Dr. Yvonne Van Duin, DVM

Dr. Yvonne Van Duin graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College in 1995. After one year of mixed animal practice in eastern Ontario, she moved to Greater Vancouver with her two cats. Dr. Van Duin’s primary areas of interest are senior health care, preventive health care, internal medicine and dental health care.

Dr. Van Duin is a member of the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association, the British Columbia Veterinary Medical Association, the Veterinary Information Network and the Canadian Animal Assistance Team (CAAT).

Dr. Van Duin wanted to become a veterinarian since 5 years of age, when she saw a veterinarian taking care of her pony. “When I grow up, I want to be a vet, so I can take care of Schnapps too!” were the words spoken. The pony is long gone, but the dream lived on.

Another area of interest for Dr. Van Duin is disaster response. In September 2005, Dr. Van Duin was part of CAAT and made the trek to New Orleans to help rescue and treat animals in desperate need. Needless to say; it was a life altering experience. Please feel free to ask her about her experience in New Orleans. While it can be a difficult topic, there was a lot to be learned from this tragic event that must never be allowed to happen again. [photos]

Outside her veterinary career, Dr. Van Duin is married to Rob Elliot and they have two children; Lily and Kai, and two cats; Joe and Owen. Her extracurricular activities are primarily centered on Lily and Kai, but Rob and Yvonne also seem to spend a significant amount of time renovating their house “just for fun.” Another favourite pastime for Dr. Van Duin is gardening. How is it that every year the flower beds seem to get bigger?

Her long term goals, outside of creating a truly exceptional veterinary practice, include having some land to keep a few horses, a couple of dogs and maybe even a Texas Longhorn or two.