A Day in the Life
Leading with Heart
It was a typical morning at Woodland Veterinary Hospital (WVH). One of the first canine patients had defecated all over the floor of the main treatment room and Woodstock, the clinic cat, came sauntering through to see what all the fuss was about.
Dr. Keith Rode ’06 may be co-owner of the hospital, but it’s clear who’s boss. Woody, as the WVH team calls him, was an early patient of Rode’s during his first year working as a veterinarian after graduating from UC Davis. Rode helped to save the tabby’s life after he needed surgery for a urethral obstruction and he’s lived at the hospital for the 14 years since. Another cat, Jeff, showed up on the clinic doorsteps a couple years ago and the staff adopted him too.
“Working in a busy clinic setting can be tough emotionally,” Rode said. “The cats provide support for all of us. Even the IT people and vendors that come in look for the cats first thing.”
“I tell the students who come through here, don’t feel that general practice is settling,” said Rode, whose work interests include surgery, dentistry, and endocrine diseases. “I find it deeply rewarding.”
Rode got his initial experiences working in a veterinary clinic in Yountville, CA while he was in high school and during his early undergraduate years. The clinic was so “old school” that Rode learned to develop x-rays in chemicals. There was one staff veterinarian, one assistant, and Rode who cleaned kennels and did whatever else they would let him do – a great place for a lot of hands-on experience, he said.
Veterinary medicine has progressed a great deal since, reflected in the bright, open treatment room at WVH. There are several exam tables and an operating room with viewing windows. Natural light comes in from both sides and windows near the high ceiling.
Despite the modern, hi-tech equipment and layout, the focus of Rode’s approach to veterinary medicine remains rooted in paying close attention to his patients by slowly palpating their bodies, observing their body language, and asking careful questions of their owners.
Recent graduate Dr. Cailey Cavanaugh ’20 echoes that. She said one of the reasons why she likes to work with Rode and the rest of the WVH team is the care and devotion shown to every patient, regardless of the situation.
“I enjoy being part of the community and seeing patients from puppyhood to old age,” Cavanaugh said. “We can be there for people and their pets at all stages in life. That’s really gratifying.”
Rode grew up wanting to be a veterinarian and never wavered from that dream. There were plenty of life experiences that helped solidify his choice: going with his childhood pets to their veterinary exams, reading (and re-reading) all of the James Herriot books, taking pre-veterinary courses at the farm at Vintage High School in Napa, and watching a presentation by the first veterinarian in space, to name a few.
Because of his interest in veterinary medicine, pursuing college at UC Davis made perfect sense. As an undergraduate, he majored in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior. He also wrote a weekly column for the student newspaper, sang in the University Chorus and the Liquid Hotplates a cappella group, acted in a production of Shakespeare’s As You Like It, found a nerdy interest in linguistic anthropology, and met the woman that would become his wife.
While in veterinary school, Rode traveled to Mexico and central Africa to provide veterinary services to isolated villages, and spent one month in Washington, DC, in a governmental relations externship with the American Veterinary Medical Association. He continues to be involved in the veterinary community at the local and state level and has served as president of both the Sacramento Valley Veterinary Medical Association and the California Veterinary Medical Foundation.
Rode is currently on the Board of Governors of the California Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) representing veterinarians in the greater Sacramento region at the state level. He is the CVMA president-elect for 2022–23.
“Through the CVMA I have developed a passion for legislative advocacy on issues that affect animals, animal owners, veterinarians, and small businesses,” said Rode who became co-owner of WVH in 2012.
Rode’s enthusiasm for his practice shines through in his interactions with established and new clients and patients – many of whom he sees around town regularly.
“I love living and working in a small town not unlike where I grew up,” Rode said. “I feel very fortunate to enjoy what I do for a living, and to be enthusiastic about the place where I work and my work ‘family’. ”