The Story Behind VetNotes: Comparative Anatomy

Anatomy was one of the subjects that challenged me the most during veterinary school. It is such a massive subject, especially in veterinary medicine where every species is different and structures can become incredibly complex. There were endless muscles, nerves, vessels, bones, and organs to study, and sometimes it honestly felt impossible to remember everything perfectly.

Back then, we were constantly required to draw anatomical structures during class. At the time, it felt exhausting and repetitive. I never realized how much those endless drawings would shape me in the future.

Little did I know, those repeated sketches and diagrams would eventually become one of the biggest reasons why I understood anatomy better, improved my artistic skills, and created something that could help other veterinary students too.

As time passed, I realized that forgetting anatomy is normal. No matter how much I studied, I knew there would always be moments where I had to go back, relearn, and refresh my memory again and again. Anatomy is simply too broad and detailed to memorize perfectly forever.

That’s why I started creating my own references for myself.

I wanted something organized, visual, and easier to return to whenever I needed a quick review or deeper understanding. Instead of searching through multiple books and scattered notes, I started compiling simplified references, illustrations, and visual guides that matched the way I personally learned best.

That became the beginning of VetNotes: Comparative Anatomy.

At first, it was simply a personal project I worked on while I was still a veterinary student. Even after graduation, I continued improving it little by little while balancing clinics, responsibilities, and life as a veterinarian.

Unexpectedly, my very first job after becoming a veterinarian was teaching Anatomy as a professor.

Looking back now, I feel like everything connected perfectly.

Being an Anatomy professor helped me understand the subject on a much deeper level. Teaching students every day challenged me to simplify difficult concepts and explain anatomy in ways that were easier to visualize and remember. It also helped me understand the struggles students experience while trying to survive one of the hardest subjects in veterinary medicine.

That experience shaped the book tremendously.

VetNotes: Comparative Anatomy became more than just anatomy notes. It became a combination of:

• Veterinary medicine

• Art and illustration

• Teaching experience

• Student struggles and learning techniques

• Passion for making education more understandable

One thing I realized throughout this journey is that art helped me survive veterinary medicine.

Whenever I felt overwhelmed, drawing anatomy somehow made studying feel lighter. Instead of purely memorizing structures, I slowly learned to appreciate the beauty and complexity of the body through illustration and visual learning.

This book represents years of growth — from being a stressed veterinary student required to draw anatomy repeatedly, to eventually becoming a professor teaching the same subject to future veterinarians.

And honestly, that still feels surreal to me.

Sometimes the things we are forced to do during training become the very things that shape our future the most.