Carla Hubbard didn’t choose her career. She says it chose her.
“I can’t remember ever wanting to do anything but be a
vet. My parents told me that I said I wanted to be an animal doctor
as soon as I could talk.” Carla took as much science as she
could at her Sistersville high school, then graduated valedictorian
of her class. With so few veterinary schools and so many applicants,
good grades were essential. “Generally, you have to have a 3.5
or above to get into vet school since the competition is so intense.”
She entered the four-year pre-vet program at WVU in Morgantown. “It
was pre-med with an agricultural slant!”
Although she was accepted at all the schools she applied to, she
chose Ohio State for her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine. “It
was the vet school closest to home!” She could have chosen to
go on to a residency, 2-4 year programs in special fields like orthopedics
or equine medicine, but she wanted a general practice. “There
are veterinary specialties in almost all the fields that there are
medical specialties for people.”
Her first job out of vet school was in Cleveland, for an all breeder
practice. “They worked with a lot of exotic animals and show
animals.” She was there from 1986-1993.
“After eight years of school and six years in Cleveland, “I
was ready to be home. In 1993, Carla opened her practice in Parkersburg.
This January, she moved to Front Street in Marietta. “The State
had plans that were going to put a highway in my parking lot, so we
needed a new place. This building was available and originally designed
as a vet’s office. The timing was perfect.”
Carla has a mostly small animal practice, though she sees horses and
cattle, too. “And I see a lot of iguanas and snakes.”
She has often been called in rescue situations for horses. “I
bring them home until homes can be found.” At the moment, she
has nine that are being rehabilitated and will need permanent homes.
Carla is now Dr. Erikson, and, at 42, the new mother of a baby boy.
She often brings the baby to work. She understands when people refer
to pets as “their kids.”
Being a vet is everything she had expected. “It is the most
gratifying work! Animals can’t help themselves. They can only
trust us to take care of them. That’s what I try to do. And,
when you take care of the animals, you are helping the people who
love them. That’s important too.”
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