Dr. Carmen Purtscher grew up in a small, rural town in Austria. Being surrounded by animals all her life, she discovered her passion for them in her early years. 

At the age of six, she started to volunteer at a local dairy farm. She spent every minute of her free time with the farm animals and at that point, a life without animals was unthinkable. She knew there and then that being surrounded by animals and being able to care for their well-being made her happy. She felt it was her calling to become a veterinarian.

Shortly after enrolling into a high school that strongly focused on business, Dr. Purtscher realized that this wasn’t the right fit for her. She continued but her passion for animals and medicine got stronger over the years and after graduating she decided to pursue her dream of becoming a veterinarian.

In 2001, Dr. Purtscher was accepted to the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna and graduated in 2007. Right out of school she started working for an emergency clinic and really enjoyed the fast pace of her work. One year later, she and her husband decided to move to Canada. Her passion and dedication for her profession pushed her to get her veterinary degree accredited by the Canadian Veterinarian Medical Association and she now works as an associate in a small animal clinic in Ottawa.

Dr. Purtscher has over ten years of work experience in small animal internal medicine and surgery, including one year as an emergency doctor. She is the lucky owner of a beautiful and very special cat, Beatrice. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her two daughters and her husband. She is always interested in learning new languages, loves outdoor activities, plays volleyball and travels a lot.

Dr. Carmen Purtscher is highly dedicated to the at-home euthanasia service. She believes it’s a service that is needed and highly appreciated by pet owners. She feels fortunate that she can offer this service to the Ottawa community.