Meet the NorthStar VETS Team: Shiara Arulpragasam, DVM, CCRP, DACVS


Dr. Shiara Arulpragasam is a Veterinary Surgeon at NorthStar VETS. In this blog post and video below, she talks about how she got into veterinary medicine, her love of Great Danes, and what she looks for in a great veterinary specialty hospital.

Dr. A confesses her love of Danes
We caught up with Dr. Arulpragasam, who was showing us her dog between appointments. “This is Ajax, he’s my dog. He’s a two-year-old Great Dane. We just adopted him about a month ago. His previous owners developed really bad allergies and so he needed a home. I ended up with a previous Great Dane that was rescued from the shelter and she was just the sweetest dog, and now I just think I can’t be without one. They’re goofy, and sweet, and there’s just more of them to love!”

How Dr. Arulpragasam got into veterinary medicine
Dr. Arulpragasam recently joined the Surgery team at NorthStar VETS, and gave us some background on how she got into this line of work. “Obviously, I’ve always been an animal lover, as most of us veterinarians are. I actually wanted to be a surgeon before I wanted to be a veterinarian and I was planning on going to medical school when I was in college. My roommate wanted to be a veterinarian and was telling me about it, and when I figured out I could be a veterinary surgeon, that was what made me switch career paths. So instead of applying to Tufts Medical School, I applied to Tufts Veterinary School, and here I am now!”

What Dr. A looks for in a great veterinary specialty hospital
Dr. Arulpragasam continued our conversation by talking about her job application process out of school. “You know, I was looking for a place where there were multiple surgeons so there would be a really good group to learn from as well as to work with. I also appreciate having other specialists, and NorthStar VETS is just a wonderful, state-of-the-art facility that blew all the other places out of the water that I applied to. I was really happy to end up here, and I’m from the northeast, I’m from Connecticut, so it was perfect for my family as well.”

The types of cases a veterinary surgeon sees on a daily basis and why she does what she does
NorthStar VETS sees more than 400 cases each week, and Dr. Arulpragasam can see a wide variety of patients. “I’ll see anything from something with the GI tract, or orthopedic like a torn ACL, as well as some neurosurgery like back surgeries.” Dr. Arulpragasam is looking forward to helping you and your pets. In her final thoughts during our interview, she commented on what she gets out of her work. “You know, it’s great to make the dogs and cats better, but when pet owners come to you with tears in their eyes and say ‘You know, this dog (or cat) is everything to me. I’m so grateful,’ that really means a lot to me.”


Learn more about the Surgery service at NorthStar VETS

Shiara Arulpragasam, DVM, CCRP, DACVSShiara Arulpragasam, DVM, CCRP, DACVS
Dr. Arulpragasam (“Dr. A”) is originally from Connecticut and is excited to return home to the northeast and join the NorthStar VETS surgical team. Dr. Arulpragasam earned her Bachelor of Science at Tufts University in 2007. She stayed at Tufts University for veterinary school and obtained her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 2011. She then completed a small animal rotating internship at Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Arulpragasam went on to complete a small animal surgery internship at the University of Florida followed by a three year small animal surgery residency at the University of Tennessee. While at University of Tennessee, Dr. Arulpragasam obtained her certification as a canine rehabilitation practitioner (CCRP). Dr. Arulpragasam’s interests include minimally invasive surgery, wound management and reconstructive surgery, congenital portosystemic shunts, cardiothoracic surgery and physical rehabilitation for orthopedic and neurologic conditions. She is trained in both the Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy (TPLO) and Lateral Extracapsular Suture techniques for cranial cruciate ligament injury.

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One Response to Meet the NorthStar VETS Team: Shiara Arulpragasam, DVM, CCRP, DACVS

  1. scott romano says:

    You Guys ROCK !!!! Thank you for everything !!!! Sarge is doing GREAT !!!

    The Romano’s Thank YOU ALL !!!

    Enjoy you Holiday and Happy New Year !!!!

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