Dr. McClanahan

 When I was little I had two possible dreams: veterinarian or dolphin trainer.  One of those worked out for me!  I grew up on Madison's West side and have many fond memories of spending my summers at Parkcrest Pool (go Penguins!) and winters sledding down the giant hill at Elver Park.  I attended Memorial High School where I continued my love of swimming and figured out that I wanted to go into the sciences after high school.

While I loved Madison, I decided I wanted to move away for college and moved to Iowa City, IA to get my degree in Integrative Physiology at the University of Iowa.  After being in Iowa for a year, I met my now husband, Andrew, a Quad-Cities native.  During my time in Iowa, I went back and forth trying to decide between PA school, PT school or getting my PhD.  After graduating, I still didn't know what I wanted to do, so I planned to spend a year working in a research lab I had worked in during college.  During that year, my very sweet dog Bo had an allergic reaction to a medication that sent us to the local veterinary ER.  It was at that time that I remembered my childhood dream (about being a veterinarian, not a dolphin trainer).  Everything just seemed to click into place.  I spent the following year working in a veterinary clinic as an assistant and knew that this was what I wanted to do.  I applied to the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine and just a few months later Andrew and I were headed back to Madison for veterinary school. 

I started working at Four Lakes Veterinary Clinic right after graduation in 2018. I’ve loved being part of the Four Lakes family, which really is a family. During my time at Four Lakes we became Fear Free Certified and started seeing many animals with behavioral conditions. Veterinary behavior has always been an interest of mine and in 2023 I was lucky enough to start a non-conforming residency program with the help of Dr. Marie Hopfensperger. I’ll be working towards board certification over the next few years. During that time, I look forward to helping animals and their owners from all over Wisconsin through challenging behavioral conditions. 

In my spare time I love spending time with my family, which includes my husband Andrew and my two boys, Cody and Noah. We also have a dog and a cat who provide endless amusement and affection towards my kids.