Get to know Dr Keagan Boustead

'Since moving to Durban at the beginning of 2021, I have been working at Westville Veterinary Hospital, where I am primarily responsible for providing an anaesthesia service for the hospital to critically ill patients as well as complicated surgical cases. My time is shared with the University of Pretoria where I lecture part time in veterinary anaesthesia.'

The primary responsibility of an anaesthetist is to optimise patient outcome in the perioperative period. This entails developing personalised protocols (drugs, dosages, type of monitoring equipment used) based on each patients underlying medical condition, and surgical procedure. Anaesthetists are also extensively involved in the management of critically ill patients. In the veterinary field there are not many anaesthetists and South Africa currently only has 3 registered specialists in veterinary anaesthesia. 

The primary reason for this is that the surgical procedure becomes “too expensive”, as extra cost needs be added to cover the anaesthetist’s salary and the costs of advanced monitoring equipment. Thus, sadly, most veterinary anaesthetics are performed under suboptimal conditions. It’s important to know that mammalian physiology is all very similar, whether it be a human or dog. The drugs and equipment we use are also exactly the same as those used by human anaesthetists.

I was born and grew up in Pretoria. Thus, transitioning from Pretoria Boys High School to the University of Pretoria just a few hundred meters away was natural. Unlike many people working in the veterinary field, my decision to pursue veterinary science was not one of passion. It was a logical decision: I enjoyed biology, I wanted to study something that would provide job security, I disliked human ailments and I rather enjoyed the diversity of the animal kingdom. Retrospectively, I definitely would advise anyone interested in studying veterinary science to talk to as many people in the profession as possible to get a full idea of the pros and cons of the profession. To anyone romanticising the profession, it is not what you think! Long working hours, treating many cases simultaneously, owner financial constraints and the expectation by clients that you should be performing at a specialist level are just some of the daily challenges faced by vets.

In 2016 after graduating, I was sent to Nelspruit to perform my compulsory community service. I was posted to veterinary public health state vet post, where my responsibilities primarily included abattoir inspections and export certification of animal products. Veterinary science is a very diverse field and does not only include clinical jobs. In fact, the non-clinical positions often form an essential part of the agricultural sector and play an extremely important role in ensuring food security.

I returned to my home town in 2017 and completed a small animal (dogs and cats) rotating internship at the University of Pretoria. This internship, unlike in human medicine, is voluntary and is often a prerequisite to enrol in specialist training. Essentially it provides an extra year of working under the supervision of specialists. It was during this year that I met my current mentor and supervisor Professor Gareth Zeiler. He exposed me to the interesting world of post graduate anaesthesia. Physiology + pharmacology + equipment = anaesthesia, exactly my interests! He gave me the opportunity to start specialist training under his supervision. Since 2018 I have been registered as resident in veterinary anaesthesiology at the European College of Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia with the intention to write the specialist exam this year. During my training, I provided a specialist anaesthesia service at Valley Farm Animal Hospital and at the University of Pretoria Faculty of Veterinary Science. In 2020 I also received an MSc in veterinary anaesthesia form the University of Pretoria after completing a research project in mechanical ventilation in dogs.

I have a keen interest in research and hope to continue to contribute to the field of anaesthesia and critical care, particularly in the field of mechanical ventilation.

Dr Keagan Boustead - Bsc, BVSc, Msc (Veterinary Anaesthesia), Resident ECVAA