Special
Features / June-July 2008
Making Every Minute Count
 Dr. Clara Mason
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Dr. Clara Mason is a large animal veterinarian in Winfield, West Virginia. She is on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and loves it. “Yes, I’m on call every minute of the day, every day of the year. My busiest times are from February through July which is birthing season for horses as well as the time for horse lovers to gear up for the spring riding season which requires Coggin’s testing and vaccinations. While the Coggin’s tests and vaccinations can be planned, the birth of a foal cannot. For horses, the majority of births occur during the night,” she said. “I rarely leave town during those 10 months,” she said.
During the busy season, Dr. Mason’s day starts early. “I typically, and I emphasize the word typically, have office hours from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and sometimes I work on Saturday and Sundays to accommodate all of my clients. These hours do not include the calls during the night to deliver a foal or take care of a horse in distress.” She continued, “There seems to be periods of time when I see a series of similar problems and situations. Right now, I have had several goats that have had birthing problems and I have already had to perform 2 C-Sections on goats this year which is quite uncommon. About 2-3 years ago, we had a series of horses that were late in giving birth. I received phone call after phone call about the mares being past due for delivery. Everything seems to come in droves,” she commented.
Dr. Mason’s practice has grown over the years and this year she has two part-time assistants to help her with her busy load. I am on the road making house calls at 9:00 a.m. almost every morning. By the end of the day, I could have been in three different counties seeing clients. I recently stitched up a badly mangled cow that fell over a bridge and just this week I scoped a horses for ulcers,” she added.
During the breeding season, Dr. Mason does artificial inseminations, checks mares to determine their cycles of ovulation, and collects semen from stallions to be shipped across the country. She also performs ultrasounds, x-rays, endoscopies and other medical procedures throughout the day. Dr. Mason says that the one thing that she likes the best is saving the lives of foals.
“I get a little break during January and February when things seem to quiet down for awhile. That is usually when I travel to medical conferences. I have been to New Zealand, South Africa, Hawaii and this year I am scheduled to attend a conference in Australia.”
“I always return phone calls and do follow up calls to all my clients. Sometimes, I run a little late, due to emergencies in the field, but I feel very strongly about being readily available for my clients,” she said.
Dr. Mason has always had a love for animals, science and medicine. She grew up around horses, birds, cats, dogs, and goats. Originally from Maryland, Dr. Mason completed her undergraduate degree in Animal Science at the University of Maryland and then moved to Mississippi to get her medical degree in veterinary medicine. After receiving her DVM, she moved to Tennessee and later relocated to West Virginia. “I wanted to get a little closer to my family who are still in Maryland,” she said.
Unique in her field, Dr. Mason is certified in equine acupuncture. She received her certification approximately four years ago. Not many veterinarians perform acupuncture. “I remember one of my clients who had an asthmatic Appaloosa horse. One day, the horse owners had a tree cut down and chipped. The tree cutting company piled the chips close to the stable where the horse was stalled. When the owner checked on the horse, she discovered that the horse was severely allergic to the wood chippings and was gasping for each breath.” When the owner called Dr. Mason, she believed that the horse was so bad that she was going to die. When Dr. Mason arrived at the farm, she agreed that the horse was in a desperate state. The owner decided to have the horse put to sleep. As Dr. Mason was walking to her truck, the owner shouted to her, “Do you think acupuncture would help? I want to try everything possible”. Dr. Mason got her acupuncture needles and went to work on the horse, all the time knowing how critical the asthmatic situation was. Dr. Mason turned over a bucket and sat down on it to wait to see if the acupuncture would relieve any of the symptoms. She and the owner were crying together because the situation looked very bleak. Then, in about half an hour, there was a dramatic change in the horse. The horse stopped wheezing and gasping for breath and began breathing normally. Dr. Mason said that this was as close to a miracle as she had ever seen. The horse owner was so thankful that she submitted Dr. Mason’s name to a national contest for exceptional vets.
A horse lover herself, Dr. Mason has three horses, one is a show horse, one is a brood mare, and the other is in training. “I always take time for my horses. They are an important part of my life. I usually try to spend 1-2 hours a day with them. They give me a ‘sense of peace’ when I’m with them. They keep my life calm and centered,” she explained.
As a single woman veterinarian, Dr. Mason’s life is full of responsibilities, taking care of her clients 24 hours a day, taking care of her own three horses, keeping up a house, continuing her medical training, and all the other day to day responsibilities. “Learning how to keep your life in control is a must. I had to learn to stop doing ‘everything’ and take some time for myself. I most always attend church on Sundays and I do something fun every week, just for me, like going to a horse show, going out to dinner with friends, taking a shopping trip to Columbus, etc. I recently took a pottery class during the winter,” she said.
“I guess I learned from the best and that would be my mom. My mother is the epitome of a well balanced, working woman. She is now in her 70’s and still goes to work every day. She owns her own fine dining restaurant in Maryland, and began working outside the home in the 60’s when it was still taboo. But, she is the greatest mom from whom I have learned the most important things in my life. My mom has a beautiful home, a wonderful marriage, and raised three children while owning her own business and working full time. She taught me the meaning of ‘making the most of your life’,” she added. “And, that is what I intend to do with my life – make the most of it – every minute of every day.”
Dr. Clara A. Mason is a large animal veterinarian. Her office is located at 8 Countryview Estates, Winfield, WV 25213. Telephone: (304) 340-1401.
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