Driving across the Earnest covered bridge into the quiet town of Marcola, Ore., you are instantly greeted with dry green fields, as sheep and cattle meander by the hotwire fences. Glimpses of backyard chicken coops appear as you enter the residential neighborhoods, and farm dogs bolt to the gate. Jason Sadowitz, a now retired large animal veterinarian, has called on and tended to these animals for a large portion of his life. Though Sadowitz has witnessed many changes veterinary medicine over the years first hand, he claims the love and commitment to the animals has stayed the exact same. Sadowitz’s interest in animals and agriculture started at a young age, growing up on a farm outside Seattle. Childhood consisted of pets as small as mice, lizards, and ducks, to horses and cows. Sadowitz reflected that at one time, he had a duck that would let him hold its wing as they walked together. Animals were always a priority, but at the time, practicing veterinary medicine never crossed Sadowitz’s mind. However, a meat cattle background from his parent’s farm lead Sadowitz to Ellensburg, Wash. in 1972, where he worked for the federal government in meat inspection for several years. “The days would get extremely long,” Sadowitz stated. From 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. every day, Sadowitz would carry out inspection duties. Outside of these hours, there…show more content… House calls anytime of the day or night were just part of the routine. When Sadowitz was practicing, he estimated that about three-fourths of the calls were emergency. “it’s just part of what went along with being a large animal vet. A horse would run into a fence and get wire cuts, a cow would get milk fever, stuff like that would just happen.” Sadowitz states that nowadays, so much money is tied in large animal production, that regular check-ups and maintenance are more of a routine. “Back then we just didn’t really do that kind of stuff so
