SINGAPORE – When Dr Derniese Goh was in Secondary 4, cramming for her O-level exams, a mistake led her down the path to becoming Singapore’s first female small animal specialist surgeon.
She had fed her dog Scott, a two-year-old Japanese spitz, some leftover corn soup, including the cob.
“I thought he would chew it,” she recalls. “But he just swallowed the whole thing.”
Scott required emergency surgery to remove the cob, and days later, he made a full recovery.
That experience ignited Dr Goh’s passion for veterinary medicine.
The 33-year-old holds a fellowship with the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists and is a specialist in small animal surgery. Her clinical interests include minimally invasive surgery, orthopaedics, neurologic and soft tissue procedures.
Her work encompasses everything from treating fractures to performing spinal surgeries, navigating complex surgical procedures that many general practice veterinarians cannot manage.
Dr Goh is currently the director of Westside Veterinary Emergency and Referral Hospital in Serangoon Gardens, which features a 24/7 intensive care unit and emergency department.
