By Lisa Peterson

Mt. Pleasant Hospital for Animals is expanding its services to area purebred dog breeders with the addition of a new veterinarian with a background in canine reproduction.

When Dr. Rakesh Vali first came to America 12 years ago from India he was not yet a veterinarian, but had been breeding and showing Great Danes and German Shepherds. His dogs have appeared at the prestigious World Show. 

He first worked as a manager for a veterinarian hospital with offices in Monroe and Ansonia while studying for his MBA at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield. At the time he was living with his sister in Monroe. Then an opportunity opened up for him at Ross University in St. Kitts in the Caribbean.

“I always wanted to be a vet, so I just ran for it,” Vali recalls as he left his work on his MBA with just two semesters to go in order to fulfill a dream. “It is easy to get into Ross but it is hard to get out. Fifty percent of my class didn’t graduate.” 

Vali said that 99 percent of the population at the university is from the U.S. since Ross’s offices are in New York City. But, he added, that it was very hard for him to enjoy the weather while he was pursuing his degree.

After graduation he went to the University of Illinois for a one-year internship. Then he headed down to Ohio and worked with reproduction specialist Dr. Robert Hutchinson for a month before landing his first job in Middletown, New York with the Ani-Mall Vet Hospital. 

“While I was with Dr. Hutchinson it was a way of learning about many of the reproduction techniques such as artificial insemination, freezing semen and shipping fresh chilled semen and caesarian sections,” Dr. Vali said. “Clients would come from all over the country. I’ve noticed that breeders will do anything to have their females bred. I’ve also learned many tricks of the trade of dog breeding from the breeders. ”

Dr. Vali said with all he learned while with Dr. Hutchinson he would like to start similar services here in Newtown. In fact, he said Mt. Pleasant is planning to bring Dr. Hutchinson to Newtown for a lecture to introduce him and his techniques to the dog breeders in the area.

There are plans to build a storage facility at the hospital for frozen semen as well as collection of fresh chilled semen for immediate shipment. Dr. Vali believes there is a need in this area for such services, which would include “intra-cervical” implants in bitches using fresh or frozen semen and “C-section” births.

“Breeders will go everywhere to get these services,” Dr. Vali noted and said that when he was in Middletown, New York for three years he had developed a good following of breeders. “Hopefully by the end of next month we are planning for the Hutchinson lecture and will invite all the breeders in the area to attend.”

Since arriving in Newtown last month, Dr. Vali said he enjoys working with the clients and the new caseloads. He currently lives in Seymour with his wife and twin boys.

“Newtown is a good small town and the clients are very nice and very educated. As a community they are willing to do diagnostics to find out what is wrong with their pets,” he said.

Dr. Brian Silverlieb, owner of Mt. Pleasant, said of his newest veterinarian, “All our clients love him. And my staff loves him too.”

Dr. Vali said the clients have been accepting of him as the new vet in town and hopefully he will be adding a new dimension to Mt. Pleasant as a reproduction specialist for purebred dog breeders.