Kate Player, D.V.M. attended the University of Illinois, Urbana and earned her Bachelor of Science in Animal Sciences, Biotechnology, and Pre-Veterinary Medicine in 2007 and then her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 2011.
After graduation from veterinary school, Dr. Player worked in a variety of small animal general practices and a practice with a focus and heavy caseload in canine theriogenology. She then left traditional practice and transitioned full time to general practice relief work and found a passion for high quality/high volume spay/neuter (HQHVSN) and shelter medicine. She opened her first mobile practice in 2017 where she continued her work in canine reproduction on the side but provided general practice relief veterinary services, minor house call services, and acted primarily as a HQHVSN veterinarian with non-profits and shelters local to her home. Through this work, Dr. Player has become extremely proficient with pediatric surgery and anesthesia. She has performed about 40,000 spay/neuter surgeries at this point in her career and has done countless other surgical procedures over the years.
After witnessing so many different practice cultures and seeing the desperate need, Dr. Player decided to tackle the next adventure in veterinary medicine: She opened her first bricks and mortar veterinary clinic in January 2024! The clinic is named after her heart dog and the foundation of her breeding program. Bristol Veterinary Clinic, located in Oswego, Illinois, is a small animal general practice with a special interest in comprehensive canine (and some feline) theriogenology, neonatal, and pediatric care.
Ever since, as a very young child, she assisted her veterinarian mentor with docking tails on his many litters of Jack Russel Terrier puppies, Dr. Player had a strong desire to dock tails and crop ears properly and aesthetically. She learned the art of tail docks of a variety of lengths as a young veterinarian, but she never had the opportunity to learn the dying art of ear cropping until the DPCA Crop Grant program became available! Immediately upon learning about the unique opportunity, Dr. Player applied and was admitted to the program. She completed her mentorship with Dr. Midgarden in Ohio and has even gone back for further instruction to perfect this artful surgical procedure
When not working, you can find Dr. Player riding her bicycle, hanging out with her husband and family, or playing with her dogs. She has owned Rottweilers since 1987. She started showing conformation in 2005, Rally in 2013 and Obedience in 2015. She had her first litter in 2013 and just confirmed pregnancy on her fourth generation and eighth litter due in April 2024. She is active in the breed and is a member of the American Rottweiler Club Health Committee.
As a breeder herself, she understands the nuanced difficulties many breeders face raising litters, choosing the right parents, deciding which puppy to move forward with, and the utter importance of the safety, wellbeing, and need for a beautiful result for your puppies. Bristol Veterinary Clinic is so excited to offer the purebred community artful ear crops done humanely and correctly.