Dr. Kaela Shaw

Dr. Kaela Shaw is a Critical Care specialist taking care of patients in the ICU. She pursued a residency in Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care at the Ontario Veterinary College, which she completed in parallel with a Master of Science (MSc) graduate degree. Her research focus is biomarkers of the endothelial glycocalyx in sepsis and the effects of intravenous fluid therapy on the glycocalyx. Dr. Shaw became a board-certified diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care in 2021.

Dr. Shaw’s professional areas of interest include mechanical ventilation, therapeutic plasma exchange, dialysis, sepsis, fluid therapy and transfusion medicine. She has taught courses on point-of-care ultrasound to highlight the vast utility of bedside ultrasound in emergency and critical care settings to improve diagnosis and outcome. She is RECOVER certified in CPR Advanced Life Support, ensuring the most up-to-date approach to resuscitation.

Dr. Shaw founded the Guelph chapter of Therapeutic Paws of Canada and was heavily involved with therapy dog work at local hospitals and retirement facilities. She was awarded a scholarship at the Ontario Veterinary College due to her strong commitment to community service. She is Fear-Free certified to prevent and alleviate fear, anxiety and stress in pets. She takes this thoughtful, gentle handling approach into consideration for all her patients in their time of need. Dr. Shaw feels fortunate to live close to her family and values time spent with her loved ones at the cottage.

Board Certification: Diplomate, ACVECC 

Education

• Bachelor of Science Honours (BScH), University of Guelph, Guelph ON (2008-2012)
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM), Ontario Veterinary College, Guelph ON (2012-2016)
• Rotating Small Animal Internship, Veterinary Emergency Clinic, Toronto ON (2016-2017)
• Residency in Emergency & Critical Care, Ontario Veterinary College, Guelph ON (2018-2021)
• Mast of Science (MSc), Ontario Veterinary College, Guelph ON (2018-2021)
• Board-certified Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care (ACVECC) (2021)

Recent Publications

1. Shaw KE, Bersenas AM, Bateman SW, Blois SL, Wood RD. Validation of a commercial human ELISA to measure hyaluronic acid concentration in feline plasma. Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation. 2022;34(1):86-89
2. Shaw KE, Bersenas AM, Bateman SW, Blois SL, Guieu LS, Wood RD. Use of serum hyaluronic acid as a biomarker of endothelial glycocalyx degradation in dogs with septic peritonitis, American Journal of Veterinary Research. 2021;82(7): 566-573