
Dr. Vern Thacker and Cory Culmer
Cory Culmer: How long have you been a veterinarian?
Dr. Vern Thacker: I have been a veterinarian for 27 years.
Cory Culmer: Where are you from?
Dr. Vern Thacker: I was born in Guam. My family moved to Lompoc and that is where I grew up.
Cory Culmer:Do you like traveling from Farm to Farm to work with animals?
Dr. Vern Thacker: I like being outside and working with Farm animals. I mostly visit areas between Nipomo and Hollister, but I have traveled as far as King City and Ventura. I drive approximately 35,000 miles a year!
Cory Culmer: Have you always worked with Farm Animals, or did you start your career working with smaller animals?
Dr. Vern Thacker: In school you learn to work with lots of different types of animals. Our practice is a mixed animal practice, we work with smaller animals in the office and I work with larger animals in the field.
Cory Culmer: How do you become a veterinarian?
Dr. Vern Thacker: School is a big part of it! It is important to do well in high school, so you can do well in college, so you can do well in Veterinary School. There are only 29 Veterinary Schools in the United States. Because there are so few schools, they are very difficult to be accepted into. I received my Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from UC Davis. My wife is also a Veterinarian, we met at UC Davis while attending school.
Dr. Vern Thacker with Matt Pettersson
Tilly getting her hooves trimmed
Dr. Thacker checking the sheep for any eye infections
“I like being outside and working with Farm animals. I mostly visit areas between Nipomo and Hollister, but I have traveled as far as King City and Ventura. I drive approximately 35,000 miles a year”!
Cory Culmer: What type of things do you do as a Veterinarian?
Dr. Vern Thacker: I work with small and large animals. Animal medical care is now very similar to medical care for people. For example, there are lots of different specialties that didn’t use to be offered for animals. You can specialize in dermatology (skin care), orthopedics (bones/joints), ophthalmology (eye care). My primary focus is surgical procedures on cattle. I perform many surgeries that include Displaced Abomasum ,which is a surgical procedure that corrects the stomach when it flips to the wrong side and C-Section surgeries to deliver calves.
Cory Culmer: What is your favorite thing about working with animals?
Dr. Vern Thacker: I enjoy the Farmers and Ranchers that I get to work with.
Cory Culmer: What is your favorite animal to work with and why?
Dr. Vern Thacker: Cattle. I enjoy being a part of the food production process.
Cory Culmer:What is your least favorite animal to work with and why?
Dr. Vern Thacker: I don’t work with reptiles! They are hard to sedate and have poor venus access. I also don’t enjoy working with llamas and alpacas, because when they get mad they spit!
Cory Culmer: How many baby animals have you delivered over your entire career as a Veterinarian?
Dr. Vern Thacker: 100’s of calves (baby cows), kids (baby goats), foals (baby horses), and lambs (baby sheep).
