Introducing
Dr.Ryan Llera
Dr. Ryan Llera
I met Dr. Llera on Twitter and became a fan of his blog, DrRyanLlera.com, where he shares pet health information, the life a veterinarian, and his personal experiences of pet ownership.
Dr. Llera and I have teamed up to share pet health information and topics of interest to pet owners in a new segment called, “Vet Chat with Dr. Llera“.
Dr. Llera and I invite you to leave comments below with suggestions of future Vet Chat pet health topics you would like to see discussed in future posts.
About Dr. Ryan Llera
Well, hello there!
My name is Ryan, but lots of people know me as Dr. Llera. I am a small animal veterinarian currently living and practicing in Kingston, Ontario. Yep, that’s right, I’m in Canada….but I haven’t always been living in this great country. Born and raised in the USA, I spent most of my life living in Miami. My wife, Jennifer, is originally from New Brunswick and after we got married she transplanted me north of the border. She is also a veterinarian and we moved to the Kingston area for job purposes but also due to the wonderful local culture and distance to other major cities.
This is not my first time living up north. I spent 4 years at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I graduated in 2006 and have been fortunate enough to spend the past eight years in this great profession. Working on small animals came naturally but as you can imagine I probably didn’t have much exposure to cows and horses in the middle of Miami. Growing up, our family had cats, dogs, an occasional garden snake mom willingly let me keep for a week before releasing, 3 hamsters I got from a school friend that overnight turned into 19(!) , and an iguana who is still going strong at 22 years of age but currently lives with my mom in sunny south Florida.
I didn’t always want to be a veterinarian. Being a young man, I went through the usual phases of firefighter, astronaut, and movie star. Dad was hoping I would take over the family business and become a photographer. I settled on being the next football star but mom wouldn’t sign the permission papers. During my 10th grade year of high school, we lost one of our cats to diabetes and it was because of everything we experienced during his care and ultimately his passing that I decided to be a veterinarian. That was 18 years ago and I have no regrets!
Dr. Ryan Llera, Dr. Jennifer, Llera, Charlie and Taylor
The last little bit about me for now… Jennifer & I currently are the proud parents of two dogs – Charlie & Taylor, 3 cats – Gremlin, Asia, & Louie, and two horses – Willie & Gastspieler (Gus). Charlie is our lab mix and is a cancer survivor, while Taylor is an English Springer Spaniel. Our dogs are part of the reason that we met and ultimately got married. Gremlin has hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, Asia gets very grumpy at the vet clinic, and Louie is our 3-legged wonder cat! Jennifer rides dressage with both Willie & Gus and I support the habit and have been told I make a very good groom.
I believe that we as people have a very strong bond with our pets and I strive to do the best that I can to make your relationship with your pets a lasting and positive experience for you and your pets. My ultimate dream and goal is to make veterinary medicine informative, non-intimidating, and accessible for everyone. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your community and I look forward to answering your questions and helping you with your pets!
Don’t forget to let us know the pet health topics you would like to see discussed in future Vet Chat episodes of “Vet Chat with Dr Ryan Llera”
March 23, 2016
Nice to meet you and learn about your background. Look forward to future posts. Would be interested in topics related to senior dog care and food sensitivities in dogs. Thank you!
March 28, 2016
Thank you for your great topic suggestions for future discussion – senior dog/pet care and food sensitivities. It appears that many are interested in senior pet care.
March 23, 2016
Dr. Llera sounds pawesome! The best line in the interview: My ultimate dream and goal is to make veterinary medicine informative, non-intimidating, and accessible for everyone. You have to love this type of dedication!
March 23, 2016
Since this post is sort of old don’t know if I will get any action on this. I am wondering about senior check-ups for my dog.. Especially now that Angel Shiloh has crossed the Bridge and Lady Shasta, who is 9 years old, is his niece by blood – Lady Shasta’s mom was Angel Shiloh’s littermate. When he died he had liver and spleen cancer, enlarged lymph glands, enlarged adrenal gland and fluid around his lungs. He did not show any discernable signs until about a month before his death and even then it was not firmly diagnosed until an Ultrasound confirmed it at Kansas State Vet School the day before his death.
March 28, 2016
I am so sorry to hear about Shiloh’s passing.
Dr. Llera and I will be going over all questions and suggestions for future topics and I believe check-ups for senior dogs (pets) is an important topic.
March 23, 2016
Very nice to “meet” you, Dr. Llera! You have a beautiful family! I’ll be tuning in for more of your blog series with Edie.
March 23, 2016
What a great idea to have a vet answer questions. I’d like to know about the whole business of where vets stick thermometers on cats. I’ve heard tell you can also take it under the armpit. I’d also like to know if there’s a theory why so many indoor cats are getting asthma and kidney disease. It seems like an epidemic.
March 22, 2016
I’d like to hear more about titers vs. vaccines – Thanks!
September 17, 2014
So happy to see Dr. Llera on your blog Miss Edie !!
September 18, 2014
We are very happy to have Dr.Llera!
Feel free to leave any questions or topics of interest that you would like to see discussed in future posts.
September 16, 2014
Miss Edie is one smart puppy 🙂 Never met a dog with a blog before, but I’m glad I have now! Following on Facebook and Twitter, so I can get updates.
September 17, 2014
What’s a pug without a blog 😉
Thanks for following me! I hope to continue to amuse and educate.