Gwen Carlson
Associate Veterinarian
DVM
Hi, my name is Dr. Carlson, and I am a DVM at North Powers Animal Hospital. I am passionate about providing high-quality care and helping my patients feel comfortable and confident in their treatment.
Personal Hobbies and Interests
My dogs remain my favorite hobby — I can't imagine life without pets! Ranger is a very chill, super affectionate standard long-haired dachshund, and his consort is Muffin, a very pretty and extremely shy miniature long-haired dachshund. Skippy is our Mill Dog Rescue tag-a-long, who wants to be in the middle of everything and thinks the world revolves around him. My next favorite hobby is travelling, and my husband and I love to visit new places and new countries. I also enjoy hiking, walks with my husband, coffee or ice cream dates with friends, activities at church, and my women's Bible study, and in quiet moments at home I like jigsaw puzzles, word and number puzzles, or just reading.
Favorite Part of My Job
While I still love animals and am always energized by the time I spend with them, I also have very meaningful relationships with my clients. I have worked with many of them for 10 or even 20 years, helping them through transitions with their pets and seeing them go through transitions in life — and I now care for the pets of my clients' grown children. Veterinary medicine and surgery has grown by leaps and bounds, so there is always something new to learn and apply, and every day is different. I also enjoy working with my patients as individuals, because our pets are not all the same and my clients' needs are not all the same; my goal is to improve and preserve the health and well-being of all parties involved.
Why I Chose This Profession
It started with a love for animals. I knew from the age of four that I wanted to be a veterinarian, and even in grade school I was learning everything I could about animals by reading through the World Book Encyclopedias. I still have the notebook in which I wrote the name of every animal I studied.
Education
I earned my Bachelor of Arts in biology from Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, in 1994. I then attended the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine, where I completed my Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degrees in 1998, studying veterinary medicine and surgery. From 1998 to 1999, I completed a Large Animal Medicine and Surgery internship at Colorado State University Veterinary School in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Professional Background
In 1996, I received the Irwin Small Service Award from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine for outstanding community service related to the field of veterinary medicine. During my research assistantship in vet school, I was included as a contributor in two studies: one on glomerular filtration rates in dogs with clinically induced renal failure and the effects of Diltiazem on those dogs, and another on I-131 uptake and treatment success in cats with ectopic hyperthyroidism.
Memberships
I am a member of the American Animal Hospital Association, the Colorado Veterinary Medical Association, the American Veterinary Medical Association, and the Christian Veterinary Mission.
Work History
My career in veterinary medicine began at Lake Zurich Animal Hospital, where I worked from 1988 to 1997 as a kennel hand, assistant, and receptionist — doing everything from cleaning kennels and mopping to developing x-rays in dunk tanks, helping with patient restraint, preparing surgical packs, and working reception. During vet school I also worked as a flow cytometry technician in the Immunology Department at the University of Illinois and held a research assistantship in its Nuclear Medicine Department, caring for cats undergoing I-131 therapy for hyperthyroidism and serving as a gamma camera technician for bone scintigraphy in horses, dogs, and cats. After my internship at Colorado State University, I practiced mixed animal medicine at Airway Veterinary Hospital from 1999 to 2005, caring for anything with hair, from mice to Clydesdales. I then focused on small animal medicine and surgery at Brown Veterinary Hospital and Northgate Animal Hospital before joining North Powers Animal Hospital in 2014.