When asked what her earliest memory was, Dr. Veal told us that it was at the age of 3 and she was sitting on the back of a big black mare named Queenie. It wasn’t long after that when anytime someone asked what she wanted to be when she grew up she would say “a vet – the animal kind, not the Army kind”. Although horses didn’t enter her life until much later, she was the owner of many family cats and dogs, including a diabetic cat she began treating when she was 14 years old.
In junior high school, Dr. Jessica began observing in vet clinics, which evolved into assistant positions at local practices in high school, which then grew into canine orthopedic work as an undergraduate at Washington State University. In her eyes, from as early as elementary school, she felt the best way to help the animals that she so deeply cared for would be in the role of a veterinarian. Providing health care to our beloved furry companions could not compare to any other calling as a career there is nothing more rewarding.
A native Washingtonian, Dr. Veal spent her early years in eastern Washington and most of her adolescence in central Washington, specifically Yakima. After finishing veterinary school, she was eager for a change of scenery and wanted to settle in the Seattle area. Dr. Jessica happily joined the Cottage Lake Veterinary Hospital team in 2007 and couldn’t be more pleased with her fellow team members and the community!
Outside the hospital, Dr. Jessica’s animal companions have been many and varied but currently consist of a horse named Hawk and a cat named Simcha. Hawk was a rescue case acquired near the end of her veterinary school days, and despite multiple medical challenges they are able to enjoy Classical Dressage lessons and walks on nearby trails. He occasionally lets Jessica leave the stable and spend time at home with Eric and Simcha, who keeps them entertained with contortionist poses atop her cat tree. Simcha enjoys her role as household greeter, vocalist extraordinaire, and personal alarm clock. She is so devoted to the latter duty, that come wind, rain or power outage she will personally ensure that either Eric or Jessica awakes by 4:00AM for her breakfast.