Although Dr. Anna Sacco has loved animals all her life, the inspiration for becoming a veterinarian came a bit later down the road. While growing up in Lowell, Dr. Sacco’s family always had dogs and her aunt had cats. She enjoyed searching for toads around her parents’ house and started taking horseback lessons when she was eight years old. She even got her first horse when she was 14.
Dr. Sacco spent her undergrad at Saint Joseph’s College in Rensselaer playing Division II volleyball and pondering which area of study she wanted to pursue. Between her sophomore and junior year of her undergrad, she took on an internship at the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo. An injured escapee bird gave Dr. Sacco the clarification she needed.
“We had to capture a bird that had broken a feather and was bleeding,” Dr. Sacco said. “A vet had to come out and dress the wound. As I was sitting there holding the bird and watching her do her work, I was thinking to myself that I wanted to be that person that was dressing the wound and taking care of the animal on the medical side of it.”
It was this incident that led Dr. Sacco to pursue VetMed and continue on to veterinary school at Purdue University in West Lafayette. After graduating, Dr. Sacco got a job at McAfee Animal Hospital and said that she has enjoyed her experience there.
“It can be hard for new grads coming into practice and adjusting to real life out of school. They’ve really been great and positive and welcoming. I’m learning a lot and really enjoying myself so far,” she said.
Since beginning at McAfee, Dr. Sacco said that she enjoys performing surgeries, meeting new people, and interacting with clients. She has seen how she and others in her field are making a positive difference in the lives of clients and pets.
“Now we’re talking more and more about the human-animal bond and how important it is,” Dr. Sacco said. “I think a veterinarian can really facilitate that bond and give our pets longer, happier, and healthier lives through education and supporting our clients for their pet’s best life.”
Dr. Sacco enjoys working with others at the animal hospital and has developed bonds with her coworkers beyond hospital walls. Her favorite memory since working at McAfee happened on an outing with her coworkers.
“I and three other doctors were going to grab a bite and catch up,” she said. “I had a nail in my tire and my tire was completely flat, so I had to wait for AAA to get there to change my tires. We sat in the parking lot and were just talking and laughing and we took a selfie to commemorate the time we waited for AAA to come and change my tire.”
During her time off, Dr. Sacco enjoys spending time with family at her parents’ pool, having late-night bonfires with friends, riding her horse, Willy, playing with her Golden Retriever, Finn, and gardening at her residence in Crown Point.
For more information about McAfee Animal Hospital, visit their website at https://mcafeeah.com/.