Get to know Dr Jan Jacobus Scheepers

Most people know me as Dr K or just as Kobus. I recently married my gorgeous wife, Suzette, after having to postpone our wedding due to lockdown. We share a mutual love for animals and the outdoors. My hobbies include riding motorcycles, playing guitar and just spending time with my friends and family (both 2-legged and 4-legged).

I have three dogs, a Labrador (Oliver), a Border Collie x Jack Russell (Dot), both rescues from my practice, and a Bulldog (Layla). I also rescued a cat, who at the time of his rescue, had a badly fractured and dislocated leg and thus I had to amputate the leg. He is now appropriately named TriPod. I treated a few sick orphan lambs for a client and when they recovered, he said I could keep them. They now stay in a camp in my (luckily, quite large) garden and come running when called; although I don’t know if I could call myself a sheep farmer just yet. I also have a few tropical fish as well as a fish pond with some koi.

I grew up in Skeerpoort, a small town near Hartbeespoortdam. I then moved to Pretoria, where I qualified in 2014 and started working at Ceres Veterinary Hospital, in the Western Cape, at my first job in 2015. Ceres is a beautiful small town and I have the privilege to work in a well equipped mixed animal practice with great supporting staff and amazing colleagues, each with his or her own special interest.  We treat a large range of animals, from the smallest little hamster, all the way through to a large rhinoceros or giraffes, with dogs, cats, horses (even though I am allergic to them), sheep, cattle and other exotic animals all in the mix.

We work closely with CHAIN Boland (Community Helping Animals In Need), our local companion animal welfare organization. I also do large animal welfare work in Saron; giving back to the community is close to my (and my colleagues’) heart. Being able to help those less fortunate, while also educating people, brings exceptional satisfaction and joy to me…but so does seeing a little puppy for his vaccinations , seeing how a very sick cat starts to respond to treatment or helping a cow give birth to a healthy calf.

I believe with all my heart that being a vet, even though it is physically and emotionally challenging at times, is one of the most rewarding and satisfying jobs there is. My passion for animals started at a very young age, always bringing home way too many animals (luckily my parents also have big hearts for animals, and allowed this). I believe that this helped to create the love and passion that I have for animals to this day.

Working with animals and getting to know their interesting owners each and every day, is such a pleasure and privilege. I cannot imagine doing anything else. I hope that I can continue in this profession until the day that I am old and grey… and, hopefully, even a few years longer still.