Getting to Know the PAC Team: Dr. Matt Fruge Hey, y’all! I’m very excited to introduce myself as a member of the PAC team. My name is Matt Fruge (pronounced Froo-jay) and I am from a small town in southwest Louisiana called Basile. I was raised on a small cattle ranch where we raised crawfish as well. As a child, I was always deeply fascinated by all animals but ruminants were always my favorite. I was homeschooled by my mother for a few of my childhood years which I enjoyed because it afforded lots of time to work with the small ranch, fixing fence or checking cattle, not to mention lots of time in a crawfish boat. After graduating high school, I attended McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana where I pursued a degree in animal science while playing offensive line for the university football team. I was fortunate enough to be a part of the team that won the Southland Conference two years in a row. The lessons I learned from my coaches and teammates are a huge part of who I am today. Early on in my college career I knew I wanted to work in the beef industry, but I was unsure what role I would take. My family always told me that I should go to school to become a veterinarian and as time went on I gained more clarity and it became clear to me that they were right. Before moving on to veterinary school, I received my BS in Animal Science as well as a MS in Environmental Science, which allowed me to take higher level courses in biochemistry, reproductive physiology and advanced nutrition. I started veterinary school at Louisiana State University in August of 2012. In the four years I spent at that university, I gained much more than just a degree. Through the university I was able to spend time working alongside food animal and production veterinarians all throughout Louisiana as well as Tennessee, Alabama, Texas, Illinois and South Dakota. I also made lasting friendships and found mentors that have had a huge role in making me who I am today. One of these great mentors is Dr. Jacques Fuselier who has become a very close friend of mine. I was fortunate enough to spend lots of time with Dr. Fuselier my last year going all over the state of Louisiana working with cattle, horses and whitetail deer while learning veterinary medicine, especially production medicine. I’ll always be thankful for all that he and many others have given me. Upon graduating vet school, I went to work at a mixed animal practice in Parkston, South Dakota. I really enjoyed my time there and I’m thankful for the people I worked with for all that I learned from them. While working as a
veterinarian there, I saw all species but primarily focused on cow-calf production. I started with PAC on January 1st of this year and working with this group of people has been such a great experience. It’s truly humbling to be an associate of a collection of who I consider the greatest production veterinarians in the world while serving some of the best clients in the world. My primary interests within the field of veterinary medicine center around production medicine. Feedlot medicine is such a dynamic field for me because of my passion for pharmacology, epidemiology and pathology. Cow-calf production is another love of mine as it is what I grew up with and it also gives me a way to apply my interest in reproductive physiology, which is why I deeply enjoy working with heifer developers. Outside of work I enjoy spending time with my wonderful girlfriend Corrine. I’m an avid hunter so odds are if I’m not working in the fall, you will be able to find me hunting behind my pointer Zeke, out deer hunting or sitting in a duck blind. Fishing is a big part of our culture back in south Louisiana so I love to fish in the warmer months. I’ve never been much good at it, but I catch a fish by accident if I spend enough time doing it. I must say that fishing is a lot more enjoyable without worrying about snakes and alligators in the water!
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