Mary Labato – DVM, DACVIM

A graduate of Tufts' first veterinary class in 1983, Dr. Mary Labato is a veterinary internist at the Foster Hospital for Small Animals. She specializes in all areas of internal medicine, with a primary interest in disorders of the kidneys and bladder. She is board certified by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.

A native of western Massachusetts, Dr. Labato had severe allergies and asthma as a child—compelling her to keep turtles, rather than cats and dogs, as pets. As she progressed in her studies (and her allergies waned, allowing her to get a dog), she began to realize that she could combine her strong interest in science with her love for animals. She attended Smith College in Northhampton, MA before entering Tufts' then-nascent veterinary school. She spent a short time in private practice before returning to the school for a residency and, ultimately, a clinical faculty position.

Dr. Labato lectures in small animal medicine about the disorders of urination, as well as on drugs that influence the kidneys and bladder such as high blood pressure medication and diuretics. She primarily teaches during clinical rotations in the fourth year and instructs students on how to practice medicine. Her favorite cases are those that involve acute kidney injury, in which she has to use dialysis to get kidneys to start working again when they had stopped functioning completely. These are very happy ending cases, she says.

A winner of the Cummings School's Alumna of the Year award in 2001, Dr. Labato lives in nearby Shrewsbury with her husband, Paul, three dogs, Allie, Jason and Brie, and two cats named Jarrod and Sam. In her free time, she enjoys traveling—especially to Maine—sailing, sea kayaking, tennis, watching basketball and competing in agility competitions with Brie.

Dr. Labato's academic and research interests can be found on her faculty profile.