With his country background, Yarraville vet Dr Ian Burns always thought he’d end up studying animals — but not for the reason others may have.
“All my family have lived in the country and from about 12 years old I thought I’d be a vet because it would be useful if I ever became a farmer,” Dr Burns says. “My brother became a farmer, but I never did.”
He studied at Melbourne University and later opened a vet clinic in Spotswood before moving the business to Yarraville.
Dr Burns, a vet since 1976, says the way animals are treated has changed a lot over the years.
“When I started, very few people had a pet inside their house or locked them up. And not a lot of animals had vet treatment or preventive care. I also used to see a lot of animals hit by cars and abandoned. Nearly all animals are now well cared for and much more a part of the family.”
The busy vet is also on animal ethics committees at Victoria University and the Baker Institute.
Dr Burns says he loves the variety his career provides. “Once we had a Newfoundland (very large dog) blocking the clinic’s front door and he couldn’t get in or out. I had to walk around the clinic and sneak up behind him to give him a needle — then he moved.
“Another time someone had a crocodile in their bathroom. He’d had it as a pet since it was little but it had grown. We didn’t go out there but gave the man drugs to treat it.”
He says there are several wildlife carers in the Yarraville area who bring in possums and native birds for treatment.
“Mondays involve a flurry of consultations from 9am-7pm, while the rest of the week is often filled with surgeries in the mornings and further appointments in the afternoon.”
The vet’s love of animals continues at home where he keeps cats, chickens and fish.
