Dr. LeAnne Froese already owned the Pet Medical Center in Winona with Dr. Deb Finnegan, but when they saw that the Root River Veterinary Clinic in Preston was for sale, they saw an opportunity for expansion. The two purchased it from Dr. Linda Sifford and took ownership in September 2014.
Dr. Finnegan works full-time at the Winona vet clinic while Dr. Froese works full-time in Preston. Occasionally, each helps fill in at the other clinic if needed.
Dr. Froese lives in Chatfield with her husband, Tyler and three children: Isaiah, Aubrey, and Lander. She got her bachelor’s degree in biology at the University of North Dakota and her doctorate in veterinary medicine at Colorado State University. Her family made the move from Lewiston to Chatfield in the summer of 2015.
“I grew up in a rural area, and I wanted my kids to have the same experience,” she said. Dr. Froese has enjoyed getting to know the people in the Preston and Chatfield area and beyond.
Dr. Froese knows the challenges of managing a home and business, but the benefits of having a family business make it worth it. Her 8-year-old daughter, Aubrey occasionally joins her mother at the clinic and helps with small tasks.
Dr. Sifford has continued working at the Root River Veterinary Clinic on a part-time basis and is semi-retired, which allows her time to travel.
The clinic is also staffed by Dr. Nikki Magee, who splits her time between the Preston and Winona clinics, Certified Veterinarian Technologist Morgan Knutson, and receptionist Kristin Schwier. Dr. Froese’s husband, Tyler Neilson also works at both the Preston and Winona clinics and does repairs, inventory, management, etc. as needed.
“We work together as a cohesive unit. There’s only a few of us here so that helps,” Knutson pointed out, adding that all of the employees get along really well. “It’s a nice working environment. I mean, it’s not always calm, but the flow is nice. We all know what our jobs are, and we do them,” she added.
The change in ownership for the clinic was a smooth transition, especially because Dr. Sifford’s familiar face can still be seen there. “People like the personal attention their pets get here. We treat them like family members and give them one on one attention,” Dr. Froese explained.
Dr. Froese focuses on preventative care at the clinic. Pets receive full exams when they’re brought in for vaccines. “I like to talk about the small issues before they become big ones,” she said.
She also places on emphasis on education, both for clients and staff members. “I almost became a high school biology teacher, so it comes naturally to me,” she laughed.
“I love our team here,” Dr. Froese said, adding that they’re all able to rely on each other and help one another out. “We have a team effort here. It’s not just me as an owner making decisions. We’re very open with each other.”
“We are a family friendly practice for the staff and patients,” Dr. Froese said, explaining that they strive to be supportive of the whole family, not just the pet.
The Root River Veterinary Clinic mainly sees cats and dogs, but Dr. Froese does care for exotic pets as well. “I do everything except birds,” she explained. “We pretty much just focus on companion animals.” The clinic used to see livestock as well, but Dr. Sifford was already moving away from that direction before Dr. Froese and Dr. Finnegan purchased the practice, so transitioning out of it completely was pretty simple.
Some of the many services offered at the Root River Veterinary Clinic are blood transfusions, regular checkups, surgeries, soft tissue surgeries, and orthopedics. Dr. Sifford practices acupuncture and chiropractic care for pets as well. For conditions that they are not equipped to handle, they work with the pet’s owner to determine if a referral to specialty care is an option.
The Root River Veterinary Clinic is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Due to the fact that Dr. Froese is the only full-time veterinarian there, emergency services are not offered, as it would be too much of a workload for her. Referrals for emergency and specialty care are made for Rochester.
Leave a Reply