Veterinarian Overview
A St. Charles, Mo. native, Dr. Anne Clapper began working in a veterinary clinic at the age of 16. The experience was both heart-wrenching and inspiring. It was working at a kennel during high school that led her to choose a career in veterinary medicine. One day, a good samaritan delivered a stray cat who had been hit by a car. Sick and badly injured, the cat's prospects did not look good and it was recommended that he be put down since he had no owner and no one to care for him. Instead, Dr. Clapper assumed responsibility for him and after he was treated at the hospital, took him home to nurse him back to health. Once he recovered, Dr. Clapper, with the help of a woman named Bev at All Paws Rescue, found him a happy "forever home." "I didn't realize then how much this stray cat would teach me or how many doors he would open for me. The overwhelming good feeling was something I will never let go of," she says. "It was this abandoned cat and this kind-hearted woman that showed me a way to give back to my community and these beautiful voiceless animals. Determined, I became a veterinarian and have never looked back." Dr. Clapper majored in biology as an undergraduate at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. While there, she participated in the creation of a trap-and-neuter release program called Operation Sterile Feral. Since 2003, the organization has spayed and neutered over 5,000 cats and is expanding its area of service to the surrounding communities. Dr. Clapper was accepted to the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, where she earned her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 2008. At graduation, she received the Emergency and Critical Care Award. Dr. Clapper has spent over eight years as a veterinarian in private practice. She has also gained invaluable experience by doing relief work at the Animal Emergency Clinic and AVS (Associated Veterinary Specialists). She has continued her promise to give voiceless animals a chance and continues to volunteer at the trap-neuter release clinic as often as she can. Dr. Clapper is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Missouri Veterinary Medical Association, the Greater St. Louis Veterinary Medical Association and the Veterinary Information Network. Her professional interests include pain management, dermatology, senior pet health and wellness, client communication and education, shelter/rescue medicine and soft tissue surgery. "The most satisfying thing for me about being a veterinarian is the chance to not only save lives, but also change them both human and animal alike," she says. "Not every case is an emergency, but every case is important. It is my goal to treat every patient as if they are my only patient; giving each case the attention and time that we all want and deserve. I love every minute of what I do, even when it becomes emotionally difficult. I cannot image doing anything else." Outside work, Dr. Clapper enjoys sand volleyball, fishing, do-it-yourself projects and random acts of kindness. She has been blessed with a wonderful family, an amazing husband and a beautiful daughter.
