Parker Animal Clinic
Owner: Shane Parker, DVM
Location: Hwy 64, Clarksville, Ark.
Why did you decide on veterinary medicine?
“I was fixing to start college and I was in limbo about what to do. I always had an interest in the sciences. One of the few times my dad called a vet to come out to the farm for a prolapsed cow, I went out there. I thought that was a cool job.”
After graduating Vet School at LSU, Shane worked with Dr. Oates in Russellville, Ark., for two years to learn the business side of the practice. In 2000 he moved to Clarksville into a new facility. “We have been blessed, there’s no doubt about that,” said Shane. "We started out with one employee. Now, we have 14. Two of those are Licensed Techs and two are working on their license.”
What has been your biggest challenge?
“The work schedule has been tough. When I first started I would work until one or two o’clock in the morning, go out on farm calls, and then get up at seven o’clock in the morning to be back here at the office. That wears on people. Now, I’ve found a niche where I can take off for a couple days. I always take my cell phone with me. There is a certain sense of security that clients have knowing they can call me and ask me what I think.”
What is your primary business?
“When we came here I really thought we would do a lot of cattle, and the horses just took off. We built the barn a year later. It stays full during breeding season. We do a lot of Artificial Insemination (AI)”. During breeding season, March through June, we AI 80-90 per year. We also do 1,800 ultrasounds a year.”
How is AI different for horses than cattle?
“It’s similar, but timing is even more critical. We use a lot of shipped in semen. With cattle you can use semen stored in liquid nitrogen, but horses do a lot better with fresh cooled semen. So you have to really narrow it down when they are going to ovulate.”
By Amber Parham
