Help Dr. Jess

Twelve years ago, Dr. Jess accomplished her childhood dream of becoming a veterinarian. Then after many years of hard work at numerous hospitals, including driving hours to work in different cities each day, in 2020 Dr. Jess was finally able to build her very own veterinary clinic–fulfilling her childhood dream of being not only a veterinarian but also a practice owner.

I was lucky enough to meet Jess in vet school and we have maintained our friendship for over 10 years. Every person that has ever met Jess knows how infectious her smile and laugh can be. She has one of the biggest hearts and is always there for friends and family in need of encouragement. We have shared in many trials and tribulations throughout our career, but Jess always maintains a positive attitude and stays strong. Like many veterinarians, Jess carries a lot of responsibilities on her shoulders and often fights the storm without asking for help.

Her new veterinary clinic was off to a good start in the first year. However over the past seven months Jess’s life has taken a turn. Jess’ beloved chocolate lab Koda started having problems walking & urinating and was diagnosed with an abdominal mass that was pushing on his bladder. Dr. Jess performed surgery on him, but he had a rough recovery. A few weeks later, Koda had to go in for a second procedure with a board certified surgeon. Koda had a strenuous recovery and Jess and I cried many times on the phone as she considered euthanasia. But with her dedicated care and love, Koda is now doing well and recently celebrated his 15th birthday. Jess spent hours nursing Koda, while continuing to care for the people and pets in her community. She still drives 2 hours a week to take Koda to a facility where they do acupuncture and physical therapy. In the midst of Koda’s recovery, Jess suddenly became ill and was hospitalized with pneumonia and pleural effusion. Numerous tests were done but no conclusions were made about the source of her illness. Jess stayed in and out of the hospital for 3 weeks. During this time I could only speak to her on the phone briefly as talking caused her shortness of breath. Even from the hospital, Dr. Jess’s main concerns were her pets and her clinic.

Being the solo veterinarian at her practice, Jess knew that both the pets in her small town and her staff were depending on her. Although she needed to rest and recover her strength, Jess attempted to return back to work multiple times to keep her veterinary clinic running. While Koda was still recovering–needing daily medical care–and Dr. Jess was experiencing her own medical problems, Dr. Jess’s King Charles Spaniel, Kyrie, stopped eating and started having neurological symptoms. An MRI was performed indicating that Kyrie had a benign brain tumor. Jess arranged for Kyrie to start radiation right away even though the closest facility was located over 4 hours away. Like with Koda, Jess was committed to helping Kyrie get better regardless of how hard she had to work to make it happen. Just as Kyrie, Koda, and Jess were all starting to feel better, another storm hit.

While going to visit family for a ceremony, Dr. Jess began having severe abdominal pain. When the pain didn’t improve she went to the ER. An MRI performed July 4th indicated that Dr. Jess had a mass in her abdomen. The following day she was taken to emergency surgery. Dr. Jess is still currently in ICU with a NG tube awaiting the biopsy results.

Through all of this Dr. Jess has accumulated over $5000 in veterinary bills for Kyrie and Koda and is now struggling to pay her staff, the bills for her veterinary clinic, and her own medical bills, since she is still hospitalized and unable to work. She has worked over a decade in shelter medicine helping save homeless animals and helping those in her communities. Dr. Jess now needs our help to save her veterinary clinic from closure. There is no amount too small to donate. And any veterinarian able to work a relief shift will be welcomed with open arms. Let’s do what we can to help save Dr. Jess’s dream of being a successful veterinarian and practice owner.

Dr. Kim Springman

Dr. Shannon Carmichael

St. George’s University of Veterinary Medicine

Class of 2010