As a doctor of veterinary medicine, Marisa Shulman spends her days doing everything in her ability to ensure her four-legged patients are in good health. As the president of the Tennessee Veterinary Medical Association (TVMA) for 2024 and 2025, Dr. Shulman continues to intercede on behalf of not only her patients but also animals across the state after her shift at Riverview Animal Hospital is over.
Shulman, 42, is one of the many residents of Chattanooga who are utilizing their expertise at the state level as they lead a professional organization or other endeavor and represent the city in which they live.
Here, Shulman discusses her practice, the work of the TVMA and her wildest moments in an exam room.
Tell me about the smallest animal and the biggest animal you’ve cared for. I’m picturing a gerbil and elephant.
(laughs) “We don’t do elephants but I have done surgery to remove tumors on rats. Unfortunately, we don’t do a lot of work with pocket pets anymore.”
You’ve operated on rats?
“Rats are very sweet. I had mice and Guinea pigs growing up, but rats are the sweetest, and it’s common for them to have mammary tumors. Although many of these growths are benign, thankfully, we’ve done surgery on rats to remove breast cancer.”
Folks must really love their rats.
“They do. When you form a bond with an animal, it doesn’t matter if it cost $5 at the pet store. But again, we don’t do a lot of exotic or pocket pet work now because we don’t have any veterinarians with a passion for it. There are veterinarians in Chattanooga who care for gerbils, hamsters and mice, though.”
What about the other end of the scale?
“The biggest animals I’ve worked with are probably dogs. We had a 170-pound Mastiff come in the other day. He was stinking big. We don’t see livestock, though. We’ve had people ask us if they can bring in goats and pigs, but we’re not set up for that.”
Tell me about the TVMA.
“Every state has a veterinary medical association. There’s a national one – the American Veterinary Medical Association – and there are local ones. Hamilton County has one. Every state has a unique Practice Act that defines the requirements for being able to practice. Each state also has its own organizing and regulatory committees to manage that. So, it’s important to have local VMAs.
“The most important thing the TVMA does is advocate and lobby the legislature to help protect veterinary medicine in Tennessee. A lot of bills that can impact how veterinarians can practice come up. For instance, legislators were recently trying to reclassify a specific injectable medication as a controlled substance; they were thinking about it from a human standpoint but not about how it would impact veterinarians. Farm animal veterinarians and large animal veterinarians need this medication to be able to do their job.
“Thankfully, we have a fantastic lobbyist who stays on top of the bills that are coming through, many of which are stacked with multiple changes. She keeps an eye out for these items and then brings them to our attention so we can determine if we want to support them or oppose them as an organization and as a profession.”
When did you become involved with the TVMA?
“I’ve been a member since I was a student at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine in Knoxville. The former owner of this practice provided memberships for all of his associates and recommended that I become involved. Eventually, someone asked me to serve as a board member at large. East, Middle and West Tennessee each have two veterinarians that sit on the board.
“It was eye-opening; I never saw the countless things that go on behind the scenes to protect the doctors and the technical staff because I was busy doing my job. I didn’t realize there are people fighting for my profession.
“I enjoyed serving far more than I thought I would. I eventually joined the board as vice president, which is a four-year commitment because you also service as president and immediate past president.”
Has serving as president of the TVMA opened any interesting doors?
“I spoke at commencement for the veterinary school at UT Knoxville, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. We have a close relationship with UT Knoxville and we’re growing our relationship with Lincoln Memorial University (DeBusk Veterinary Teaching Center) since it’s a newer veterinary school in Tennessee.”
Are two veterinary schools adequate for Tennessee?
“Two is remarkable. Some states still don’t have any, although that’s changing. A handful of schools are going through the accreditation process. There are a lot of hoops to jump through, though.”
What’s your history with Riverview Animal Hospital?
“I worked here as a veterinary assistant before I went to vet school. I wanted to make sure I liked being a veterinarian. I talked with a lot of professionals to find out why they’re doing what they’re doing.”
What inspired you to become a veterinarian?
“Most veterinarians say, ‘I love animals,’ and that’s one of my answers. But I also enjoy science. I like the puzzle of it. I’ve always had animals of my own, and I liked medicine, so I went through undergraduate school with a pre-med and pre-vet concentration. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go to vet school or med school. After I graduated without committing, my mom reminded me that being a vet would be a great fit for me. She gave me that last push.”
What animals did you have growing up?
I grew up with dogs and cats, and even though we didn’t live on a farm, I was born loving horses. Thankfully, my parents were kind enough to bring horses into my life. We had a farm throughout my high school time where I had horses and was able to see everything about their care up close and personal.”
Give me an example of how you apply the science of your profession to your care of animals.
“Some of it has to do with pharmacology. If I’m picking a medication, I have to think about how the medication works with the body biochemically. If I’m dosing it once a day versus twice a day versus three times a day, how long does it stay in the system? What’s its half-life? How is that going to influence the other medications I choose? How are they going to interact?”
There’s a lot to consider.
“The ways in which our bodies function is fascinating. I did a knee surgery today on a dog, and it’s amazing how the osteoblasts are making new bone. As I’m cutting through the bone, I know how it’s going to heal and what to expect.”
Give me a brief history of Riverview.
“Riverview started in a single doctor practice in 1995 and has grown to include seven doctors, including myself. Growing with the community has been fun.”
What’s important to Chattanoogans in terms of pet care?
“At Riverview, we focus on providing as many services as possible under one roof. We do preventative care, wellness checks, vaccines, heartworm testing, and testing for feline leukemia and feline AIDS. We can start with puppies and kittens on their first visit and follow them to their end-of-life discussions and being able to say goodbye peacefully. I like being able to provide that full life experience for my pets and my pet parents.”
Does Riverview have in-house diagnostic capabilities?
“Yes. We have digital X-ray and ultrasound, so we can do a number of diagnostic tests when someone presents us with a sick patient. We also have surgical and dental capabilities, and most veterinarians reach the point where they can offer reproduction, dermatology and oncology.
“What I also love about Chattanooga are the specialty services that can take care of the things we can’t. We can consult with them and refer you to them and are very collaborative with those services.”
Let’s talk about a few things that are important to pet owners, such as rising care costs. The cost of veterinary care is certainly challenging owners, but how is it challenging veterinarians?
“Historically, credentialed support staff has not been paid a livable wage, so the turnover rate is ridiculous; they can’t live off of what they earn. That’s one of the biggest challenges for the industry right now.
“There’s a need to change pricing structure so we can pay our support staff better. Obviously, that in turn affects consumers. It’s a give-and-take situation that’s going to be really difficult to resolve. We don’t want to price ourselves out like human medicine, and while there are insurance companies for dogs and cats and other pets that can mitigate some of the rising costs, I’m not in a position to recommend them.
“I’m hoping we can find a balance between being able to practice the best medicine we can, making sure our team members have a career ahead of them and making it financially feasible for pet parents and clients to be able to pay for what they need us to do.”
What’s something you can recommend an owner who’s financially strapped do when their pet needs care?
“Riverview is a judgment free zone, so if we have to work in the parameters of something specific, please let us know. Does that mean we potentially might not be able to do the best possible thing? Yes, but I always want people to know there are options.
“You could do the blood work, X-rays, ultrasound and hospitalization. If you can’t do all of that, there are usually plans B, C and D. Don’t let your constraints keep you from coming to see us. We just have to have a conversation, and most veterinarians are happy to work around your constraints to the best of their abilities.”
Tell me about your craziest moment in an exam room that had a good outcome.
“Some of the best moments that are kind of crazy are the foreign body surgeries we do on pets. Dogs and cats alike quite often eat things they shouldn’t, and these things sometimes pass and sometimes don’t. So, it’s always an adventure going in. One dog had swallowed 12 or more pacifiers. Another dog came in for vaccines and the owners said, ‘We think they might have swallowed a toy.’ The dog wasn’t clinical yet, so I said, ‘Let’s see if we can get them to throw it up.’ And the dog ended up throwing up three stuffed animals – whole.”