Dr. Matthew Davis graduated from Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine. After veterinary school, he completed a yearlong internship at Littleton Large Animal Clinic in Colorado. Dr. Davis worked at performance horse practices in Columbus, Ohio, and Chicago. His specific areas of interest include sports medicine, performance dentistry, wound management, holistic medicine and surgery. Dr. Davis and his wife, Mindy, have two sons, Collin and Seth, and a daughter, Brynn.
What is your favorite part of your job?
Working with people. I enjoy seeing the look of relief or satisfaction when something we have done has helped their horse perform better or get through a difficult illness.
What has been your favorite patient "case" at SVEC?
I'm not sure I have a favorite, but I probably enjoy wound management as much as anything. One case involved a horse Jammer that had signs of trigeminal neuropathy. I used some chiropractic techniques and was able to significantly improve the horse. Before taking the Veterinary Spinal Manipulative Therapy certification, all I would have had to offer the client is medical management of the clinical signs.
What has been your most difficult "case" at SVEC?
Dealing with the non-responsive laminitic cases. These are especially frustrating because you want the horse to improve, and the owner wants the horse to improve, and you know the horse wants to get better. But sometimes, regardless of what you do, difficult cases just don't respond positively.
What are your greatest skills?
Probably client communication — discussing all the options available and then helping the horse owner make the most informed decision concerning their case. As for veterinary skills, lameness diagnosis and wound repair.
How do those skills benefit horses and their owners?
We are always striving to provide the best and most compassionate care to the horse and owner as we manage cases. Everything we do is toward that end, whether it is continuing education, client callbacks, visiting horse shows to follow up on patient progress, or putting on client seminars to help educate horse owners in our practice area.
