Welcome to Episode 10 in our series of chats with vegan veterinarians! This month, we will be speaking with the remarkable, Dr. Gwendy Reyes-Illg.

Dr. Gwendy Reyes-Illg currently works in Oregon as a relief veterinarian for companion animals, including small mammals and birds. She also works as a consultant for a nonprofit organization that works to advance animal welfare and decrease the suffering of animals caused by humans. Her past experience is diverse. She served as founding veterinary director for the chimpanzee sanctuary Project Chimps, provided veterinary care for companion animals in Colorado, Georgia, and Pennsylvania, and volunteered for wild animal sanctuaries in Cameroon and Uganda.

Dr. Reyes-Illg earned her master’s degree in philosophy at Colorado State University, with a focus on animal and veterinary medical ethics. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in zoology and a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Florida.

Animal advocacy has long been Dr. Reyes-Illg’s passion. A vegan for over 20 years, she works to raise awareness of and improve the plight of animals in a variety of settings. In college, she campaigned successfully for a voter-initiated state ban on sow gestation crates and implemented an environmental enrichment program for pigs subjected to intensive confinement. As a veterinary student, she developed a Willed Body Program to provide ethically-sourced cadavers for equine anatomy courses. She also launched Helping Alachua’s Animals Requiring Treatment and Surgery (HAARTS), a program that to date had helped save the lives of over 2,000 homeless pets while providing an alternative to terminal surgeries in the veterinary curriculum. Dr. Reyes-Illg currently serves as a member of the HSVMA Board of Directors.

Join us on June 11, 2023 (Sunday) at 7:00 PM PST/9:00 PM CST/ 10:00 PM EST and be sure to register for FREE at discussions.ourhonor.org

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