On Tuesday, we saw a lynx.”Īmong her favorite cases was a pot-bellied pig Thielen treated for water intoxication. “One guy wanted to bring me this red Indian flying tree squirrel that was the size of a cat. She has gone on to help a diverse cast of animals, working with everything from emus and capybaras to turkeys and lizards.Īt this point, there is little that could shock her. Thielen’s early exposure to and interest in a range of animals has benefited her career. I’ve really always just loved animals, and I’ve always loved exotic animals,” she said.

“I’ve wanted to be a veterinarian since I knew what a veterinarian was. She was especially drawn to the hands-on nature of working with pets, saying that bunnies were much cuddlier than zoo animals like tigers.

When she began thinking about working with animals, she initially wanted to be an exotic veterinarian at a zoo, but at the CVM, she was exposed to the option of becoming an exotic animal pet veterinarian. “I’ve had a very big variety of different animals over the years.” I’ve always had rabbits,” she said, adding that in veterinary school, she had a Dutch rabbit named Penelope. “I’ve had turtles, iguanas, parrots, different types of lizards, hamsters, gerbils and rabbits. Raised in Fort Worth, she recalls sharing a love of animals with her father she was never far from an animal friend in her home growing up. “I don’t think I ever expected something like this to happen, but I’m really glad it did.” An Early InterestĪlthough appearing on television was an unexpected twist in her career, Thielen has always held a passion for exotic animals. I went to school to be a doctor,” Thielen said. “Nobody thinks they’re going to be on TV. T, Lone Star Vet,” which premiered in October. Her claim to fame didn’t end there, though she now headlines her own National Geographic program, “Dr. Thielen appeared on the show from its beginning in 2014 until she left the practice in 2018. Kelleher and her team treat everything from ferrets to foxes. The show follows the happenings of the animal hospital as Dr. K’s Exotic Animal ER” premiered in 2014 and is currently in its eighth season. I thought it would be great to educate through an outlet so lovely as National Geographic.” One month after beginning her position, Thielen learned that National Geographic would be producing a television show about the practice. Lauren Thielen, a 2013 graduate of the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVM), is no stranger to a camera.Īfter receiving her doctor of veterinary medicine (DVM), Thielen pursued an internship at the Broward Avian and Exotics Animal Hospital in Florida under Dr.

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