Dr. Janet Rettenmaier has been practicing at Galloway Village Veterinary for one year now! Her anniversary with us is a great time for clients to get to know her better.

Dr. Rettenmaier grew up in Iowa where her grandparents had a farm. As a child, she helped care for the animals on the farm, tending to sick kittens, calves, and piglets, and eventually getting her own pony! She wanted to be a veterinarian from the start and her time on the farm reinforced that dream.

When Dr. Rettenmaier went to college, her academic advisors didn’t encourage her to pursue her ambitions by applying to vet school. She was declined scholarships by women’s groups because it was so difficult to get into a veterinary program. With no support behind her, she graduated college with a BA without ever applying to vet
school.

After college, Dr. Rettenmaier began working in a hospital laboratory as a medical technologist. A physician friend encouraged her to apply to vet school, asking her “won’t you always wonder if you could have gotten accepted?” This mentor was a tremendous help in giving her professional encouragement and advise. Dr. Rettenmaier was able to match for both her internship and surgery residency on the first try at a time when it was extremely competitive.

In 1988, Dr. Rettenmaier received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Iowa State University. She completed
a Small Animal rotating internship, Small Animal general surgery residency and received a Masters of Science
degree from the University of Missouri- Columbia. Dr Rettenmaier is also certified in Veterinary acupuncture.
She has over 30 years of experience in practice, research and corporate veterinary medicine. She has
published in refereed veterinary journals and has lectured internationally.

Dr. Rettenmaier is an avid equestrian and can be seen riding her thoroughbred event horse throughout the Midwest. She also has Hangin Tree cattle dogs. Her years of experience as a Small animal surgeon and participation in equine and canine competitive sports has provided her with a unique perspective regarding wellness, preventative medicine, and therapeutics in competition and working animals. She has a passion for improving the quality of life of her patients and client satisfaction by helping their pets. Dr. Rettenmaier says “I have been in many, many different clinical settings. Galloway Village practices the type and quality of medicine that fits my expectations. I am excited to offer my expertise to clients and their pets in SW Missouri.”

We’re happy to have Dr. Rettenmaier as a part of the Galloway Village Veterinary team and look forward to many more years providing excellent veterinary care with her.