GoodLife Integrative Veterinary Care

providing preventative and holistic care for your pet's entire journey

I grew up in Dubuque and knew that I always wanted to pursue a career in veterinary medicine. Fortunately, following a degree in Animal Science, I was accepted into Veterinary School at Iowa State University and I graduated in 2013. Following graduation, I completed a one-year intensive equine internship in California at Pioneer Equine Hospital. After my internship, I returned back to Iowa and started River Valley Veterinary Services — a mobile equine and small animal practice serving the Dubuque area. Since starting the business, I have transitioned to seeing dogs and cats exclusively. My goal has always been to provide high quality, low stress medicine to all my animal patients. I am a strong believer in traditional western and preventative medicine . In my first years out of vet school, I saw several cases in which the animal had run out of options for medications and treatment, and the owners had to decide between continuing treatment or humane euthanasia. In some cases, I felt like there had to be something else that could be done to help that animal. Because of this, I decided to pursue further education for holistic and integrative options for animals. I became certified in Animal Chiropractic through Options for Animals in 2014. After seeing the benefits of chiropractic care, I then decided to attend the Chi Institute in 2017 to become certified in Animal Acupuncture. I have also taken advanced courses in Palliative and Hospice Care, Chinese Herbal Medicine, Food Therapy, and Companion Animal Rehabilitation. I married my high school sweetheart in 2014. After having many many pets, we were blessed with our first (human) child, Bennett, in November 2018. For anyone that has had children, you know that starting a family changes EVERYTHING. Covid happened, and then we added chickens, ducks, and more donkeys to the Merkes Ranch. In January 2021, another human child was added, Gwendolyn. Since I became a mom, my priorities have shifted greatly from growing a thriving business to providing for my family and spending time with them. Aiming to improve my work-life balance, GoodLife Integrative Veterinary Care was born