Brent Mayabb, DVM, is the Vice President, Corporate Affairs for Royal Canin USA, located in St. Charles, Missouri. He completed his undergraduate work at Murray State University in Murray, KY, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry.

Dr. Mayabb completed his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree at the University of Missouri-Columbia (Mizzou) and worked as an associate veterinarian for several years prior to joining Royal Canin.

Dr. Mayabb and his wife, Julie (also a vet) share their home with Ferris the greyhound, and Tessa the cat. 

Idiopathic Issues: Describe your career path, specifically, the route you took from Graduation to where you are today.

Dr. Mayabb: After graduation, I practiced in a small animal practice full time for five years. I received a call from a recruiter for a role in my area at a pet food company that had been recently purchased by Mars.

I was interested, so I applied. I was hired originally as a technical service vet to do nutritional consultations related to Royal Canin products with veterinary customers. I was later promoted to manage the technical service team.

After five years in technical service, I became the manager of learning and development and was in charge of the nutrition and product training for all of the sales team and field vets. I was in that training role for four years. I’ve been in my current role of leading Corporate Affairs for almost three years. I love working at Royal Canin, but I missed the animals, so I still do relief work on weekends some.

II: What does your job entail?

Dr. Mayabb: Corporate Affairs is responsible for scientific affairs, scientific service veterinarians, regulatory affairs, technical service, public affairs and corporate communications.

In essence, wherever our company speaks to different audiences, whether it’s veterinarians, scientists, regulators, government officials or pet owners, Corporate Affairs is the voice.

II: What are the best things about your job?

Dr. Mayabb: There’s a lot of variety in what I do. One day I may be working on the strategy for pet food regulations and the next day I may be working on a public relations campaign.

II: What are some challenges you face in your position?

Dr. Mayabb: With the wide scope of areas covered by Corporate Affairs, it can be difficult to focus on any single area for long. Sometimes when I get on a roll with one project, I have to stop and move to a different project in a different area.

II: What types of employment opportunities exist for DVMs within Royal Canin?

Dr. Mayabb: At Royal Canin, we value the broad expertise that veterinarians bring. We have vets who work in roles traditionally associated with veterinary medicine such as research and development, technical service and field support, but we also have vets who work in other areas such as sales, marketing and training.

II: What advice would you give to a veterinary student interested in pursuing a career in the pet food industry?

Dr. Mayabb: Get in experience in private practice for a little while first. It will increase your understanding of your customer and give you a career advantage within industry.

II: Looking back, what do you know now that you wish you would have known as a Vet Student?

Dr. Mayabb: I wish I would have understood the importance of learning more about business. No matter what area of veterinary medicine you end up in, having some general business knowledge can’t hurt and in most cases can really help your career.

II: What are some challenges/changes you see for the veterinary profession?

Dr. Mayabb: I think the rising cost of a veterinary education is a big issue. Vet school tuition has outpaced veterinary salaries, in my opinion, and it’s creating a situation where veterinarians won’t be able to make enough money to cover their living expenses and loan repayments.

II: Any ideas on how to address the problem?

Dr. Mayabb: It’s a pretty complex problem, and I don’t think there’s a single answer. One step in the right direction is the federal and state loan repayment and forgiveness programs for vets who move to areas with a shortage in veterinary care.

II: What is your most memorable patient or moment in veterinary medicine?

Dr. Mayabb: I treated an Alaskan malamute with AIHA for six months, who ended up losing two toes and part of his tail during his therapy.

Every time we would make an improvement in the hemolytic anemia, something else would go wrong with the dog. Despite all of the issues, he made it through and was healthy and happy afterwards.

II: What are some of your hobbies outside of veterinary medicine?

Dr. Mayabb: I love to run and ride my bicycle. I get to travel a lot with my job and I like going to new places as well. I’ve recently started trying to learn to play drums. I

I: Do you have a dream species that you would like to work with?

Dr. Mayabb: I’ve always wanted to learn more about small ruminants, particularly goats.

II: Why goats?

Dr. Mayabb: They’re nature’s hard workers. They do a lot with what they get and don’t complain much.

II: How would you like to see technology affect vet med?

Dr. Mayabb: More than pure technology, I’d like to see improved data capture and analytics in veterinary medicine. I think with more data and the ability to interpret it, we could improve the quality of medicine that we practice.

II: Any other words of advice about your specialty?

Dr. Mayabb: Yes, I would again emphasize that learning the basics of business can only help your career, no matter which direction you go.

How to Land Your Dream Job

They say getting in is the hardest part.

“They” don’t know how challenging vet school can be.

But you are in the middle of it and you know that it is very difficult; lots of late nights studying, worrying about your patients, mountains of debt, a giant board exam to pass prior to graduation and then, oh yeah, I guess you should think about getting a job too.

We put together a list of what you should be considering when looking for that DREAM JOB:

• Know what Employers are Seeking in a Vet
• The Top Tips for Finding a Job
• Tips for the Interview
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