PAC MEMBER HIGHLIGHTS••••••••
RICHARD PRATHER, DVM Ellis County Animal Hospital Shattuck, Oklahoma Dr. Richard Prather has spent his 37-year career in veterinary medicine working alongside his wife, Dr. Angie Prather, at Ellis County Animal Hospital in Shattuck, Oklahoma. With four small communities and zero stoplights in the county, Ellis County epitomizes rural America. It is a truly agricultural environment with farming and ranching as the staple income for most residents. Dr. Prather and his colleagues strive to provide care and services that promote healthy animals and sustainable agriculture. He shared, “We are passionate about promoting the cow-calf segment of the industry and providing herd health practices that will attract and enable future generations to thrive in rural communities.” Veterinary medicine has been a greater career than Dr. Prather could have ever imagined when he was starting out. He reflected, “Veterinary medicine has led to incredible relationships that have deeply rooted us into the rural way of life and created opportunities for our family to travel around the world.” He is particularly fond of the unexpected, unplanned, and unexplainable challenges of mixed animal practice, remarking, “The simple fact that there is no typical day is what endears us the most to mixed animal practice.”
BRADY LUKE, DVM Solomon Valley Veterinary Hospital Beloit, Kansas Dr. Brady Luke’s passion for veterinary medicine was sparked as a child watching his parents in their veterinary practice. Today, Dr. Luke is part of that same practice, Solomon Valley Veterinary Hospital in Beloit, Kansas. Located in the north-central part of the state, Beloit is home to about 3,500 people and surrounded by a mix of grassland and farm ground. At Solomon Valley Veterinary Hospital, Dr. Luke works alongside his father and mentor, Dr. Charles Luke, four other veterinarians, and a great team to provide quality, practical medicine for their clients and their animals. One of their core values is keeping God at the center of it all. He explained, “If we honor him in how we treat our staff and clients, then everything else falls into place.” While Dr. Luke enjoys the variety of procedures and animals that mixed animal practice presents, he is especially passionate about cow-calf production. He shared, “I love the fact that we can utilize grassland that would otherwise be unsuitable for crop production and can just keep improving generation after generation of beef genetics and health.” 52 member highlight
