Last year, when Dr. Anthony Oddo decided to sell his practice of 38 years, Dr. Brent Post found exactly what he was looking for as a veterinarian. “One of the reasons I really liked High Desert Veterinary is because of its small, family-oriented, friendly neighborhood vibe,” notes Dr. Post. “When I walked in for the first time to meet Dr. Oddo, I was struck by the welcoming atmosphere.”
Dr. Post, who graduated in 2010 from UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine (Dr. Oddo’s alma mater), had already been practicing for many years. “I worked for a number of different corporations and individuals, and I found that small, individually owned practices functioned better. People and pets got better service.”
Dr. Post’s wife, Katie, was also excited about this new opportunity. Officially, she’s the practice’s marketing director, and unofficially, its Paw-sitive outreach director. “It's been my first foray into the veterinary world, although I've been a proxy to it all through Brent for many, many years,” she explains. “I just love being part of the team. We're in the business of saving lives and making pets feel better and thrive, and I just love that mission.”
Katie is also a women's leadership coach, and helps women transition in their careers to be happier and enjoy a new lifestyle. She has certainly done that for herself.
Dr. Oddo is still active in the practice, and many of his long-time staff members have stayed on as well. “Amber is our longest tenured employee,” says Dr. Post. “She started with Dr. Oddo when she was a teenager and now, 30 years later, she's our hospital manager. We have a couple of others who have been with us for more than ten years. Haley, our other certified veterinary technician, has been here for about 15 years.”
“Haley has been invaluable in helping me quite a bit in marketing and outreach,” notes Katie. “She's helping me plug into the culture of the clinic and some long-standing traditions.”
According to Dr. Post, everyone on the team is very experienced, and just as important, loves animals. While they provide dogs and cats with everything from surgery and vaccinations to dental care and health checks, High Desert Veterinary also treats more unusual, or what they call exotic, animals. “We see guinea pigs, snakes, and hamsters,” says Dr. Post. “We are also a partner of High Desert Museum, so both Dr. Oddo and I are providing care for their big collection of animals.”
Taking over a long-standing, beloved practice was a big undertaking and one Dr. Post was concerned about, but the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. “The personalities of both doctors are very complementary,” says Katie. “They are both very easygoing and it just creates a very harmonious environment.”
She adds, “Dr. Post is a listener, he's empathetic. He continues to communicate with clients to empower them to make their best decisions by giving them all the choices and then supporting them in the choices that they make.”
It's also important to the doctor to be available. “We try to keep openings every day for our regular clients, so people can just call if they have an emergency or even if it’s just something they need us to check,” Dr. Post notes. “We try to have openings for new clients as well.”
In addition to the veterinarian clinic, there’s also a barn and a house on the 10-acre property, and exciting plans are in the works to transform it to provide more pet-related services.
“We're hoping to set up an animal rescue and some other complementary services such as a pet store and pet grooming, as well as an event facility in the barn where we can host speakers who can talk about important pet matters,” shares Dr. Post.
When Dr. Post and Katie aren’t at the clinic, they love spending time with their two children, and caring for their three dogs, bearded dragon, and the three rescue cats that live on the clinic property (Katie is allergic to cats, but can appreciate them from afar).
The Bend couple also recently got into gravel biking, which is sort of a hybrid between road biking and mountain biking. As a family, they like to ski and play pickleball.
All in all, the couple is very happy with their new venture, and are especially thrilled to be carrying on the tradition of being a neighborhood vet for the people of Bend and surrounding towns.
HighDesertVet.com
"I found that small, individually owned practices functioned better. People and pets got better service.”
—Dr. Brent Post, new owner and veterinarian for High Desert Veterinary
"We're in the business of saving lives and making pets feel better and thrive, and I just love that mission.”
—Katie Post, High Desert Veterinary Marketing Director