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West and his staff recently welcomed Dr. Timothy and Dr. Sarah Stalans, a husband-and-wife team. Like West, both have longed to work with animals since they were children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWorking on the family beef farm inspired me to pursue a career in the animal field. Other exposures to veterinary medicine, like shadowing West here at CVH, solidified my decision to pursue veterinary medicine. If it walks, crawls, flies, or swims, I work on it,\u201d Timothy said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sarah said, \u201cI can honestly say I do not remember a time when I did not tell someone that I was going to be a veterinarian when I grew up. I was always just drawn to animals and could never imagine doing anything else.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Though she agreed with her husband about seeing all kinds of animals, she insisted, \u201cI don\u2019t see large birds or snakes. But the largest animal I\u2019ve worked on was a Clydesdale horse. She was a gentle giant. A lot of people think we do this because we love animals, but in reality, we are doing it because we love people and want to help them care for their beloved animals.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sarah grew up in Southern California, but Tennessee has been her surrogate home for nearly a decade. Her bachelor\u2019s degree wasn\u2019t the only thing she gained while attending the University of Tennessee-Martin. She also met her future husband, and in 2019, they were married. They graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBedford County is not home for me, but the community has welcomed me with open arms, making it feel like home and where I feel I can serve the most,\u201d Sarah said. \u201cOur main goal at CVH is to serve our community. We do our best to make sure no one is turned away and everyone in our community has the opportunity to have their animals taken care of.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Stalans have two dogs: a bloodhound named Oliver and a basset hound named Tater, who Sarah says can\u2019t hunt anything except a biscuit. They also have a donkey who is quite the \u201cdiva\u201d and three cats \u2014 Cornbread, Bagel, and Crouton \u2014 who pretend to be hard at work catching field mice but are most likely lazily napping on the porch. They also have a herd of cows, a couple of hogs, and a flock of chickens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dr. Elizabeth Whitt joined the Cascade family in June. Her story is reminiscent of the others. \u201cEver since I was young, growing up to be a vet was the only plan I ever had! I grew up riding horses and worked at several incredible veterinary clinics, which continued to inspire my love for the veterinary field.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She had the chance to work on several rhinos and tigers while earning her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Tennessee. But her heart beats quicker when she hears the bleating of goats or sheep waiting behind the exam room door \u2014 though working with these animals poses challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere is a large population of people who own livestock such as goats, sheep, and cattle for pets, but these animals are labeled as food species. Because of this, veterinarians are sometimes limited to the types of treatment we can legally perform under the risk they would one day enter the food chain,\u201d Elizabeth said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe know that during a short appointment with us, we may not be able to see a difference, but we trust your voice to know when something is wrong. Veterinary medicine is a joint![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/shelbyville\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/11\/5-1024x683.jpg\")
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effort between the veterinary team, owners, and their pets, so we can all do what is best for our furry friends.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n