As a kindergartner, Dr. Kurt Hallgren DVM’02 recalls being fascinated with the animals at his family’s sheep and beef cattle farm near Niagara, Wisconsin.
“I’d head straight to the barn after I got home from school,” Hallgren says. “Ever since the second grade, I knew I wanted to be a veterinarian and never wavered.” Hallgren went on to get a bachelor’s degree in animal sciences at UW–River Falls and then headed for UW–Madison’s School of Veterinary Medicine, graduating in 2002.
“We had some of the best professors in the nation, and the commitment to research meant that they were always at the cutting edge,” Hallgren says. “They allowed us to customize our experience in veterinary medicine.”
After graduating, Hallgren worked as a veterinarian in the Wisconsin communities of Shawano and Hudson, before returning to his home county to work at the Town and Country Veterinary Clinic in Marinette.
We had some of the best professors in the nation, and the commitment to research meant that they were always at the cutting edge.
“It’s very challenging to figure out what’s going on with animals and their health,” says Hallgren, who works primarily with small animals. “You obviously have to have a love of animals, but a lot of it is about the owners.”
In 2016, Hallgren completed training to become certified in Veterinary Spinal Manipulative Therapy at the Healing Oasis Wellness Center in Sturtevant. He then passed the demanding exam to become a member of the College of Animal Chiropractic.
“For example, we use it for dogs who are limping or sore or experiencing pain in some fashion,” Hallgren says. “It can be good for organ issues and GI problems, as well. It’s a way to keep the nervous system functioning better.”
Hallgren owns a pair of Labrador retrievers, Khiro and Early, and has a passion for training dogs. Last year, he and Early competed in the National Amateur Retriever Championship.
“I have a good rapport with animals and love the challenge of working with them,” he says.
