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Dave graduated from Michigan State University CVM in 1984. He married his wife, Wavelet, in 1987. They have 3 boys (Alex, Tristan and Cameron), 3 dogs (Horatio, Basil and Riley), 7 cats (Bonnie, George, Alward, Frances, Lil' T, Boo Radley and Charles Baker "Dill" Harris) and 4 horses (Chick, Chad, Beauty and Jeremy). They also have a rat named Baby.

“I bought my own practice in 1988 (Clyde Park Veterinary Clinic), and have toiled endlessly to pay for all of the above dependents ever since. I belong to a variety of associations (West Michigan Academy of Small Animal Practice, West Michigan VMA, Michigan VMA, AVMA) as well as IVAPM. I also work on the side for Pfizer as a D.A.L.E. (Domitor/Antisedan Local Expert), which is a silly name for a fun job - they actually pay me to go around and talk about pain management, with virtually no limitations on subject matter.”

“My interest/obsession with pain management has blossomed since joining VIN in 1999, but it really began in 1993 when I had a vasectomy. The pain I experienced was entirely disproportionate to the "minor" nature of the procedure (and, in retrospect, was likely a function of neuroplastic changes induced by lousy analgesia following several childhood surgeries). Anyway, it woke me up to the fact that at least some of my patients were probably experiencing similar suffering after my "routine" procedures, and even worse after more major operations.”

“I've since devoted countless hours to soaking up everything I could get my hands on regarding analgesia and endlessly experimenting with various techniques. I have a special interest in the neurophysiology of pain, with an emphasis on the mechanisms and implications of central sensitization. This led to my early advocacy of ketamine-based infusions, and has expanded to include protocols as disparate as regional analgesia, oral antagonists of hyperalgesia and epidural "cocktails".”

“I'm fortunate to be able to pick the brains of some of the best and brightest on VIN, and consider it a wasted day if I don't learn something new.”