Dr. Dustin Staab is a vet in more ways than one.

Prior to coming to the Pet Health Centers in Solon and Mount Vernon, Staab spent roughly 15 years working in the military service as a veterinarian.

“I’ve moved 15 times in the span of several years,” Staab said. “This is the community where me and my wife are now setting down our roots, as our kids both have jobs in the Iowa City area.”

Staab said he grew up in the Sioux City area of the state before enlisting in the Marines and then National Guard.

For him, the greatest thing he enjoys about being a veterinarian is helping to provide care to the animals that many feel are part of their family.

“Helping provide care for the pets and a relief to families is a huge part of what I enjoy about the job,” Staab said.

Staab said he has found Mount Vernon to be a tight knit community, where people know each other and their pets, and a lot of the clientele at the health center have been at the center for years.

Staab said he works on general practice for small animal care.

“I am comfortable providing some care for exotic animals, like pocket pets and reptiles, but we have limited diagnostics available for those animals at this center,” Staab said.

The center has a lot of same day appointments for medical emergencies, and may be able to help stabilize a pet in case of severe emergencies before getting them to a more specialized care center.

When he isn’t at the vet clinic, Staab said he can be seen watching soccer and cheering on his favorite team as he’s aged out of playing, rooting for the Iowa Hawkeyes or hockey.

Staab said he constantly wants to try to improve the animal care where he looks, while maintaining the hometown veterinarian feel at Pet Health Center of Mount Vernon. “We are looking at building a newer facility in the next three to five years that will expand our services while keeping that family feel,” Staab said.