Susan McMillan has been practicing veterinary medicine since 1997 when she graduated from University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine. She spent five years in a small animal practice in Fairbanks, Alaska. Days were filled with surgery, medicine, dentals, ultrasounds, x-rays, lab work, and lots of bush medicine. Emergencies included porcupine quills, kicked by moose, and sled dog injuries.

Dr. McMillan volunteered weekends during the long winters to vetting sled dog races, including the Yukon Quest (the other big race), the Quest 250 and Junior Quest, the Copper Basin 300, and some local races. She particularly enjoyed working with the teen and rooky mushers whose main goal was just to finish the race with a happy, healthy team.

After leaving Alaska in 2001, Dr. McMillan did relief work in southern California but managed to get out and find her way to Vermont. She and her partner and practice manager, Becky Roberts, now happily call Vermont home.

Vet to Pet Mobile Veterinary Service was created in August, 2005. Once the mobile practice was established, Susan and Becky decided that Burlington needed a small, storefront clinic. The Old North End Veterinary Clinic opened in November, 2006. These two practices have nearly 1800 clients between them and, although sometimes there is talk of not taking new clients, this has not had to happen yet.

Becky Roberts is a native of Indianapolis, Indiana and was good enough to play basketball for Indiana University where she majored in physical education. Upon graduation, she left Indiana and headed west. She has since spent most of her adult life in Arizona and southern California.

Becky was an outdoor educator and, for eight years, she ran a wilderness school for high school students in Phoenix. This group traveled a lot and did some amazing trips to Europe, Hawaii, Colorado and Utah. Some weekends, they stayed close to home and taught the kids to ski, back pack, rock climb, survive in the desert, and get along with others. After leaving Arizona, Becky embarked on her own, starting several small businesses. She designed and manufactured women’s athletic clothing, performed interior and faux painting, and studied feng shui. Before moving to Vermont, Becky was the volunteer coordinator for large fund-raising events, including the 3-Day Breast Cancer Walks and the AIDS Vaccine Rides. She traveled extensively around California, Alaska, Montana, the DC area, and New England.

Becky runs both Vet to Pet and the Old North End Vet Clinic. She books appointments, sends reminders, fields calls, maintains financial records, and is the first and last person with whom every client communicates.

Becky is a fantastic cook, and also loves to walk, hike, watch movies and harvest an Intervale Community Farm share. Susan loves to hike, run, snow shoe, water ski, garden and take pictures. Between them, they have hiked the Grand Canyon 3 times and now plan to hike rim-to-rim-to-rim in the fall of 2011.

Their home is shared with feline friends, Fang and Fury. Fang wandered up to Susan’s parent’s house in Peoria, Illinois in 1992. She ended up going to vet school with Susan and has lived in Madison, northern Wisconsin, Fairbanks, San Diego, and now Vermont. Fury is a four year old stray discovered at the Humane Society of Chittenden County. They are both slim and playful, although Fang has been treated for kidney disease for quite awhile now. Killian, the wonder dog/border collie, rounded out the home front but was lost to the ravages of old age in November, 2009. She was a fun and fantastic companion for 15 years.

Articles Written by Susan McMillan for
Out in the Mountains

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