02/14/2023
With no office or marketing budget, “Dr. Marie,” as she is known, makes it her business to charge a fraction of the going rate at a typical vet’s office.
“I don’t have to advertise. Seniors work with health aides and other people who come in and these workers spread the word to other places and other clients who have pets and need my help,” she said.
Some pet owners can’t afford even her reduced fees. Louderback receives a few grants to cover their costs and has established a nonprofit for “people falling off at the bottom end.” Her
organization, Minnesota Supporting Companion Animals for Seniors and the Disabled (MnSCASD), accepts donations to support and expand her practice.
A lifelong animal lover, Louderback had her first career was as a semiconductor engineer in her native Ohio. When she was accepted to the University of Minnesota’s College of Veterinary
Medicine at 40, she moved to the Twin Cities with her family.
“In one class they took us to a senior building to help older people with their pets and I thought,
this is for me,” she said.
Her work is particularly valued during the pandemic, when many of her older clients are nervous about venturing outside their homes while needing their pet’s companionship more than ever.
“Their activities are canceled and no one is visiting. That pet with them 24 hours a day and is their lifeline,” Louderback said.
That’s certainly the case for Vahle.
“Pepper is so important to me. When I do my list of gratefuls, as I call it, she’s always at the top of the list,” she said. “Dr. Marie is on my list, too."
- Kevyn Burger is a Minneapolis-based freelance writer and broadcaster.
