Deanna Grillone, DVM (House Doctor)

“Both my parents are in the medical field and I was immersed in medicine from a young age. On top of that, I always had an affinity for animals and science and combining that with my understanding of medicine made veterinary medicine a no-brainer. Because I knew so young I was able to gain a variety of animal experiences from volunteering at my local animal shelter in high school to volunteering and interning at my local zoo and becoming a veterinary nurse while in college. These experiences and the animals and clients I encountered motivated me, even more, to learn more and care for animals and strengthen the human-animal bond. Nothing brings me greater joy than working with clients and their animals and supporting them both through the length of their pet’s life. 

While I am unsure what the next step for me is within this field, the primary specialty I am interested in is surgery. I like being able to be creative and having a concrete way of fixing problems. My other interests include emergency and general practice. Regardless of my path, I would love to incorporate not only small animal medicine but exotic medicine as well. Prior to vet school, I volunteered and completed an internship at my local zoo and just completed an amazing zoo and exotics rotation taking care of exotic species, wildlife, and zoo animals and it really inspired me to incorporate exotic medicine into my practice in the future.”