Dr. Jennifer Champagne
Veterinarian
My name is Dr. Jennifer Champagne. I am the chief veterinarian on staff and I welcome you into our Littleton Paws home.
I am originally from Illinois where I was born and raised in a small rural Northwest community called Harvard. I grew up on a 10-acre farm filled with many different kinds of animals. I guess it really was no surprise to my family when I started proclaiming I wanted to be a veterinarian at the age of 7 and would follow our horse vet around like a shadow whenever he came to the house. I was an active member of my county’s 4-H program for 10 years. I also belonged to the Quarter Horse Association and the Arabian Horse Association. I showed horses throughout my teenage years.
People love to ask me how long I’ve been in this field and I always answer “so far, my whole life”. I began at the bottom of the ladder at 15 years old mucking out stalls for a large animal vet and then moved up to a kennel attendant position in a small animal hospital. Over the years I have been a technician’s assistant, a receptionist, a veterinary technician, then finally a veterinarian.
I went to Iowa State University for my undergraduate work and earned two bachelor’s degrees. My first was a Bachelor of Science Degree in Zoology. My second was a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology, with an emphasis in animal behavior. During that stretch of schooling, I worked as a veterinary technician is DesMoines, Iowa commuting back and forth from Ames. Next stop was veterinary school and to see the Colorado mountains for the first time. I was so proud to be accepted to Colorado State University, which is always ranked in the top 5 veterinary schools for small animal medicine. Go CSU!! For those who don’t know, there are only 22 veterinary schools in North America, so we really have a gem in our own backyard.
After graduating from the 22nd grade with my Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine, I moved to Las Vegas. I practiced there for 7 years at some of the highest caliber animal hospitals in the area. I learned emergency medicine, dermatology, internal medicine, general and advanced surgery, enhanced my education with more courses on performing echocardiograms, and abdominal ultrasounds. While I was busy working alongside boarded specialist I even got the idea I might want to go back to school and become boarded myself but the thought of another 2-4 years of tuition was too daunting an idea. Right around that time I was offered a position back in beautiful Colorado.
Another 4 years passed while I diligently practiced general and emergency medicine in Thornton, Colorado. Finally, I decided to go out on my own and pursue my real dream- to start my own practice and offer veterinary medicine the way I remember it as a child: a caring hand, a reassuring smile, and hopefully a healing touch. It really is the best job in the world and I consider myself lucky every day I get to help heal someone’s pet. I love what I do - always.
