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Dave graduated from Michigan State University CVM in
1984. He married his wife, Wavelet, in 1987. They have 3 boys (Alex,
Tristan and Cameron), 3 dogs (Horatio, Basil and Riley), 7 cats (Bonnie,
George, Alward, Frances, Lil' T, Boo Radley and Charles Baker
"Dill" Harris) and 4 horses (Chick, Chad, Beauty and Jeremy).
They also have a rat named Baby.
“I bought my own practice in 1988 (Clyde Park Veterinary Clinic),
and have toiled endlessly to pay for all of the above dependents ever
since. I belong to a variety of associations (West Michigan Academy of
Small Animal Practice, West Michigan VMA, Michigan VMA, AVMA) as well as
IVAPM. I also work on the side for Pfizer as a D.A.L.E. (Domitor/Antisedan
Local Expert), which is a silly name for a fun job - they actually pay me
to go around and talk about pain management, with virtually no limitations
on subject matter.”
“My interest/obsession with pain management has blossomed since
joining VIN in 1999, but it really began in 1993 when I had a vasectomy.
The pain I experienced was entirely disproportionate to the
"minor" nature of the procedure (and, in retrospect, was likely
a function of neuroplastic changes induced by lousy analgesia following
several childhood surgeries). Anyway, it woke me up to the fact that at
least some of my patients were probably experiencing similar suffering
after my "routine" procedures, and even worse after more major
operations.”
“I've since devoted countless hours to soaking up everything I
could get my hands on regarding analgesia and endlessly experimenting with
various techniques. I have a special interest in the neurophysiology of
pain, with an emphasis on the mechanisms and implications of central
sensitization. This led to my early advocacy of ketamine-based infusions,
and has expanded to include protocols as disparate as regional analgesia,
oral antagonists of hyperalgesia and epidural "cocktails".”
“I'm fortunate to be able to pick the brains of some of the best
and brightest on VIN, and consider it a wasted day if I don't learn
something new.”
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