Retired veterinarian establishes scholarship for mixed-animal practitioners

As a young boy growing up in rural Scotland, Dr. Peter Morgenthaler (DVM) knew he wanted to become a veterinarian. His mother’s side of the family had links to farming, which gave him a chance to develop his interest in animals — especially in horses.

“I was always around the farm and especially loved work horses, and that was what started it all,” he said.

After serving in his country’s military, Morgenthaler came to Canada when he was 23 years old. He lived in Toronto for a year before moving west to Banff, Alta., where he worked a collection of odd jobs, including a part-time job leading trail rides around the national park.

Morgenthaler completed one year of agriculture studies at the University of Alberta in Edmonton before being accepted into the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program at the University of Guelph’s Ontario Veterinary College. Before graduation, Morgenthaler briefly worked in a laboratory in B.C. and a veterinary practice. Once he was a veterinarian, he practised in a large animal veterinary clinic in Rimbey, Alta.

Living in a big city was never something Morgenthaler envisioned for himself. When he found an area lacking a veterinarian, he decided to establish his own veterinary clinic in 1967: the West Kootenay Animal Hospital in Trail, B.C., where he practised for more than 30 years.

“I was on my way back to Alberta when I drove through an area just east of Castlegar, B.C., and there was no vet at all in the West Kootenays at the time,” said Morgenthaler. “I managed to start there, and I practised there for the rest of my career.”

Despite having “always been a horse nut,” Morgenthaler also enjoys dogs, which led him to a long career in mixed animal practice. Now at 93 years old, Morgenthaler is focused on supporting the next generation of veterinarians. This passion for giving back inspired him to establish two awards in Western Canada: the “Dr. Peter Morgenthaler Scholarship” at the WCVM and another award at the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine.

His WCVM award, worth $3,000, annually recognizes a fourth-year veterinary student who has demonstrated excellence with both large and small animals and plans to enter mixed animal practice after graduation. The 2026 recipient is Dr. Emerson Ferrier (DVM), who shares in Morgenthaler’s passion for veterinary medicine.

“I remember I wanted to [become a vet] since forever, and it was just a goal that I set from before I can remember,” said Ferrier, who grew up in Kimberley, B.C. “I have a worksheet from kindergarten about ‘what do you want to do when you grow up?’ It was a vet, and I never changed my mind.”

Ferrier earned a Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree in zoology from the University of British Columbia (Okanagan) before beginning the WCVM’s four-year veterinary program in 2022. After graduating this spring, Ferrier became a mixed animal practitioner with the Norsask Veterinary Group, which operates clinics in Warman and Rosthern — two communities north of Saskatoon, Sask.

As to what led her to mixed animal practice, Ferrier was intrigued by the variety of work that veterinarians cover in this field.

“I love the idea of having a different day every single day. You can be in a puppy appointment at one minute and then be out with a horse the next minute,” said Ferrier. “That’s why I like mixed animal because I love the client-pet relationship — but I also love the producer-livestock relationship because it’s so different.”

Before entering veterinary school, Ferrier worked with both large and small animals. During this time, she discovered her passion for dairy cows.

“I want to be able to support [the dairy producers’] living, and you’re working through these puzzles with the producer,” said Ferrier, describing the routine herd health visits to dairy farms. “The producers love their cows so much, and I just love how much they love their cows.”

Ferrier feels “very prideful” when she tells people she received Morgenthaler’s scholarship: “It gives me confidence that people saw me working in school, and they felt like I deserved this award.”

Now, four months into her career as a mixed animal veterinarian, Ferrier appreciates the learning she gets to do every day. “It’s a steep learning curve, but I have thought about myself four months ago [after graduation], and I’m just so shocked about the steps I’ve already made,” she said.

Looking back, Morgenthaler can clearly see how veterinary medicine influenced his life and benefited the communities he served in rural B.C. Now, he hopes that Ferrier and all future recipients of his scholarship “will do well” in their veterinary careers, too.

“With this scholarship, I would like to promote my own profession,” said Morgenthaler. “I’ve always been concerned with donating for the public good, and I want to further veterinary medicine.”