VALENCIA COUNTY, N.M. (KRQE) – Valencia County pets are now getting better care as their animal shelter just hired its first full-time veterinarian.
“I would come and do surgery and they started trying to talk me into coming to work here,” said Veterinarian Ralph Zimmerman.
It’s something Valencia County has needed for years: a full-time, in-house veterinarian.
“They need to have everything fixed before they go out,” said Zimmerman.
Doctor Ralph Zimmerman has plenty of experience taking care of the state’s animals over the last few decades, from working with livestock to being the head veterinarian at the Albuquerque BioPark Zoo.
“Done a little bit of everything, private practice, mixed large and small everything but reptiles, and then I had to learn a lot about reptiles when I was at the zoo,” said Zimmerman.
Seeing the problems shelters are facing statewide, he wanted to help make a difference.
“Valencia County, as well as much of the state, is not too kind to our animals. We see a lot of really skinny animals, wounds that were neglected, things that could have been dealt with,” said Zimmerman.
Now, he gets to call VCAS home.
“It’s time to help the county out and give something back to the community,” said Zimmerman.
He has a few goals in mind as he enters the position, starting with helping get animals in the county healthy and ready for their forever home.
“Somebody has to do it, and there’s a lot of people working quietly in the background to get a lot done, but it’s such an overwhelming problem statewide,” said Zimmerman.
He also hopes he can ease some of the load on the busy shelter and the community overrun with strays.
“I’d like to help educate and get as many of them fixed as we can, so we’re not just perpetuating the cycle,” said Zimmerman.
So far, Zimmerman said he is doing 10 to 15 spay and neuter surgeries in a single day to help with overpopulation.