We LOVE sharing more about our members...not just what they do inside the gym, but what they do outside of the gym! And you know some of us here looooove animals so of course it's so cool to have a veterinarian as a member! We just had to find out more about Anna and share with you!
Dr. Anna doing laser therapy on her dog for his back pain.
I am currently a veterinarian and co-owner of Hillside Animal Hospital in St. Louis City. I actually have found many of my clients at Hillside also go to Dragonfly, which I think is awesome!
My dad is a veterinarian, so I grew up spending my summers and afternoons after school watching him. One of my favorite things to do from a very young age was to pull up a chair to the surgery table and watch him work! With so much exposure I feel like it was a natural choice for me to pursue veterinary medicine. I feel like most veterinarians you speak with talk about knowing very early that is what they wanted to do with their lives.
I was very lucky in that my dad also owned his own small animal practice. Initially after graduation from veterinary school in 2014 I moved to Kansas City where my husband's family is from. I'm grateful for that experience, but it really showed me how much I loved the environment at Hillside Animal Hospital and so after 3 years my husband and I chose to move to St. Louis. Shortly after that my dad decided it was time for retirement, which led to Aaron and I purchasing the practice. We now are co-owners as well as coworkers (my husband is also a veterinarian!) and I love working with him every day.
Baby goats that one of my tech brought in. Even though we are a small animal hospital,
we always get excited to see other types of animals.
One of the things that I love about veterinary medicine is that it provides a lot of variety in my day. In the span of one morning I can see a new kitten for her first visit, counsel a new dog owner on their dog's separation anxiety, sedate and suture a pet that cut their foot on a walk, treat a dog with an ear infection and diagnose a cat with diabetes! One of the best things about veterinary medicine is that I can be a primary care doctor, a dermatologist, oncologist, cardiologist, surgeon, dentist and emergency doctor all at once. There are veterinarians that specialize in each of those fields (and more) and I will refer a pet to them if I feel it is necessary. But my job is to help the pet to the best of my abilities and within an owner's means.
I've also recently started studying acupuncture for pets, which has been super interesting for me. It has allowed me to look at my patients differently and has allowed me to offer alternative therapies that can supplement what we already offer.
This kitten showed up on our doorstep one morning - she was less than one pound.
She has been doing great and will be going to a new home once she’s big enough in a few weeks!
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Thank you Anna for sharing more about your journey and a day in the life! And, as always, it's very inspiring to see someone do something they felt called to do at a young age!
I also just want to add that I find it so cool that all of the vets at Hillside are Fear Free Certified!
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