Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Johnson.
Jessica, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Horses are what initially drew me into veterinary medicine as I grew up in a Suburban area on the beach in Southern California. Despite having no farm/ranch/livestock experience, I always had a love for farm animals and food/agriculture and was inspired by the stories of country vets like James Herriot (All Creatures Great and Small). While pursuing both my undergraduate and veterinary degrees, I always found my way to various volunteer opportunities on farms and with farm animal veterinarians. I graduated from UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in 2012 and immediately moved to Colorado. I then completed a one-year internship in Livestock Medicine and Surgery at Colorado State University.
Despite my love for large animal veterinary medicine, I realized that I also loved living in the front range of Colorado and there was not a huge need here for more large animal veterinarians. I decided to start practicing small animal medicine and was lucky to work under some amazing mentors who have really shaped me into the veterinarian I am today. Over time, I kept hearing about various hobby farms, CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farms and people with livestock animals as pets in the greater Boulder area. I decided to start my own part-time business doing mobile livestock veterinary medicine and that is what Mountain Rose Veterinary Services has grown from. I now am very fulfilled working part-time as a small animal vet at Left Hand Animal Hospital in Niwot and part-time as a large animal mobile vet.
Has it been a smooth road?
What’s the fun in a smooth road?! It has surely been more bumpy like a good farm road should be! I am still learning as I go and figuring out how to create balance between two part-time jobs and also being a Mom to my three years old daughter, Rosie. Balance is what we all strive for but it can be challenging when you have a desire to help people and their animals and also create boundaries for yourself and your family.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Mountain Rose Veterinary Services story. Tell us more about the business.
MRVS is a two doctor, part-time business that provides mobile livestock veterinary medicine to the greater Boulder County area, though we do occasionally sneak out for a special client or two who lives farther away. The practice includes myself (Jess Johnson) and Dr. Sarah Appleby. We treat small ruminants (sheep and goats), cattle, pigs and camelids (llamas and alpacas). We provide routine, preventative care including herd health assessments, vaccinations, and parasite management plans. We do routine surgeries (castrations, wound repairs) and treat sick animals. We focus on providing compassionate care that focuses on whole body, integrative medicine. Myself and my associate Dr. Sarah are certified in veterinary acupuncture and Dr. Sarah is certified in veterinary chiropractic medicine. We strive to educate people about humane treatment of farm animals that includes better pain management and preventative care.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I think we are definitely heading towards two big trends. 1. People want to know where their food comes from and for people who consume animal products, they want to know how those animals have been raised/treated. This is leading to a greater increase in people consuming locally grown meat/eggs/dairy. 2. More cities are making it legal to have livestock animals (mainly chickens and small goats) in suburban backyards and the pet livestock population is growing. This means that places like Boulder County are growing in the number of livestock animals. This also means that there is a shift occurring from herd health to more individual animal medicine. People are more willing and able to spend money and resources to treat their pet livestock animals as they would treat their dog or cat.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://mountainrosevet.com/
- Phone: 720-441-4512
- Email: mountainrosevet@gmail.com
- Instagram: mountainrosevet
Image Credit:
Kirsten Boyer Photography
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