5 minutes with... Dr Fiona Patterson

Dr. Fiona Patterson, Veterinary Advisor, Mars Petcare, is passionate about improving the lives of Australian pets by upskilling the industry professionals who are tasked with providing expertise and advice to pet owners.

FROM THE AGE of 10 there was never any question in Dr Fiona Patterson’s mind that she was going to become a vet. Growing up in the beachside town of Mordialloc in Melbourne, which was once a big racing area, she was exposed to racehorses walking down her street, and was even lucky enough to have a horse of her own. She also relished in visiting the farms of family members, and her eldest sibling often joked that her only worry in life was which horse she was going to ride next.

It really got me thinking about how I could help lift the professionalism and upskill more people in the industry.

“I am one of those absolute cliches,” jokes Dr Patterson. “I was the kid that always wanted to be a vet – there was never anything else. I was all about animals and my bedroom wall was filled with pictures of dogs and horses.”

Fast-forward a few years, and Dr Patterson graduated from the University of Melbourne and began working at a mixed practice at Hoppers Crossing. Being on a suburban fringe, she was exposed to all kinds of animals, from small animals, right through to goats, sheep, and horses. But she found herself gravitating more towards pets over livestock.

“I just love the relationship that people have with their dogs and cats – they’re such family members,” she says.

From there, Dr Patterson began a role with the RSPCA when their brand-new hospital was built in Melbourne, where she went from working each day with just two nurses at the mixed practice, to a team of 10 veterinarians, 25 nursing staff, and a much larger caseload. It was here that she found herself struggling with the toll the welfare and euthanasia side of the job started to take on her, and it made Dr Patterson question where her veterinary career should take her. She had reached a turning point, and rather than allowing herself to become hardened, just to be able to get through the days, she decided to try something new, and found a job at Mars Petcare (then Uncle Bens), where she has been for the last 22 years.

“Mars is an incredible organisation to work for. We’re still a family-owned business, which means that there are a lot of very family friendly policies. It’s also such an incredible organisation with our sustainability efforts, we have invested in a solar farm here in Australia, and Mars have been real environmental campaigners for a very long time. I’m just constantly so proud that I work for Mars,” she says.

Dr Patterson worked as a Sales Representative across a variety of sectors, beginning with veterinary clinics, then moving to look after the pet retail and grocery channels, and ultimately ended up as a Field Sales Manager, looking after representatives across multiple states.

She was then instrumental in the launch of the NUTRO™ Natural Pet Food brand in Australia when it was acquired by Mars Petcare around 2007. This involved the introduction of a ‘pet nutrition specialist model’, whereby she managed a team who would set up a demonstration table within pet retail stores and talk to customers about their pets and help customers to uncover their needs and recommend products.

Dr Fiona Patterson’s best friend while growing up, Tisha the rescue Collie

“A lot of the stores we worked in loved it because it was an extra set of hands, but also they could often overhear what the pet nutrition specialist was saying, and they’d learn too.”

This opened Dr Patterson’s eyes to something that was missing within the pet industry, and that is formal training for staff, particularly on retail shop floors, where a level of expertise is expected when a customer has questions relating to things like behavioural problems or nutrition.

“It really got me thinking about how I could help lift the professionalism and upskill more people in the industry. So that was like a little seed planted for me,” she says.

Upskilling an industry

In her current role as Veterinary Advisor, Dr Patterson has developed the industry leading Mars Petcare College curriculum. A program that provides anyone working in the vet and pet industries the opportunity to upskill their knowledge around pet care, nutrition, and enrichment.

Being based in Melbourne, Dr Patterson spent a fair amount of the last couple of years in lockdown, and she used her time wisely, committing herself to rebuilding the course curriculum to a whole new level.

“I turned that time into a deep dive into building the best course that I could. And anyone who is working in the pet or vet industry now has access to this 25-hour program through Mars Petcare College, absolutely free.”

Mars Petcare College underpins the pet nutrition training offered to Mars staff. It’s also accredited through the Veterinary Nurse Council of Australia (VNCA), so that qualified vet nurses can complete it and get continuing education points.

“Then I turned my thoughts to people who work in pet stores because they’re the ones that I feel for in this industry,” she says. “So, quite a few years ago I approached the PetIndustry Association of Australia (PIAA), and a previous CEO that they had said he also understood the importance of education in upskilling pet industry professionals in Australia, so they accredited Mars Petcare College, which was something new for PIAA.”

When Dr Patterson rebuilt the program, she went back to PIAA once again for accreditation, and they suggested setting the goalposts much higher and seeking government accreditation, which led her to TAFE NSW.

Dr Fiona Patterson working as a young vet at the RSCPA hospital in Melbourne

Following a lengthy 18 months of negotiations with TAFE NSW, Dr Patterson has been able to pull off a first for the pet industry, whereby graduates of Mars Petcare College’s four module program will have a pathway to apply to TAFE NSW to get credits that are nationally recognised.

“I am tenacious. I am like a dog at a bone, and I just didn’t want to give up,” she says.

“We’ve launched a new Statement of Attainment in Pet Nutrition and Enrichment, which is comprised of two units. One unit is around providing enrichment to animals –enrichment strategies help make an animal’s world more interesting. There are many methods of enrichment, but common examples include providing toys for the animal to interact with, or perhaps through enrichment feeding. Zoos also employ enrichment strategies, and this is critical for an animal's mental and physical welfare. And the second unit is on providing nutritional requirements for animals,” she says.

I was the kid that always wanted to be a vet – there was never anything else.

Dr Patterson said that her courses are about helping unqualified people who are just joining the industry, or for those looking to deep dive further into nutrition and pet care topics.“What I love about education is that it’s helping people to better care for pets. So ultimately, by upskilling the people who work in stores and clinics and are providing advice and expertise, it will go a long way to providing a better life for the pets of Australia.

“They get to have a go at learning and get to whet their appetite a bit and I’m hoping they really enjoy it and then decide they’d like to turn it into a formal qualification through TAFE,” she says.

“I want it to be as accessible as possible for people. And I’ve been really driving that as a way Mars Petcare can support the workers in our incredible industry.”

If you’re interested in gaining access to Mars Petcare College, visit www.marspetcarecollege.com