Meet the NorthStar VETS Team: Zoe Launcelott, DVM, DACVS


Zoe Launcelott, DVM, DACVS is a doctor in the Surgery service at NorthStar VETS. In this video, she talks about why she left a future in human medicine to pursue veterinary surgery, the case that meant the most to her, and the number one thing she wants you to know.

How Dr. Launcelott got into Veterinary Medicine
We caught up with Dr. Launcelott, who was checking on her patients before heading to the operating room. She told us more about herself and what she does. “I am one of the surgeons here, and what we do here in the surgery department is orthopedic surgery, soft tissue surgery, and emergency surgery.”

“I grew up in Halifax, Nova Scotia, so I ended up going to school at the Atlantic Veterinary College at the University of Prince Edward Island. After veterinary school, I did a rotating internship in Toronto, Ontario, and then I came down to the United States doing a specialty surgery internship in Connecticut followed by a three-year residency.”

“My father was an anesthesiologist so I basically grew up working in the human hospital my whole life and figured that I would end up being a human physician. In my third year of university, my cat, Snowy, ended up being diagnosed with a vaccine-related fibrosarcoma, which is a cancer. I went to the veterinary office very frequently for her care and realized that the compassion side of things in veterinary medicine was more ‘me’ than what I was seeing on the human side. I elected to then apply to veterinary school thinking that I was going to be an oncologist and cure cancer, however, during my schooling, I realized that surgery was really my passion and therefore I would be able to remove the tumors on these pets and give them a chance at a happy, healthy life.

What Dr. Launcelott Loves About Her Work
“What I like about NorthStar VETS is the camaraderie, being able to walk into various departments and collaborate on a case in order to give the best possible care to the patient. What I love about being a veterinarian is being able to help the animals that are so reliant on us.”

The Case that had the greatest impact on Dr. Launcelott
“A lot of times here in surgery we’re focused on orthopedics or a small procedure, and we see the client two or three times. You don’t get to build any sort of long-term rapport with them. But this one wound case had a terrible complication and came to me where we ended up having to do wound therapy. The wound, unfortunately due to its nature and location, was unable to close primarily, meaning we couldn’t close it first pass. We ended up having to use a wound vac, which is a device that just helps to increase the ability of a wound to heal and heal quicker. We then had to do multiple bandage changes until this wound healed by second intention.”

“No matter the issue, whether it’s big or small, we are always here to help you and your pet and make recommendations for their care.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAxIF0OM-pE

Learn more about the Surgery service at NorthStar VETS.

Zoe Launcelott, DVM, DACVS

Dr. Launcelott is originally from Nova Scotia, Canada. She obtained her Bachelor of Science degree from St. Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 2009. Following her Bachelor’s degree, she moved to Prince Edward Island where she earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 2013 from Atlantic Veterinary College. She completed a rotating internship at the Veterinary Emergency Clinic and Referral Centre in Toronto, Ontario in 2014, followed by a one-year internship in surgery at VCA Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center in Norwalk, CT. Dr. Launcelott then completed a three-year residency in surgery at Red Bank Veterinary Hospital in Tinton Falls, NJ in 2018. After her residency she joined the surgery department at Oakland Veterinary Referral Services in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

She is excited to be a part of the surgery team at NorthStar VETS and make New Jersey her home. Her special surgical interests include, but are not limited to, orthopedic surgery, wound management, surgical oncology, and minimally invasive surgery. Dr. Launcelott is trained in the tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO) and lateral extracapsular suture techniques for cranial cruciate ligament disease.

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