JARRELL’S HOMETOWN VETERINARIAN Compassion Veterinary Hospital Opens Doors

By Charlotte Kovalchuk

Growing up on a farm in Jarrell, Dr. Melissa Havemann had one goal – to serve her community as a compassionate, caring veterinarian. “It was always my dream to come back and be THE Jarrell hometown doc.”

From starting out on the family farm to working at an equine veterinary clinic in Salado at the age of 12, to helping start a mixed animal practice in San Angelo and now opening a hospital here in Jarrell, Dr. Havemann’s animal care journey has come full circle. With her roots in Jarrell, she wants her neighbors to know Compassion Veterinary Hospital is “100 percent locally, privately owned. We are not corporate. I’m here for the community and it’s not just a job for me, it’s a lifestyle. It’s so rewarding to help animals, to be able to see their improvements and be the reason for those improvements.”

When it came to deciding her clinic’s name, Dr. Havemann says compassion is “just who I am. That’s how I practice medicine. Whenever pet owners have to make the tough decisions, I am right there in the trenches with them,” she says, adding that “every decision is made with compassion for the pet and their owner. It’s not just a numbers game.”

Dream Team

Coming August, Compassion Veterinary Hospital will open its doors at the Sonterra Center with a special group of animal lovers coming on board with Dr. Havemann. “The exciting thing about this clinic is that it’s become a family thing.” Tyler Johns, Dr. Havemann’s brother, will be the customer service representative and welcoming face when you walk into the hospital. Angel Wolfe, who has previously worked as Dr. Havemann’s go-to technician for several years, moved to Jarrell to become her practice manager, while Dr. Havemann’s former technician Lindsey Pearson will be joining the team on their exciting beginnings.

“It’s the beginning of our dream team. I’m so excited about our team because in the veterinary world, there are ‘unicorn clinics’ that people become a part of and never leave because who the clinic is fulfills them professionally and personally. My dream is to build that kind of practice and team where we all go to work loving what we’re doing.”

ALL-INCLUSIVE PROGRAMS AND SERVICES

Ranging from dogs, cats, rabbits, gerbils, and guinea pigs to small farm animals, Compassion Veterinary Hospital serves “anything that can fit through the front door and isn’t a reptile or creepy crawly.” The facility provides wellness and preventative veterinary care, urgent/emergency medicine, surgery, dentistry, client education, nutritional therapy, and behavioral counseling. Same-day appointments are also available. Dr. Havemann plans to incorporate large animal services in the near future, which will take place in the form of house calls. She says, “Our mission is to provide compassionate and exceptional veterinary services with the highest standards of care through unparalleled client services based on exemplary team members in a positive work environment.”

Compassion Veterinary Hospital also provides cold laser therapy and two unique wellness programs. The Wellness for Life and Free Vaccines for Life programs take the burden of vaccine costs off pet owners, who are only required to pay for an annual exam and initial enrollment fee in order to receive free core vaccines and discounted parasite prevention as well as other discounted services. The Wellness for Life program is an additional package that provides heavily discounted bloodwork and diagnostic imaging throughout the pet’s lifetime. “I’m really excited about these programs. It’s going to revolutionize veterinary medicine. People typically put the focus on vaccines and not exams,” Dr. Havemann says. “Vaccines are important but exams and diagnostics are what catch diseases early on. Preventative wellness care in general is our primary focus. By being proactive with annual screenings we don’t have to be reactive in a crisis event.”

Grand Opening

Visitors can meet their new hometown veterinarian and tour Compassion Veterinary Hospital during a grand opening party open to the public – pets are welcome too – on July 29 from 11-2 pm. “Come check out the animal murals in my exam room!” Dr. Havemann says.

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11720 N Interstate 35, Suite 600, Jarrell | 512-746-0111

Mon-Fri: 7:30am-5:30pm | Sat-Sun: Closed

*Closed daily for lunch 12-1 pm

At Compassion Veterinary Hospital, our motto is, “Exceptional care with a hometown touch!”