Dr. Brittanie Grant, the new full-time veterinarian at the Goldfield Vet Clinic, has known since she was five years old what she wanted to be when she grew up.
“I would beg my parents to stop on the side of the road and look at the (wounded) animals,” she said with a little laugh, knowing that’s not what most kids beg their parents for.
They obliged, and it just fostered her love of helping animals.
“I was always catching frogs and snakes and anything else I could get my hands on,” she added enthusiastically.
Grant grew up in Kingston, Ontario, in a “small village” as she describes it, of about 2,000 people. She spent her early years as a gymnast, but after seven years in the sport left her with multiple injuries, she shifted her energy to synchronized swimming instead. For 11 years she competed on the local and national level in Canada and the U.S.
“I even made the podium a few times,” she said humbly.
With her gymnastics background, you’re probably not surprised to hear she was the “flyer” of the group who they threw up in the air as part of their performances.
After graduating from high school and completing her undergraduate studies, Grant attended Ross University School of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine in St. Kitts, located at the border of the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic. She then came to the U.S. and did her clinical year at Iowa State University. That’s when she heard about the opportunity in Goldfield, that Dr. Steve Leppert, who has owned the Goldfield Vet Clinic since January of 2018, was looking for a new grad to come and be the full-time doctor there. After finishing her clinicals on Dec. 8, 2019, she met with Dr. Leppert. She liked what she saw and the opportunities that presented themselves. Likewise, Dr. Leppert liked what he saw in Dr. Grant.
“We’re excited to have her here,” said Dr. Leppert of hiring Dr. Grant as the full-time veterinarian at the Goldfield Clinic. “She is all the things I wanted her to be – confident, comfortable, concerned, enthusiastic….all the good things you look for in a great veterinarian.”
“I’m excited to bring the newest medical knowledge to the practice having just graduated…and am excited to work with a mixed variety of animals including dogs, cats, horses, cows, pigs, sheep, goats…I’m ready to grow the practice,” she said.
As she has a special love of horses, she is especially enthusiastic about expanding the equine side of the Goldfield practice.
Dr. Grant will be residing in Goldfield and is excited to become familiar with the area and the people who call it home. She will be in the Goldfield Clinic Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. – noon to schedule appointments. She will also be available on-call for emergencies 24/7.
For those of you wondering about the safety of your pet during the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Grant offers the reassuring information that the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) notes that while it is not founded that animals can contact the disease, it is recommended that humans diagnosed with COVID-19 limit their contact with pets.
When not taking care of animals, Dr. Grant likes to spend her time walking her dog. She is also looking forward to spending time with her significant other getting bikes and a kayak and spending some time in the great outdoors.
While Dr. Grant has had many big experiences, but it’s her small community roots that she’s excited to get back to now that she is an adult.
“I’m already used to the small town feel…and I’m excited to now be in Goldfield,” she said. “I’m excited to finally start living the dream and giving back to this community.”
