Great Performances

Dr. Adam Christman has a passion for animals. That’s one of the reasons why he came to the College of Veterinary Medicine as part of the DVM Class of 2004.

Yet, as he readily admits, he has always loved acting. In recent years Christman has combined his passions together in a series of videos, internet shows and has even co-authored a book.

“I was asked to be a guest on someone’s talk show,” Christman recalls. “Afterwards, the producer reached out to me and said, ‘how would you like to have your own show?’ Now this was something I always wanted to do and I said ‘yes’ without hesitation.”

The rest, as they say, is history.

Christman, who is the co-chief of staff of the Brick Town Veterinary Hospital in Brick, New Jersey, has a second career as a veterinary authority on a number of different media outlets. He has been involved in a series of marketing commercial initiatives through Zoetis Animal Health. He is the host of his own YouTube Channel (“The Dr. Christman Show”) and the host of an internet TV variety show, “The Adam Christman Show!” which not only discusses topics in animal health, but also fun and uplifting subjects.

He also is a radio co-host fill-in and a self-described “social media personality,” creating videos promoting animal health to pet owners.

“I’ve always said, being a veterinarian is truly a performance – you have to deliver a great performance to your clients and fellow team members consistently,” he said.

Christman’s dive into the internet was modest in the beginning, fueled by his enjoyment of making his own videos and educating the public.

“I posted some basic “how to” videos to my YouTube channel for pet owners to play in the exam rooms to further enhance a recommendation or tip,” he said. “Soon pet owners and people around the world were asking me, ‘hey, can you do a lost dog video and share it on social media.’”

A few days later, his first “lost dog” video hit one million views. A video he did on how to locate ticks on a dog has over 4 million views.

He continues to reach out to his viewers with a wide variety of topics that are important to pet owners. He has discussed pet insurance, true pet medical emergencies, items that are toxic to animals and more.

“Most of my topics come from fans on my Facebook page who tell me what they would like to see,” Christman says. “I’ve even had local businesses reach out to me to help market their business and chat more about it.

“Social media is a fantastic way for anyone to brand themselves,” he continued. “I think Facebook, Instagram and YouTube are great places to be for a veterinarian. It’s where your clients are. This way, the clients receive the right information from you and not from ‘Dr. Google.’”

Social media isn’t the only thing to occupy Christman’s time. He is the co-author of Honey, Have Your Squeezed the Dachshund? Not surprisingly, he is the owner of four dachshunds himself.

“This is a book that is very near and dear to me,” he says. “One of my dogs, Cosmo, was a patient of mine and was presented to me paralyzed in the hind quarters after slipping a disc in his spine.”

The injury is common in dogs but even more common in dogs with long backs such as dachshunds. But after surgery, Cosmo was still permanently paralyzed at the age of 2. His owners were unable to care for him and Cosmo has remained as part of Christman’s family for the last 12 years.

“I knew the emotional and financial commitment for any dog with disabilities is beyond the scope of a conversation in the exam room,” Christman said. “So, my friend and I decided to write a very simple, fun and uplifting book providing pet owners a guide to handling such disabled pets.”

The response to the book has been tremendous.

“It’s been great talking to pet owners about something we all can relate to,” Christman said. “I hope this book has saved some dogs’ lives and given them a second chance of a beautiful life.”

Just like the second chance Christman has taken with his two passions.

April 2018