Family vets caring for the community and their pets 

My name is Dominique and I’m the director and founder of Highland Health Veterinary Care and I have always had a passion for helping animals.

This passion started as a young girl in my home country, South Africa, where I spent a lot of time at animal shelters and my local vets. My determination to become a vet brought me across the world to study in Warsaw Poland on an English international veterinary course, visiting my sister in Scotland during my university leave. 

I have qualified in veterinary dermatology, acupuncture and veterinary herbal medicine. Working in veterinary medicine gives me true meaning in life. I enjoy what I do and my passion fuels the need to provide exceptional care for pets great and small.

I’ve lived and worked in the Scottish Highlands for 18 years. I have been volunteering and working in the veterinary industry from a very young age and have a true passion for helping creatures great and small. My family are my world. I have a little girl called Lilyanna who is 6 years old and shares my passion for animals and adventure. My husband is wonderful and supportive and has been my rock supporting my career progression which has led me to where I am now. My parents, who I love dearly and am entirely grateful for the opportunities they have created for me, have always encouraged me to follow what I believe in as long as I do it well.

I just love Scotland, the scenery, architecture, adventures and all the people are so friendly and welcoming through my own experience of this magical place and so I decided to settle here and start my veterinary career after my studies. 

I live by a quote by Steve Jobs- “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.”

The veterinary journey has been challenging at times, especially at the start , it's very daunting to walk out of university and set foot into a veterinary practice feeling like you’re supposed to know everything and feel like you don’t know how to do anything. The best advice I can give any new graduate vets in the same position is to always prepare. I would study the appointment list for the next day each night reading the history in detail, preparing a differentials list and then when the examination was performed you gain confidence with your diagnosis and the client helps to support this. Another tip is to always listen first and then think, and give yourself time to think. 

I have always worked for and supported independent veterinary practices in my veterinary career initially working for an independent practice in Montrose, relocating to Inverness and finally settling in Knockfarrel working for a local independent practice. Then lockdown happened! 

The whole world was struggling, this was a difficult time for families, for health care services, pet care, veterinary practices and their teams, we were all helpless. After lockdown, returning to veterinary work was very challenging, we were seeing a multitude of cases that were very unusual often with sad outcomes, catching up with basic routine care, routine operations, it all just got too much and broke me completely. At this point I didn’t think I could ever return to veterinary medicine. I loved being a vet but I just felt like I couldn’t do it well anymore, there was too much pressure and although my team were fantastic and we took our turns carrying each other through this difficult time I just broke completely. 

I took my time to rest and focus, knowing I still love veterinary medicine I decided to keep my focus on the parts I really loved and enjoyed, dermatology and acupuncture. I completed my certificate in dermatology with the help and support of my family, colleagues and friends and my acupuncture business grew. I was satisfied, I managed to return, but I missed being there for my clients and patients every step of the way. 

And so here I am again in General Veterinary Medicine , Dermatology, Acupuncture, Veterinary Herbal Medicine! I want to provide exceptional veterinary care and help support my clients, patients and team. At Highland Health Veterinary Care We’re not just vets, we’re here for you and your pets.