The Big Five: JoAnna Pendergrass, DVM
I first met JoAnna Pendergrass when I was the content manager at Healthy Paws; she delivered some great blogs for our team that were extra special because she’s a veterinarian. I wanted to reach out and get her perspective on writing about pets, and more about what she would recommend to pet parents.
Tell us a little bit about your background.
Did you always want to study veterinary medicine?
My dreams of becoming a veterinarian started when I was about 6 years old. I wanted to follow in the footsteps of my cousin who was in veterinary school at the time. From that young age, I developed a love for animals and science that has always stayed with me.
I had tunnel vision about achieving that dream. I was a bona fide science nerd and, in middle or high school, I shadowed a local veterinarian. Once I got to college, I used those 4 years to make sure that I was well-positioned to gain acceptance into veterinary school.
How did you jump from vet to veterinary writer?
It's such a cool niche and content always needs
a good authority on a subject.
When I entered veterinary school, I had planned to work in a small animal practice after graduation. But as I entered my year of clinical rotations, I realized that the private practice world wasn’t for me.
One thing that our professors emphasized, especially during our rotations, was the importance of speaking to pet parents with compassion and respect. This would become important as my writing career developed.
A few months after graduating from vet school, I learned about medical writing. Medical writing, in a broad sense, involves writing about science, medicine, and health. After a few years of doing medical writing for an academic audience, I realized that my true passion was consumer education writing. More specifically, pet owner education.
I am passionate about providing pet owners with the medical information they need to make good health decisions for their pets. I feel very fortunate that I have been able to combine my love of writing with my veterinary training to make a living as a veterinary writer.
What are some of the outlets you write for?
Some of the outlets that I write for are Healthy Paws, Pet Coach, and We’re All About Cats.
Toughest part of the job?
The toughest part of the job is writing on topics that we don’t necessarily want to think about as pet parents. For example, I wrote an article about pet hospice care, which is the care of pets at the ends of their lives.
It’s difficult to contemplate our pets not being here for forever, so I needed to put extra care and thought into writing compassionately about pet hospice care and euthanasia for that article.
What's some advice you would give a pet parent?
This could be a long laundry list! I’ll try to keep it relatively short:
Work with a veterinarian and veterinary team that you trust. You want to make sure that your veterinary team is dedicated to providing your pet with the best care possible.
Stay up-to-date on basic wellness tasks, like vaccines, heartworm medication, flea & tick prevention, and dental care. Prevention costs much less than treatment!
Pay close attention to your pet’s normal behavior so that you recognize when something isn’t right.
Feed your pet the highest quality diet that you can afford. Your veterinarian—not pet food commercials—will be your best resource for choosing the best food for your pet.
Exercise is just as important for our pets as it is for us. Incorporate exercise into your pet’s daily activities.
Stay informed! The more you know about your pet’s health and how to care for your pet, the better your pet will be able to live its best life.
Some of the most important parts of pet parenthood are our memories, moments, or celebrations together. It could be adopting a pet and starting a life together, or the heartbreak when you must say goodbye. You can share your story by drafting it yourself, or hit me up to interview you. Email monpetitchewchew@gmail.com and we can get started.