BSc BVMS DACVD
Dr Sam Crothers is a board-certified veterinary dermatologist. She is a founder and director of Veterinary Dermatology Specialists in Perth.
Dr Sam has practiced in the field of dermatology in Northern California, Colorado, Perth and Melbourne. She has treated exotic animals at the San Francisco Zoo and a wildlife park in Colorado while in the USA.
Dr Sam graduated from Veterinary School at Murdoch University. She worked in a busy small animal general practice in Perth before moving to California to complete a dermatology residency training program at the University of California Davis (UC Davis). She accepted a role as a clinical instructor at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital following her residency then was an Assistant Professor at Colorado State University (CSU). Dr Sam trained dermatology residents at both UC Davis and CSU as well as hundreds of veterinary students in the USA and Melbourne. Her scientific research has been published in the journal of Veterinary Dermatology.
She is a member of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists (ANZVCS) and the American College of Veterinary Dermatology (ACVD).
Get to know more about Dr Sam:
Where are you from?
I was born in Geraldton, WA and moved to Perth to complete my final years of high school and university. Veterinary Dermatology has taken me on a wonderful adventure to California, Colorado and then most recently Melbourne. I am now so happy to be home with my family and lifelong friends to raise my kids in the wonderful place of Perth.
Do you have your own pets?
I have a 13 year old Domestic Long Haired cat named Macadamia (who reins from California) and a 2 year old Domestic Long Haired cat named Cali-Coco. They are best of friends and a much-loved part of our family.
Where did you get your love for veterinary field from?
I came home at the age of 6 to announce that I was going to be a vet and have never thought twice about my career path since. Growing up, I had a menagerie of pets including Golden Retrievers, Siamese and Balinese cats, a variety of birds, fish, hermit crabs, rabbits and mice. I fostered native wildlife and bred birds and rabbits. I was fortunate to live next door to one of the vets in Geraldton and spent weekends and holidays helping at the local veterinary clinic. I enjoy working with animals as much as I do with their humans.
What are some of you the most exotic animals you’ve treated as a Veterinary Dermatologist?
A highlight of my time in the USA was having the privilege of helping one of the polar bears at the San Francisco Zoo. One of the newly introduced bears bought fleas into the bear enclosure and she became very itchy. I was also fortunate to perform intradermal testing for environmental allergies on a tiger in Colorado.
