Meet Kimberly Van Beuren of East Roswell Vet Hospital

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimberly van Beuren.

Kimberly, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was the little kid who rescued bullfrogs from snapping turtles and sewed them up with Mom’s sewing kit. My Mom kept saying, “If you show me you will take good care of them, you can have more pets.” So, when I got my first pair of mice in Kindergarten, it quickly ballooned to 42 mice. Animals have always been a blessing in my life and now I get to give back to them!

After toying with being a geneticist in undergrad, I settled on my dream of being a veterinarian. I came from a poor family so it was a daunting task to figure out how to pay for school. Not only did I graduate cum laude, I also did extra training (internship) after vet school to become an orthopedic surgeon. But the universe had other plans! I got married, had kids and became a family doctor for pets.

Rescue work and shelter medicine found me soon after, and I spent 5 years doing exclusive low-income spay-neuter surgery. Incredibly rewarding, it has become a passion for me in my own hospital today. In the beginning of 2017, East Roswell Vet Hospital opened for business and has never looked back since. It is a culmination of my 30-year career in animal care.

Urban wildlife and exotic animals seem to find their way to my door. Whether it has scales, slithers, feathers, or fur, they are all welcome at my door. We partner with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to attend to our injured urban wildlife denizens. This pro bono work is done to serve the community we live in.

My vision for ERVH is to be the old-fashioned family doctor you can trust; something missing from corporate medicine today, in my opinion. We strive to get to know our clients like family members, from knowing your pet’s needs to know which doctor you like to see. You simply aren’t just a number to us.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Financially, vets always suffer. The amount of sacrifice and financial burden simply to graduate from vet school is daunting. I would work multiple jobs, skip vacations or breaks, and go without many of the “common” adult milestones like a car or a house. After 20 years of making monthly school loan payments, I finally paid it off! That was 5 years ago.

At the age of 47, I finally could create the dream that is East Roswell Vet Hospital.

East Roswell Vet Hospital – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
East Roswell Vet Hospital is a full-service hospital, not just a clinic. We are there to provide most anything you might need…. preventative care, laboratory, surgery, x-ray, grooming, euthanasia and funeral services.

We are known for being “not your typical vet hospital.” First of all, we are clean! The place is designed to feel less stressful to make everything flow.

Visits are stressful enough for clients and patients in general so we make efforts to make the space comfortable and practical.

My specialties include:
*rescue work (We work with local rescue groups to save pets from rough situations.)
*working dogs (We work with police, military, and guard dogs.)
*advanced surgery (extra training)
*exotic animals
*wildlife

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success is when I can make a client smile, despite the situation. Our lives are entwined with pets, and we experience highs and lows that need the understanding and compassion of someone who can be the guide through the morass.

We cannot fix everything on this earth nor will things always turn out how we plan, but we sure can make life as wonderful as possible for as long as we can!

Contact Info:

• Address: 1570 Holcomb Bridge Road Suite 110
• Website: www.ervethosp.com
• Phone: 770-642-1282
• Email: eastroswellvethospital@gmail.com

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