by Jessica Mann
Dr. Beth Hudson will be the first to tell you that when your mom and dad are veterinarians your childhood is always a little different than that of your friends. At only a few weeks old, Beth began accompanying her parents to work. As she grew up, she began learning how to do simple things such as cleaning kennels, performing heartworm tests, and checking samples for intestinal parasites. By the time she was in sixth grade, Dr. Hudson was working at her parents’ clinics (both her mom and dad each owned a clinic that was situated close to each other) after school to save money for school trips. It shouldn’t come as a surprise then that Beth followed in her parents’ footsteps and became a veterinarian herself.
After graduating from Murray High School in Murray, Dr. Hudson packed her bags and headed for the hill with her sights set on pre-veterinary medicine. Her time at WKU was, in her words, “fun, but very hard.” That’s probably an understatement. In addition to a full course-load, Dr. Hudson also worked at the WKU dairy farm and at Greystone Pet Hospital as a technician until she graduated.
Following graduation, Dr. Hudson moved to Alabama to pursue her veterinary degree at Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine. This choice was not coincidental; Dr. Hudson’s mom and dad are both Auburn University alumni. Was it strange for Dr. Hudson to attend her parents’ alma mater?
“It was kind of cool,” she said. “I had some of the same professors that they had and one professor even remembered exactly what seat my mom used to sit in.”
Following her graduation from Auburn University, Dr. Hudson joined the Kailua Animal Clinic in Kailua, Hawaii, as an associate veterinarian. She practiced in Hawaii for several years before she and her husband returned home to the mainland.
Dr. Hudson’s mother, Dr. Paula Thorne, moved to Bowling Green when she was 10 years old, when her father, a Chrysler employee in Michigan, was transferred here. It is here that Dr. Thorne felt rooted and, years later, she still considers Bowling Green to be her hometown. She graduated from Warren Central High School and enrolled at WKU as a pre-veterinary student. Following her time on the hill she considered many veterinary schools, but finally settled on Auburn University. Not only did Dr. Thorne foster her love of feline medicine at Auburn, but she also met her future husband. They were married after graduation and settled in Jacksonville, Ala., where they built a clinic and practiced together before purchasing another clinic. These two veterinary practices are where their daughter, Beth, was raised and learned the family business. Once Beth and her brother had graduated from high school, Dr. Thorne found her way back to Bowling Green where she built a state-of-the-art veterinary clinic in 2008.
Now, this mother-daughter duo has teamed up to care for the dogs and cats of Bowling Green at their clinic, All Cats & Dogs Veterinary Hospital. Companion animal healthcare is important to them, so their clinic specializes in meeting the unique healthcare needs of dogs and cats. Together, they offer wellness exams and annual vaccines plus they also perform preventative surgeries like spays, neuters, and dental cleanings for cats and dogs. Additionally, their clinic is equipped to cater to sick pets. Their full-service hospital treatment area includes state-of-the-art digital radiography, an in-house pharmacy, in-house lab equipment that provides comprehensive test results in a matter of minutes as well as ultrasound and endoscopy services.
For Dr. Thorne and Dr. Hudson, veterinary medicine is more than just a job, it’s a calling, and each day is an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of pets and their owners. It is a special devotion to the animals that we call family, and they recognize the importance of caring for the family members of Bowling Green.
About the Author:
Jessica Mann has worked as the Client Care Specialist at All Cats & Dogs Veterinary Hospital since 2009. Most days you can find her behind the front desk fielding phone calls and cuddling puppies. She is a recent graduate of WKU with a degree in English literature.
