[imgbelt img=1672ed54-241c-11df-9022-001cc4c03286.preview-300.jpg]Art Hovey at the Lincoln (NE) Journal Star has an interesting story about female veterinarians. He follows the career of Dr. Cindy Sasse (above), who bought a large animal practice in Hebron, Nebraska, in 1995. She eventually left that practice, largely because of what she saw as gender discrimination. “The better I did, the more it seemed like it was offensive to men,” Dr. Sasse told Hovey. “And I was flat-out told by one gentleman that, ‘I’ll let my cow die before I’ll let a woman work on it.'”There is a vet shortage nationally, especially those vets who will work large animals. Hebron has been without a vet since Dr. Sasse closed her door in 2007, when she joined a small animal practice. Large animal doctoring is hard work, and dangerous. Dr. Sasse broke a foot and a finger, and after getting kicked while delivering a calf, she needed knee surgery. She says that what drove her out of the large animal practice in Hebron was the lack of respect from male ranchers.The story gives both sides of this dispute. Other women vets have quit in that region, some for the same reason as Dr. Sasse. Hovey finds another woman vet who has no complaints. Lots of comments on this story that is important for rural areas that need large animal vets.