“Change is the essential part of living an authentic life.” - Unknown

Stephanie Young began her veterinary journey at Kansas State University, where she obtained her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine and a Graduate Certificate in Public Health. Originally from Cinnaminson, NJ (a suburb of Philadelphia), Stephanie made her way to Watertown, NY after completing her veterinary degree and met Dr. Nina Harff - then owner of The Animal Doctors - almost by happenstance! Stephanie was given Nina’s contact information because she was searching for a hockey league to enroll her son in, and Nina had been heavily involved with the Watertown Hockey Association. Little did they know that they were both veterinarians! Things seemed to fall easily into place, and Stephanie joined The Animal Doctors team in the summer of 2010 as an associate veterinarian. In 2015, she was approached about taking over the business, and Stephanie became the owner of The Animal Doctors later that year.

Over the years, Stephanie has delved into alternative care for pets and became certified in both Tui-na therapeutic massage and basic acupuncture. Some of her favorite moments in the clinic involve seeing patients have improved mobility after acupuncture and massage therapy sessions. When asked why she chose The Animal Doctors, Stephanie said that she believed in the quality of the work being done and saw an opportunity to be able to serve a local community in animal health and to develop medical opportunities and top notch care for them. Providing the local community with top notch, compassionate care and educational resources are part of Stephanie’s vision for The Animal Doctors.

When Stephanie isn’t wearing her “business hat,” she enjoys taking on challenging internal medicine cases and advanced dentistry cases. She also enjoys integrating alternative therapies such as acupuncture into practice.

Outside of work, Stephanie likes to ride and train horses, especially hunters and jumpers. She currently has a beautiful Thoroughbred named Norman. She also enjoys pheasant and duck hunting with her German Shorthair Pointer, Ace, who she calls a hunting extraordinaire but a scoundrel at home! She also enjoys hunting larger game, such as deer and bear. She loves the great outdoors and travelling, spending time watching her son play hockey, and working on home refinishing projects. She also has a Scottish Fold named Scott that she loves to spend time with. And, the quiet solitude of being in the barn and tending to her horse feeds her soul.

A fun fact about Stephanie is that she makes jokes in stressful situations and loves to laugh at herself to reduce the stress of the moment.

If you could leave one piece of information for every pet parent, what would it be?

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