Let me first take this opportunity to thank the New Era newspaper through its AgriToday segment for granting me the honour of being the face and voice of the “Talk to the Vet” column, which is a new addition to the agriculture pages. 

The Talk to the Vet column will be a series of veterinary-related articles that will come out every Tuesday, focusing on animal husbandry, health, production, nutrition and finances, amongst others.

As I welcome you all to this new and exciting column, also allow me to introduce myself and provide a brief background on my career, and how I fell in love with animal healthcare and everything that has to do with animals. 

I am Dr Punandjambi ‘Puna’ Kazapua, a veterinarian by profession and currently working at a private practice at the Cattle Country Veterinary Clinic in Gobabis, Omaheke region.

My passion for animals has always been with me, and since I grew up on a farm surrounded by all sorts of animals, my love and passion for animals was further solidified by my mom, Dr Baby Kaurivi Katunohange. 

In my formative years, I would assist her [mom] during her various farm visits and surgeries, but everything changed during one of her regular hernia surgeries when she asked me: “Why don’t you pursue veterinary medicine as a profession, because you are always on the farm and you are already assisting me, but now you will be able to get paid for your work - unlike just being here with me.”

So, I decided to give it a try, and it turned out to be the best decision of my life. After seven years of studies, I obtained my Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine (Honours) from the University of Namibia (Unam) School of Veterinary Medicine at the Neudamm Campus. 

I have also worked as a wildlife veterinarian for N/a’ankusê Wildlife Sanctuary and Stepping Stone Vet Clinic before settling in Gobabis at our current practice.

Working in a mixed practice is so pleasurable because there is a lot of exposure to different conditions and species. Thus, one is constantly challenged to obtain solutions to different problems, which requires me to read up a lot, and that constantly keeps me on my toes. 

I am a big fan of practical work, and being a hands-on veterinarian makes the whole profession an even much more perfect environment for me; as opposed to being in an office setup. Another plus is always having the opportunity to interact with people from all walks of life about various problems about their animals.

 I also get to learn from lawyers, teachers, medical doctors, accountants, etc, as they too are my clients. My aim is to make a positive change in both my patients and the animals owners’ lives and that is a huge responsibility, because any day that I’m not fully focused can easily result in the loss of an animal’s life or the client’s livelihood.

With that brief introduction and a bit of insight into what I do, please catch me here next week when we delve into our first detailed topic called “Animal Husbandry”, which is the most basic and the most important topic in animal production. 

Also, please do feel free to suggest whatever topics that you might want to be covered or discussed here in depth. Reach out by sending your suggestions or any questions to punamuza22@gmail.com, or contact me at +264 817234553.