Cabassu Jean Pierre, Docteur Vétérinaire (Maison-Alfort 1974), Diplomate ECVS
(1974, Recertified twice). Owner Clinique Cabassu , Marseille. France.
G.S-S. I believe that you Grandfather started the Cabassu practice in the days of horse transport. Please give readers an overview of the development of your practice until now with your son who recently joined the family business
J-P.C. My Grandfather started the practice more than a hundred years ago, and very quickly built the facility. It was a large veterinary clinic for horses. Beginning with working horses, the practice progressively got specialized in sport horses when my father and uncle were working there. When I started, 70 % of the activity was equine-related, and my first interest was orthopaedics in horses. However I found it a frustrating job in a region with only few horses of value… and I developed the small animal surgery activity at such a point that we now have a 75% income from referred cases in small animals
G.S-S. Had you always known that you would follow your father into the practice or did you have other ideas in early age?
J-P.C. I don’t remember. I only know that it was a good choice. One of the best things that can happen to one is to be happy to go to work every morning.
G.S-S. I know that over the last two decades you have invested in the clinic a considerable amount of time and funds and now have ‘State of the Art’ diagnostic and treatment facilities. Please give readers an overview of those facilities. as well as a summary of your colleagues and staff.
J-P C. As I told you we moved from a mostly equine activity to a referral small animal practice, so the surface area to convert was large. However we do not intend to cover a complete spectrum of specialities. We are six fulltime vets and three part time consultants.
The clinic is in the centre of the city and we rebuilt most of the facility and spent money to improve our diagnostic tools as well as our treatment materials. As an example ten years ago we bought a new CT scan, and now we have up to date Digital X-rays and Ultrasound machines and all those are linked in a PACS.
G.S-S. In recent years you have taken a great interest in the AOVET and indeed served a prolonged term as President. In that capacity you were involved in many changes put about to bring the organisation into a 21st century system. Would you kindly enlarge upon my comments, please?
J-P.C. AO vet was born in 1968. During the early years of the new century it was still an association beside the AO Foundation and was receiving an annual allocation from the Foundation. During the 2009 Trustees Meeting of the Foundation in Chicago it was decided by the Trustees to create a new AO specialty, AOVET, with equal rights and duties to the three others (AOTrauma, AOSpine, AOCMF). As I was at that time President of AOvet I became the first Chairman of AOVET. That can be called a coincidence. Nevertheless it opened a lot of opportunities and we worked to turn the old association into a modern, open, transparent, global association. It appears to be successful and we have now more than 600 members enjoying membership of our famous community with the various included benefits. Also AO has begun to launch a giant project called AO Connect, and with its development a lot of opportunities will be open to our community.
