Dr. Impala Joins Chewelah Veterinary Clinic

The newest veterinarian at Chewelah Veterinary Clinic, Dr. Emma Impala, hopes to help fill a need that has become increasingly important in rural communities: providing care for horses and livestock while still being there for the dogs, cats, and other smaller animals. “My goal throughout my time in vet school was always to work as a mixed practice vet in a rural community because I understand how big of a need there is in communities like Chewelah,” Impala said. “I want to support our ranchers who work so hard to put food on our tables, but I also want to provide quality care to our community’s smaller critters too.” Impala recently joined the Chewelah Veterinary Clinic after earning her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Washington State University (WSU).

She shared that she grew up competing in a variety of equestrian disciplines, including barrel racing, jumping, three-day eventing, and fox hunting, and was a member of the United States Pony Club. Before becoming a veterinarian, Impala said she also spent three years working as an assistant in a small-animal general practice, giving her experience with the companion-animal side of veterinary medicine. Impala served as president of WSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine Dairy Club in 2020 and worked at the university dairy through the organization.

During her clinical year, she spent a significant amount of time taking large-animal reproduction rotations in an effort to strengthen her skills and knowledge in that field. Those experiences helped establish two areas that Impala said she hopes to emphasize in her work: equine and bovine reproduction, and herd health. “I love both breeding mares and assisting in foaling if needed, and I also enjoy working with problem mares that have difficulty breeding,” she said. Impala said she was drawn to rural mixed-animal medicine in part due to a lack of veterinarians serving horses and production animals.

“I want to recognize the veterinarian shortage in equine and production animal medicine, and that my ultimate goal is to bridge this gap as best as I can,” Impala said. That need is particularly noticeable in rural agricultural regions, where veterinarians can find themselves caring for everything from family pets to breeding livestock and horses, she said. When discussing what ultimately convinced her to join Chewelah Veterinary Clinic, Impala had a simple answer. “The team,” she said. “Everyone who works here is so friendly and fun to work with.

Since my first day, everyone has been incredibly welcoming.” Impala said that the welcoming atmosphere has extended well beyond her coworkers. “I love being a member of Stevens County. The area is beautiful and is such an important region for beef production in Washington,” she said. The agricultural character of the area provides Impala with an opportunity to pursue the type of veterinary practice she envisioned while she was still in school.

At the same time, the outdoor opportunities have made the transition an easy fit. Outside the clinic, Impala said she enjoys hiking, gardening, reading, cooking, and spending time outdoors with her fiancé, Cody, along with their three dogs and two cats. While veterinary medicine can come with long days and difficult situations, Impala said much of the reward comes from the relationships developed with both animals and their owners. Then there are the cases where veterinarians are able to watch the results of their work unfold in front of them. “And of course watching an animal you work with heal and return to themselves is always the best,” Impala said.