Veterinary college alumna demystifies decision-making for pet owners
Sally Suttenfield DVM '91 has dedicated her career to helping pets and bridging the gap between veterinary expertise and the everyday pet owner.
The Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine alumna is the author of “Understanding Your Pet's Lab Work: A Guide to Communicating with Your Veterinarian,” published in 2023.
Suttenfield graduated from the veterinary college in 1991, and after eight years of working in private practice, she had an experience that changed the way she approached her career. This paradigm shift came in the form of Camp Dances with Dogs, a camp run by renowned dog trainer Susanne Clothier, founder of Relationship Centered Training.
At the time, Suttenfield owned a reactive dog; as she put it, “She thought that a good offense was the best defense.” Suttenfield attended Camp Dances with Dogs because she wanted a different relationship with her dog — and with veterinary medicine.
At the camp, Suttenfield found a community of people like who, who were working hard to do right by their dogs. Clothier’s philosophy-driven programming gave her a new perspective.
"I came back kind of like a reformed smoker. I was ready to change my whole life,” she said.
She immediately wanted to expand the tools she had in her veterinary medicine toolkit. Over the course of several years, she dedicated every vacation day, sick day, and leave to earning her certification in canine rehabilitation, focusing on dogs recovering from surgery and injury.
Seeking a practice with a higher volume of surgeries, she relocated to the New River Valley. In 2011, she joined Appalachian Veterinary Services, where she works today.
Attending Camp Dances with Dogs changed Suttenfield’s career in another way. After Clothier invited her to speak at the camp about her veterinary expertise, the dog trainer —and acclaimed author in her own right — encouraged Suttenfield to turn her knowledge and patient communication skills into a book.
“It took me 25 years to put it all together!” Suttenfield joked.
After years of writing and revision, she finally published her magnum opus, “Understanding Your Pet's Lab Work.” A reference guide, the book won a 2024 Best Indie Book Award in the Canine Health Care category.
Suttenfield wrote the book because she firmly believes that clients need to make informed decisions about their pets’ care.
"As a veterinarian, you can't just walk in as the voice of God and say, 'This is what needs to be done,’” she said.
Suttenfield’s interest in patient communication developed early in her career. In her first veterinarian position, she worked in a rural community and needed to translate her technical know-how and advanced vocabulary from veterinary school into something her clients could understand. She wanted them to understand the reasoning behind her decision making, so she took the time to connect with pet owners and give a thorough explanation. She began making flyers and pamphlets to enhance this process.
"I had some bosses that said, 'You're wasting your time, just tell them what they need to do! They don't want to hear all that stuff.' But I kept hearing from clients, 'I wish my doctor would talk to me the way you are talking to me.’”
“Understanding Your Pet's Lab Work” is the culmination of these efforts. Suttenfield also creates educational — and fun — content through her TikTok account, BiteSizedVetGuides, and has garnered 160,000 likes on the platform.
Through her communication efforts, Suttenfield is making a difference in how pet owners understand their pets’ care, helping them make the best possible decisions for their pets.