Dr. Jessica Higgins has been an associate veterinarian with the Urbana Veterinary Clinic since 2017, as well as three prior years working summers and holidays with us as a veterinary student. When she graduated from The Ohio State University, she found herself torn between two passions: swine/poultry population medicine and caring for your beloved pets, so she is doing both! Dr. Higgins works with us on some Saturdays and loves developing relationships with your pets and families. Since 2005, she has been involved with small animal medicine and has special interests in behavior modification techniques and controlling pet allergies. During her free time, Dr. Higgins enjoys spending time with her husband and two girls. She met her husband through 4-H when they were young and the two of them now judge 4-H projects at the Ohio State Fair together as a way to give back to the program. They also enjoy relaxing at home with their three “fur babies,” Scarlet (Lab/Boxer mix), Moses (Devon Rex cat) and Henry (domestic shorthair cat).
Dr. Kari McManus has been an associate veterinarian with The Urbana Veterinary Clinic since 2012. Dr. McManus grew up with a wide variety of animals, including horses and llamas, on her family’s 10-acre property just outside Sheridan, Wyoming (a city just slightly larger than Urbana). She discovered her calling at age 8, when she began shadowing her family’s veterinarian. While growing up she was involved in 4-H and FFA. Her projects included horses, llamas and poultry. In Colorado she has assisted the Alpaca Breeders of the Rockies and has conducted veterinary checks at livestock shows through the American Association of Small Ruminant Practitioners. She attended The University of Wyoming for her undergraduate in Medical Microbiology and Animal and Veterinary Sciences and is a 2012 graduate from The Colorado State University College of Professional Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Dr. McManus also gained certification as a veterinary acupuncturist through the International Academy of Veterinary Acupuncture in a program offered by the Colorado Veterinary Medical Association and Colorado State.Dr. McManus is the first veterinarian in the area to also offer veterinary medical acupuncture and spinal manipulation, or VSMT, as a complement or adjunct to traditional veterinary medicine. She offers acupuncture for small and large animals to alleviate chronic pain and treat a variety of common conditions, such as hip dysplasia, chronic degenerative joint disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and respiratory, neurological and urinary tract disorders. VSMT complements acupuncture by providing a healthy stimulus to the nervous system. This can help with illnesses and chronic conditions from arthritis to organ dysfunction.“I like general veterinary practice, seeing my patients all the way through their lives and building a relationship with clients and patients.” –Dr. McManus Her interests also include outdoor conservation, horseback riding, spending time with friends, walking trails with her dog, drawing and painting.
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