Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

LAPLACE — Dr. Keely Shine has always had a special place in her heart for large animals. She’s been riding and showing horses her whole life, and her rural upbringing often brought her in contact with dairy cows, goats, sheep and other farm animals.

A recent graduate of LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, Shine is now bringing large animal mobile veterinary services to St. John the Baptist Parish and surrounding areas.

Many locals know Shine as a trainer at CrossFit LaPlace, which she owns and operates along with her husband and father-in-law. She’s also active duty in the U.S. Navy and will be out of the country for military training through September 2.

Once she returns home to LaPlace, she looks forward to introducing Shine Veterinary Services to the community.

“There really is not a large animal veterinarian in the area that is able to work from their truck, be on the road, and make phone calls all day long. A lot of the veterinarians we do have in the area have a brick-and-mortar building. They are seeing appointments all day in their buildings, and if they can get out to a farm, they do, but it’s easier for people to bring animals to them,” Shine said. “There’s a need for people who have too many animals to try to bring them to a clinic or have no way to get their animals to a clinic.”

Shine will offer veterinary services to farm animals including cows, goats, pigs and horses, as well as basic wellness services for the occasional dog and cat.

For large animals, services revolve around herd health, from making sure the animals have good nutrition to getting them the vaccinations that they need. Other services include annual wellness exams, bloodwork, breeding soundness examinations, artificial insemination, pregnancy diagnosis and emergencies.

Through her mobile set up, Shine can also make house calls to provide basic wellness services to dogs and cats, including annual check-ups and exams, routine bloodwork, vaccinations, administering preventative care medicine, heartworm tests and deworming.

While she has a love for animals of all shapes and sizes, Shine said there is a difference between veterinary services for family pets and herds on a farm.

“A lot of large animals are part of commercial agricultural operations. Their focus is having healthy animals to provide a food source. We kind of look at it through a different lens, making sure we have a healthy and safe food supply to feed our community,” Shine said.

There is no set radius for how far Shine is willing to travel. She’s licensed in both Louisiana and Texas, and she’s ready to answer calls throughout both states with the understanding that, if someone is several hours away, she may not be the best choice in case of an emergency.

Emergencies can often be handled with same day services. For basic wellness services, Shine Veterinary Services is currently able to schedule appointments one or two days out. This timeframe may be extended if a special medication needs to be ordered.

Business hours are from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information about Shine Veterinary Services, visit www.shineveterinaryservices.com or call/text 325-451-4857 to get on the books.