Lizzy Dean, DVM

Dr. Lizzy Dean, DVM grew up in the Detroit suburbs with three older brothers in a loud, boisterous family. This environment molded her animated, and at times, tomboy personality. She had many pets growing up including a golden retriever, a tabby DSH cat, a cockatiel, an iguana, fish and a horse. She began horseback riding at 6 years old, a hobby she still enjoys today. From age 10, she was the caretaker of a farm that had horses, donkeys, llamas and a host of barnyard critters. Her love for animals has always been a central focus in her life.

Lizzy graduated valedictorian of her high school class and attended Michigan State University for both undergraduate studies and veterinary school. During college, she had many odd part time jobs ranging from tutoring football players in math to beekeeping. Finishing undergrad early, she lived in Granada, Spain for 6 months. There she took Spanish language classes and lived with a host family. Continuing on to vet school she took many diverse classes and practiced on both large and small animals. She enrolled in special courses in goats, sheep and llamas to become proficient in their diseases.

After graduation from vet school, she worked as an emergency vet and horse surgeon at a large regional horse hospital in Florida for one year. She practiced on many Olympic-level equine athletes and also was the show veterinarian for high-level hunter and jumper shows. After Florida, her passion for the outdoors and the desire to experience new frontiers lead her to move to the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

Dr. Lizzy has worked as a relief veterinarian at several small animal clinics in the greater Seattle area before joining the team at The Family Pet. Her areas of interest in veterinary medicine are soft tissue surgery, internal medicine, and preventive care. She enjoys working on dogs, cats, guinea pigs, rabbits, goats, sheep, llamas and alpacas. She is an Accredited Veterinarian (USDA Category 1) qualified to write health certificates for all species of domestic animals and livestock. She enjoys making individual treatment plans for her patients that produce the maximum quality of life while practicing the highest quality of medicine. The human animal bond she experiences with her clients constantly amazes her. It is her personal goal to keep that bond strong by ensuring that her patients are healthy and happy.

Dr. Lizzy lives in Seattle with her brother and his wife. In her free time, she rides her old National Show Horse on the scenic trails of Washington. She also enjoys rooting for the best college team in the nation, the Michigan State Spartans! When she isn’t on horseback, working or cheering for the Spartans, she enjoys the peacefulness of boating on Lake Washington.