Dr. Laura McDonald
Associate Veterinarian
Laura McDonald may be a new doctor here at Everhart Veterinary Medicine, but she's not new to the team! She has worked as a Veterinary Assistant for over four years seasonally while attending school at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine.
Personal Hobbies and Interests
Dr. McDonald and her husband, Ryan, live with their BARCS rescue cat, Phoebe, and their Everhart Veterinary Medicine rescue dog, Brie Cheese. They enjoy spending time with family, Virginia Tech football, local restaurants, wineries/breweries, and snuggling up for a good movie or book.
Favorite Part of My Job
Her professional interests include shelter medicine, surgery, dentistry, and establishing deep relationships with her clients and patients throughout all stages of life.
Why I Chose This Profession
As a Northern Virginia native, she always knew that she wanted to be a Veterinarian. She grew up with cats and dogs, but enjoyed animals of every species.
Education
Once she received her Bachelor's degree in Biology, she began doing research at the Elephant house at the National Zoo in Washington D.C. on food, movement, and enrichment. After being accepted into Veterinary School at Virginia-Maryland, she returned for an preceptorship at the Zoo's Veterinary hospital, where she worked with a wide variety of species – including, clouded leopards, lions, seals and sea lions, a very sweet binturong named Hank, her beloved elephants, and assisted in surgeries including fish, shore birds, an electric eel, and Komodo dragon.
Work History
As an undergraduate student at George Mason University, she began volunteering with local shelters, and worked in the Veterinary suite at Fairfax County Animal Shelter. She gained experience with horses by volunteering at a local rescue.
Dr. McDonald married her husband in 2021, and they moved to Pasadena, Maryland (his home state). She had hopes of finding a practice that she would eventually feel comfortable with as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. Little did she know that her dream hospital would be so close. After four years, Dr. McDonald has found her home with Everhart Veterinary Medicine. She embraces their values of teamwork, diligence, perseverance, empathy, and above all dedication to their patients and clients. She is incredibly excited to continue learning from Dr. Goodman, Dr. Menefee, and all of the other amazing doctors and technicians on the team.