Victoria Torres, DVM ’17
Victoria Torres, DVM ’17, has never questioned her calling. From the time she was young, she was surrounded by horses, dogs, cats, rabbits, and “all sorts of other critters.” It seemed that veterinary medicine was simply the career she was meant to have. Her passion, knowledge, and powerful sense of purpose blossomed at Ross Vet and set the pace for everything that followed.
Impactful Friendship and Pivotal Preparation
When Dr. Torres arrived at RUSVM, she came ready to learn and embrace life on the island. She didn’t have to wait long to find her footing, within her very first week she met her best friend and future roommate. The two even bought a car together to share expenses. What followed were years of late-night study sessions, mutual encouragement through the hard subjects, and an unspoken agreement to lift each other up. That spirit, she says, wasn’t unique to their friendship. It was woven into the RUSVM culture itself. “Vet medicine is competitive,” she reflects, “but at Ross you didn’t really get that cutthroat vibe from your classmates. Everyone—professors, TAs, fellow students—was genuinely willing to help.”
That bond carried the two friends all the way to their clinical year together at LSU and their Rossie preparation showed. Fellow students regularly turned to them for input on treatment plans, sensing that their training had given them an edge. It was this confidence in her skills and training that has continued to help Dr. Torres best serve her patients and even overcome moments of imposter syndrome.
Care for Every Family—No Matter What
Today, Dr. Torres practices at Case Veterinary Hospital in Savannah, Georgia, where her skill and warmth have made her a trusted presence for clients and student externs alike. But what truly energizes her is the full spectrum of families she serves—from those with every resource to those with almost none. “Some of the people who have absolutely nothing are willing to do more for their pets than the people who have all the money,” she says. That reality drives her every day.
Inspired by her grandmother—a lifelong educator who believed that knowledge changes lives—Dr. Torres founded Barkus & Meoux Savannah, a nonprofit dedicated to responsible pet ownership education and emergency financial support for families in need. Her philosophy is simple: most of the challenges pets face stem from a lack of information, not a lack of love. She meets people where they are with workshops on quality-of-life decisions, guidance on choosing the right pet for a family’s lifestyle, and hands-on help navigating crises. One cherished regular, a little black cat named Batman, has a chronic respiratory condition and an owner who is unhoused. Through Barkus & Meoux, Batman gets his care and his dedicated family gets their beloved pet partner who shows up for them.
Dr. Torres’s path from RUSVM graduate to practicing veterinarian, nonprofit founder, community educator, and now Alumni Rising Star Award recipient, is a testament to what happens when preparation meets passion. At Case Veterinary Hospital, she has built a practice grounded in trust and compassion. Through Barkus & Meoux Savannah, she has created a lifeline for families and pets who need it most. And through every workshop, every house call, and every pet care scholarship application, she is expanding what veterinary care can mean for a community. Receiving this recognition from her alma mater, she says, is “really special and meaningful”—and for the Rossie community, celebrating her feels just as good.
“Issues we have with the lack of care of animals is not coming from a place of malice, but rather a place of ignorance. So I think that education is really key—and that is part of the reason why I started Barkus & Meoux.”
— Victoria Torres, DVM ’17 | 2026 Alumni Rising Star Award Recipient
