Veterinarian Overview
What was the last book you read?The Day the Crayons Came Home- (great book!) If you were stranded on a desert island and could only pick 1 movie to watch for the rest of your life what would it be?Sixteen candles or the Breakfast Club (can you tell I'm a child of the 80's) Where did you grow up? I grew up in New City, NY, a suburb of NYC. When did you move to FL?I very reluctantly moved to FL in 2004, one week before Hurricane Charlie- Welcome to FL!! It has taken about 7 years for me to adapt. I do however, not miss the snow :) What school did you do your undergraduate work at? Jen received her Bachelor of Science in Animal Science from Cornell University. What school did you graduate from with your DVM and what year? After spending two years in Washington D.C. obtaining her Masters of Arts in Developmental Biology from American University. Jen then moved back to the tundra of Ithaca, NY and completed her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Cornell University in 2003. Upon graduation, she was accepted and completed a rotating internship in small animal medicine and surgery at Oradell Animal Hospital in Paramus, NJ. What year did you start at EAH and can you tell us something memorable about your first few days I joined the practice in June 2008 just prior to Estero Animal Hospital's big move to its current location. For about 2 months, I worked with Kirk and Larry in the very small clinic in the Albertson's plaza on Route 41 and Williams Road. The clinic was so small and the largest cage could only accommodate an 80 pound dog. One day, shortly after I started working there, I opened the bathroom door and a St. Bernard came running out! The bathroom was the only place large enough to house the dog that had been dropped off for radiographs. Why did you choose Veterinary Medicine? When I was little, all the little girls I knew were playing with dolls and playing house. I hated dolls and can recall owning one Cabbage Patch kid which my sister "adopted". I did however, have tons of stuffed animals. I would play pet store (which I am now appalled to admit, as I would never purchase a dog from a pet store/puppy mill) and animal hospital for hours. I have always wanted to be a veterinarian and was very driven to obtain that goal. This is truly a vocation and not "just a job". I could not imagine doing anything else! Do you have a special interest in veterinary medicine I enjoy internal medicine (chronic kidney disease, immune mediated diseases, thyroid disease, etc) and the challenges of case work up and management. I have a strong interest in feline medicine, managing the obesity epidemic in our pets, and helping owners handle behavior concerns (separation anxiety, storm anxiety, inappropriate urination). If there was 1 thing you could change about veterinary medicine what would it be? I wish that the veterinary medical association would be able to once and for all take a stand and abolish puppy mills in all states. Puppy mills are the source of the majority , if not all, dogs that are sold at pet stores. The conditions in which these dogs live is deplorable. I wish that no dog would suffer this fate and that all the dogs and cats in shelters will one day find a forever home.
