Season 2 is here, and we’re kicking things off with Dr. Serge Chalhoub: internal medicine specialist, professor at the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, co-founder of the Calgary Veterinary POCUS Academy and, apparently, Prince of the Nephrons.

Serge’s path through vet med wasn’t exactly linear. After vet school, he thought he’d become a general practice owner. A near-fainting incident during a dog spay, a detour through emergency medicine and a habit of calling ER clients a week later to see how their pets were doing eventually pointed him toward internal medicine, and a career built around teaching.

We get into why point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has become such a valuable tool in veterinary medicine, why Serge believes RVTs and DVMs alike can learn to use it, and how it could change the way we triage and care for patients.

We also talk kidneys (obviously), the ethics of feline kidney transplants, raw diets, AI and innovation in veterinary practice, burnout, boundaries, staffing shortages and what Serge thinks needs to change as the profession moves forward.

And near the end, Serge shares something he hopes every veterinary student learns: think critically, challenge your assumptions, and stop being so afraid to fail.

Plus: kidney dad jokes, techno, questionable dancing and the official crowning of the King of the Nephrons.

Welcome back to Don't Call Me Catty.

🎙️ In this episode:
• Finding the right career path when your first plan doesn’t fit
• Why Serge chose internal medicine and teaching
• What POCUS can actually do in everyday veterinary practice
• How RVTs can use ultrasound in triage
• Kidneys, nephrology and feline kidney transplantation
• AI, innovation and reducing workload in vet med
• Burnout, boundaries and the changing veterinary workforce
• Why veterinary professionals need permission to make mistakes

About Dr. Serge Chalhoub

Dr. Chalhoub graduated from the DVM program at the Faculté de médecine vétérinaire (FMV) of the Université de Montréal in 2004. Serge followed this with a one-year rotating small animal clinical internship at the same institution. After working for two years as a general practitioner and emergency veterinarian in Montreal, Serge pursued a residency in small animal internal medicine at the Animal Medical Center (AMC) in New York City. Once his residency completed in 2009 he stayed on at the AMC as their first renal/hemodialysis fellow and then as a staff doctor.

Dr. Chalhoub has been a faculty member at the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (UCVM) since 2012 and currently holds the rank of Professor (Teaching). He was the recipient of the 2021 and 2013 Canadian Veterinary Medical Association’s Teacher of the Year Award, the 2015 University of Calgary Team Teacher of the Year Award, the 2017 Carl J. Norden Distinguished Teacher Award, and is a 2024 3M National Teaching Fellowship recipient recognizing Canada’s outstanding teachers. Serge is the coordinator of a community outreach-service learning program (UCVM-CUPS Pet Health Clinic) for disadvantaged Calgarians. He has authored and co-authored numerous scientific articles and book chapters on veterinary point of care ultrasound, renal and urinary medicine, and lectures around the world on these topics. He was a member of the National Issues Committee (NIC) of the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) (2016-2024) and also the President of Alberta Veterinary Medical Association (ABVMA) from 2024-2025.

Get in Touch

Email: serge.chalhoub@ucalgary.ca

Calgary POCUS Academy

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