The Animal Specialists – Details, episodes & analysis

An insightful discussion with Mark Bowen, an expert in veterinary sports medicine: Mark shares his passion for enhancing the health and welfare of horses, stressing the critical nature of thorough diagnostics to prevent cardiac and infectious incidents.

In this episode, we dive into the exciting advancements in equine veterinary medicine, including the integration of AI in ECG monitoring. This remarkable technology reduces analysis time drastically, ensuring timely interventions. Additionally, we tackle the pressing issue of antimicrobial resistance and the importance of responsible antibiotic usage.

Mark emphasizes the necessity for veterinarians to possess strong communication skills, especially when delivering tough news to clients. This episode reflects on collaboration over competition, urging veterinary professionals to advocate for equine welfare through innovative practices.

Are you curious about the role of innovation and innovative business models in veterinary medicine? We invite you to listen and share your thoughts on how advancements can reshape the future of animal care.

In this episode of The Animal Specialists, we step into the boots of Iris Kolkman, a bovine specialist navigating the unique challenges of farm life. From balancing work and family to building trust with farmers in a traditionally male-dominated space, we explore what it takes to thrive in the field. The conversation also highlights the importance of preventive care and animal welfare—and how empathy, expertise, and persistence are reshaping the role of women in large animal veterinary medicine.

Special thanks to Iris and her practice A7 Nord Dierenartsen for volunteering her time for this engaging and enthusiastic episode!

Wait - what IS a veterinary specialist anyway? And why might I want to know about them? What's in it for me - really?

More than you might think, even if you don't own any animals! This episode is super quick and offers insight into how new cutting edge treatments are sometimes developed in veterinary medicine for human use; how we are "your vet's vet" - a.k.a. who they call when they need more advanced procedures for patients; how vets play a vital role in food safety, education, and more! Meet our accidental host, and then head on over to www.ebvs.eu to learn more! Be sure to follow and share from Spotify and soon from Apple Podcasts too.

You can also subscribe to our LinkedIn newsletter or reach out via Instagram and Facebook at euvetspecialists.

What stories are we here to explore? Listen in and discover the true value of veterinary specialists...

⁠⁠Register and join us at the EBVS Congress ⁠⁠in Belgrade on April 4 for a workshop on wellbeing!

In the special joint podcast episode from EBVS & FVE, discover how shame and mental health challenges in veterinary medicine extend far beyond conversations around welfare and euthanasia - and, what we can do to address and improve it. Special thanks to guest and FVE Vice President, Jane Clark!

Transcript & show notes here.

Links to VetJoy & BVA Good Workplaces

Questions? ⁠Register and join us at the EBVS Congress ⁠this April 2-4!

(find the transcript here)

In this episode:

What are "diplomates" in veterinary specialisation?

What does it mean to be a veterinary specialist?

What training is involved?

What do veterinary specialists bring to the public?

Why does recognition matter?

...And so much more in this jam-packed episode with Antonio Cruz, EBVS specialist in equine surgery and a diplomate of the American College of Sports Medicine & Rehabilitation!

Our CEO Dr. Julie Rosser's candid conversation with equine internal medicine specialist Verena Zehetner about private practice in veterinary medicine. How to start your own business, and why charging for your services is both necessary and sometimes, controversial...

We dive into a lot of current hot topics so join us - no subject is off limits in this candid exploration of veterinary specialisation in Europe!

EBVS Podcast: Veterinary Insights, Anytime, Anywhere

In our first episode, Emma Strous, Diplomate ECBHM, dives into the fascinating world of veterinary specialisation and Bovine Health Management.

What does it actually mean to be a veterinary specialist? Not the letters after your name or the diploma on the wall — but the real value you bring when a case is complex, the path is unclear, and someone needs direction.

In this episode, EBVS Director of Education Mark Bowen and CEO Julie Rosser explore what defines specialist expertise, how the profession can move from seeking recognition to claiming a genuine voice, and why that distinction matters more than ever. They discuss the veterinary profession as a team sport — a solar system of first opinion practitioners, advanced practitioners, and specialists who depend on each other — and why workforce sustainability requires all of those relationships to be stronger and better defined.

The conversation also takes in AI and digital innovation, the "sprinter versus marathoner" problem in specialist training, social licence, and what it looks like to advocate for animals and the profession in spaces that matter — from clinical referral conversations to the European Commission.

If you're a specialist, a resident, or someone thinking seriously about where the profession is heading, this one is for you.

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Mathijs Theelen, a specialist in equine internal medicine at Utrecht University, to discuss the high-stakes world of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and translational medicine. We also explore the cutting-edge collaboration between Utrecht’s veterinary and human hospitals, where Mathijs is helping to validate a new sepsis diagnostic test in foals that could soon be used to save the lives of human babies. Beyond the lab, we dive into the difficult "daily call" specialists face in antimicrobial stewardship: the challenge of "daring to not use" antibiotics despite intense pressure from worried animal owners. From midnight clinical emergencies to research that changes international policy, Mathijs shares what it truly means to be a specialist at the intersection of animal and human health