“I see gratitude in the eyes of every recovered animal that I save. Those eyes stay with me always,” Vahagn Sargsyan started the conversation with undisguised enthusiasm after seeing off the visitors at the veterinary clinic.
Vahagn Sargsyan’s veterinary clinic and pharmacy are in the town of Kapan. During our visit, he had just vaccinated a dog and, careful with advice saw off the owner and the pet.
“My passion for this profession arose during my work. I chose it by my mother’s advice,” the veterinarian continued, expressing his joy at following his mother’s guidance.
With the same enthusiasm, he recounted his first operation, performed while he was still a third-year student.
“During a summer vacation in the village, I was informed that a pregnant sheep had a hernia and would die if not slaughtered. Fortunately, I successfully removed the hernia, and the sheep gave birth normally,” Vahagn Sargsyan recalled, noting how the entire village spoke of the incident with great enthusiasm.
The veterinarian hopes one of his sons will continue his work. He involves his school-age boys in his duties, instilling in them a love for veterinary medicine.
“I pay them for their ‘work’ so they can truly understand both the field and the work,” he shared his experience of promoting the profession with a smile pointing to the boys hurrying to the clinic after school.
Anyway, the veterinarian, with 15 years of experience, finds work outside the clinic more appealing. As a community veterinarian, he frequently visits villages and farms.
“The attitude, warmth, and respect of the villagers are very encouraging and at the same time binding. When you have authority, you suffer less, but the responsibility increases,” he emphasized.
This sense of responsibility inspired Sargsyan to establish a veterinary pharmacy. The assortment of the only pharmacy operating in the community was not updated frequently and the required essential drugs were not available.
“A veterinarian’s weapon is medicine. Without drugs, your actions are limited,” he asserted. At the same time, he is not going to be satisfied with his knowledge and experience.
“The field of veterinary is rapidly evolving and I feel the need for continuous training to learn about advanced international practices, particularly in domestic animal treatment,” Vahagn Sargsyan acknowledges the importance of keeping pace with the time. Yet, he is committed to staying in his hometown. Though he once considered leaving, but after the April war in 2016, he firmly decided to live and raise his children in Kapan, which is already a border settlement today.
“Being a veterinarian means having a strong will, and paving your own way. That is the formula for success in our profession,” Vahagn Sargsyan concluded the conversation with deep conviction.