Creating a Better World One Passion at a Time: Equine Vet & Entrepreneur Dr. Rob Franklin Gives Back To Equine Industry - By Annan Hepner, Phelps ...
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Creating a Better World One Passion at a Time: Equine Vet & Entrepreneur Dr. Rob Franklin Gives Back To Equine Industry By Annan Hepner, Phelps Media Group
I n today’s society where many feel like there are not enough hours in the day, giving up one’s rare free time for charitable efforts may seem like an unfeasible desire. However, for equine veterinarian Dr. Rob Franklin, DVM, DACVIM, his inspiring philosophy of volunteerism and discovering passions allows him to live a fulfilled life. As a husband, father, and working professional, his life could be considered packed full of commitments, but he finds time to serve as the Vice President of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP), is a founder and entrepreneur of a supplement company and leads veterinary medical trips to underdeveloped countries in order to provide care to working equines with the Equitarian Initiative. As a teen, Dr. Franklin’s path towards vet school began after a whirlwind summer completing a horsemanship program at a ranch in Cody, Wyoming. From long hours learning how to float teeth and shoe horses to starting two-year-olds under saddle and packing animals into the backcountry, the summer of diverse education sparked a fire of inspiration. “It was during that time we had an equine veterinarian come out for a couple of calls to castrate colts and stitch lacerations,” Dr. Franklin explained. “This is when I was first really exposed to the profession, and I would love to find who that veterinarian is to tell them that they set my path. It was at that point that I started pursuing my dream of becoming an equine veterinarian.” He set out on the long road to owning his own practice which involved undergraduate studies at Colorado State University, veterinary school at Texas A&M, an internship in Southern California and a three-year residency at the University of Florida to become an American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine board-certified specialist. “Equine veterinarians have a very long learning curve and some of that is developing the skills and experience, but it’s also gaining the trust from horse owners. Horse owners are very different from companion animals in terms of being very selective about their equine veterinarian,” Dr. Franklin said. “We go through a period where we’ve got to earn those stripes and that comes from mentorship and training.” Following his schooling, Dr. Franklin wished to immerse himself in different cultures and moved to rural Victoria, Australia for a few years to develop an intensive care unit at an equine hospital. His time Down Under expanded his outlook on the world, which expanded into his growing interest for Central and South America and took form in the creation of a supplement company called FullBucket. FullBucket Co Founder Dr. Rob Franklin Photo by Danielle Schiller
“In the mid-2000s, Keith Latson,
my vet school roommate, fraternity
brother and colleague, and I had
an interest in starting a business,”
Dr. Franklin said. “I read a book
called Start Something That Matters
by Blake Mycoskie, the founder
of Toms Shoes, and it was very
formative to me in terms of having
an entrepreneurial idea and then
looking for a way to make the world
a better place.”
“FullBucket’s story began when
we developed a supplement line of
quality products for veterinarians
to manage digestive issues in
horses, dogs and cats,” Dr. Franklin
explained. “After some initial
success, we realized having just
another animal healthcare company
was not going to fulfill our life’s
ambitions. We shared the same
innate feeling: try your best each
day to leave people, animals and
the world better than when you
found them. We strive to have
meaning and purpose in our life that
isn’t self-serving and that is how
FullBucket came to fruition.”
The company not only stands
out for offering the highest-
concentration, probiotic-based
animal health supplements on
the market, but for their Giving
and Care+Care Programs. For
every FullBucket product that is
purchased, another is donated
to treat horses and donkeys in
developing countries through the
company’s giving program. Inspired
by their mantra, “Be Good and Do
Good,” the company distributes
custom nutritional products to
impoverished villages as well as
provides year-round support and
education.
Each year, Dr. Franklin leads an
all-volunteer team of industry-
leading veterinary science and
animal surgery experts and partners
with local veterinarians and animal
welfare advocates in Mexico and
Central America to perform free
veterinary exams and surgeries FullBucket Co-founder, Dr. Rob Franklin, DVM, DACVIM,
with vet tech Angel Walle
on the working equines poverty- Photo by Danielle Schiller
stricken families depend on.
TCE
22 TheCompetitiveEquestrian.com
Dr. Franklin with his family (Left to Right: Buckshot
(horse), Dr. Franklin, daughter Colbie Franklin, wife
Laurie Franklin, and daughter Bree Franklin, Pecos (dog)
Allison Kavey and Citha’s Utopia
Photo by Annan Hepner, Phelps Media Group
With a successful business playing its role in supporting The importance of community inspired Dr. Franklin to
the 80-100 million working equids around the world and further expand his role in the American Association of
his responsibilities as a partner in Fredericksburg Equine Equine Practitioners, leading to his appointment of Vice
Veterinary Services in Fredericksburg, Texas, Dr. Franklin President earlier this year which will continue as he
lives a fulfilled life due to his philosophies on community assumes the role of president in 2023. The organization is
and giving back. the largest group of equine medicine professionals in the
world and he has hit the ground running helping implement
“There is an old African tribal saying, ‘If you want to go digital education content in a world of virtual opportunities
fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together’ and I essential for communication in the midst of the COVID-19
think that is key to finding balance, purpose, and a sense pandemic.
of community both in your personal and professional life. I
think people really start to get burned out when they lose “As a professional organization, AAEP deals with many
hope for a balanced life whenever they’re out, slugging complex issues – we’re still in the midst of dealing with
alone because you don’t have a sense of community or a lot of bigger elephants in the room in terms of creating
collegiality. Having others that you feel like are in the a good path forward for the younger vets. There’s a lot
fight with you is important to your own mental health and of younger vets that we’re losing in the first five years of
outlook on life.” equine practice, so we are working on identifying what
those issues are in terms of what is forcing people out of
equine practice and trying to develop career pathways that
allow people to stay in. We’re definitely seeing an issue
with not only retention of equine veterinarians, but also
recruitment. Young professionals are getting burned out
providing endless days’ worth of work topped off with the
need to provide after-hours emergency services while vet
school continues to become more expensive with salaries
for new veterinarians not increasing proportionally with the
cost of education.”
“Mental health and well-being are something that is
discussed more now than ever and there’s also an increased
incidence of people having issues with anxiety, depression,
and overall poor mental health. We are trying to look for
ways that we can support people to keep them resilient by
finding purpose in their passions.”
By juggling an overflowing plate of responsibilities, Dr.
Franklin has firsthand experience on how finding purpose
in one’s life goes hand-in-hand with leading a balanced
lifestyle. No matter your desired career, Dr. Franklin’s
philosophy challenges one to consider the aspects they
value most, like contentment, happiness and how to give
back.
“On a personal note, being able to pour into my family and
support those vital relationships are definitely a source
of sustenance for me,” Dr. Franklin continued. “I think the
other aspect that always helps balance things out is having
that attitude of gratitude and that spirit of generosity. We
should be thankful for all we have and try to look at others
and put life in perspective, then try to give back to others
no matter what our circumstances are. You know you’ve
always got something to give, whether it’s time, money,
resources, or words of encouragement. When you fill
someone else’s bucket up you can’t help but have your own
bucket filled up a little bit, too. And I think that really helps
me stay motivated.”
FullBucket Co Founder Dr. Rob Franklin in Guatemala
Photo courtesy of FullBucket
TCE March /April 2021 25
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