Mathilde, when you were studying veterinary medicine, did you already know which field you wanted to go into?

My initial plan was to work in the equine field, since I rode horses and really admired the stable’s veterinarian, Dr. Guy Giguère. But once I started veterinary school, the topics covered in different courses were so interesting that I decided to keep an open mind.

And your love of horses came back… full gallop?

Exactly! (laughs) I was also deeply inspired by several professors I met along the way, including Dr. Jean-Pierre Lavoie, whom I consider a mentor. He helped me secure a residency in large animal internal medicine at the University of California, and also involved me in research projects.

Today, you are a professor in internal medicine at the Faculté de médecine vétérinaire of the University of Montreal. What does your day-to-day look like?

I love how varied it is. About one third of my work is clinical teaching and patient care, one third involves research, writing and conferences, and the final third is classroom teaching. It’s incredibly rewarding to wear different hats within the same role, as each part feeds into the others.

Can you give us an example?

Of course. When I teach, I pass on my experience to students, but they also push my thinking further with their many questions… because I have to find the answers! (laughs)

As for your research, what topics are you working on?

I study the interactions between the gut microbiome and lung inflammation in equine asthma. I also work on different treatments for this chronic condition, which affects both older horses and young athletes. I can’t see myself devoting myself solely to research, clinical work, or teaching. My happiness lies in combining all three.

What are your patients like?

My patients are almost exclusively horses, and occasionally mules and donkeys. When I was a student, there were still many standardbred racehorses. They were hardworking, calm and predictable. Today, I see horses from both English and Western disciplines, as well as large draft horses and even miniatures. And with that diversity comes a wide range of clients, all with different backgrounds, but one thing in common: they truly love their animals. The human–horse bond is something special.

Every veterinarian has a few memorable cases. Which one comes to mind first?

It’s hard to choose. Recently, a client wrote to me just to let me know her horse was doing really well. I found it incredibly touching, because when we see horses in clinic, they are usually dealing with health issues. We meet them at a critical moment, and we don’t always hear what happens next. So knowing that our treatments made a difference that we helped resolve the situation, is always very rewarding.

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From the decline in judgment surrounding veterinary care to diagnostic advances, along with the growing importance of pet insurance, Dr. Hénault offers a clear-eyed and inspiring portrait of how our relationship with companion animals is evolving.

👉 The veterinarian’s perspective

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Catherine, how did you choose to pursue veterinary medicine?

As far back as I can remember, I’ve always loved animals. I grew up in the countryside, in the small village of Lac-Etchemin in the Chaudière-Appalaches region. My parents owned a fish farm. We had several dogs, and I loved observing animals in the forest. The recent passing of Jane Goodall made me realize just how much of an inspiration she had been to me. This British primatologist and anthropologist, who dedicated her life to studying chimpanzees, sparked two major dreams in me: becoming a veterinarian and going to Africa.

Why was she so inspiring to you as a child?

I found her research fascinating. In fact, when I started veterinary school, I wanted to work with wildlife. After completing several internships related to wildlife, I found myself with two options: practicing exotic/zoo medicine at the Ecomuseum Zoo, or pursuing a master’s degree on ticks.

And you chose ticks?

Yes! (laughs) Two years earlier, I had done an internship in Africa, in Kenya and Tanzania! With two fellow students, we noticed that the most heavily parasitized cows were often blind. Local veterinarians explained that their blindness was caused by a blood parasite transmitted by ticks. The economic consequences were major for local residents, whose subsistence herds were severely affected. That’s when I realized the impact that the work of a veterinary epidemiologist can have on both animal and human health.

Now that you work as a veterinary epidemiologist at the Public Health Agency of Canada, do you still go into the field to collect ticks?

Of course! I’m an adjunct professor at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the Université de Montréal, and I sometimes accompany master’s or doctoral students in the field. However, I now devote a larger portion of my time to designing and managing research projects, in collaboration with Canadian university professors, other researchers, and various government organizations.

When you talk about your work as an epidemiologist studying ticks, how do people react?

It depends! (laughs) Some are fascinated and ask me tons of questions, while others struggle to hide their disgust. In short, ticks leave no one indifferent! And that’s a good thing, because they are a real public health issue. Ticks can transmit bacteria, viruses, or other pathogens to humans through a bite. The most well-known of these diseases is Lyme disease, caused by the bacterium Borrelia.

Is there a link with climate change?

Yes, absolutely. When I began studying ticks during my doctoral studies in 2008, I worked in the field from June to October. Today, tick season lasts longer in many regions. With more time for exposure, their life cycle also lengthens, increasing increasing the risk of infection in the population.

Are there any misconceptions about ticks that need to be debunked?

Yes! Many people believe that ticks fall from trees, jump, or even fly, but that’s not true. They actually stay on low vegetation, where they benefit from the moisture of the soil, until an animal or a human brushes by, so they can latch onto them and later bite them.

Finally, what should we be monitoring from an epidemiological perspective in Quebec?

One of my current projects focuses on monitoring anaplasmosis in Quebec. It’s a bacterial infection transmitted mainly by the blacklegged tick. For now, human cases have been reported mostly in the Eastern Townships—the region that also has the highest number of Lyme disease cases. We have therefore developed master’s-level research projects to identify which natural reservoirs explain the regional emergence of this bacterial infection.

Psst…
Catherine Bouchard is a veterinary epidemiologist (scientific researcher) at the Public Health Agency of Canada. She manages the Ticks and Tick-borne diseases unit within the Public Health Risk Sciences division and she is a professor adjunct at Université de Montréal.

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