A new veterinarian in Elmore County is following a childhood dream to a second career.
Dr. Tracy Miller isn’t from Alabama but a love of animals and a hate of snow led her to open her first clinic in Holtville.
“I actually wanted to be a veterinarian when I was a kid,” Miller said. “I was about 8 years old when I wanted to be Dr. Doolittle. My grandmother read me the book. I was like I can do this. I can talk to animals, but it is a little harder than Dr. Doolittle actually.”
But Miller didn’t initially follow her dreams. She became a registered nurse (RN) and made her way to Montgomery to live with a friend and worked in area hospitals. She met her husband who challenged her to be happy in her life and career.
“I had been an RN for about 10 years,” Miller said. “I came home and my husband said I needed to find some happiness in my career or find a new career.”
Miller was living in Kentucky and didn’t take the traditional route to become a veterinarian. Miller had a two-year registered nursing degree but to apply to veterinary school she needed a bachelors. Miller got hers in biology and chemistry from Eastern Kentucky University which had an agreement with Auburn University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. She went through the application process just like everyone else.
“I did it as a middle aged woman,” Miller said. “It was a little challenging. I was the oldest in my class, but I don’t think I looked the oldest.”
Miller settled in Wetumpka after graduating Auburn University’s Veterinary School in 2018. She worked relief assignments in established vet practices helping provide medical relief for other vets or helping in a busy practice. But Miller still had a dream.
“I wanted to have my own practice and do good medicine,” Miller said. “I looked around and wanted to find something about 20 minutes from the house.”
Miller started from scratch signing a lease on a building on Holtville Road in December. Quickly she began working with the vendors to come with x-ray machines, tables, kennels, surgical and sterilization instruments and more. Miller also had to come up with a name.
“I wanted a better life for me and my animals,” Miller said. “That is why I went to vet school. That was my goal to make life better.”
Out of that thought was born Better Life Veterinary. Just because Miller had a building, a name and equipment didn’t mean she could open her doors yet. She had to wait for the state of Alabama to inspect the property and equipment. The state did its inspection and allowed her to open May 4.
Miller had a few patients who knew her as she filled in clinics with an hour’s drive of Wetumpka.
“I have a few that have followed me around,” Miller said.
Others have come by just word of mouth and some social media posting.
“I have been pretty impressed,” Miller said. “We haven’t done a lot of advertising, We kind of did a soft opening to make sure computers worked. Some have just dropped by to say hi.”
Miller and her staff are still trying to get their feet wet growing a patient base to allow more services and hours.
“We are mostly just a medical facility currently,” Miller said. “We don’t do any boarding or bathing at this time. But we are a full-service hospital. We have all the services. We have x-ray, dental services, wellness and vaccinations. We care for the whole lifetime from puppies to when it is time to let them go back to Jesus.”
Miller also wants to bring advanced care to pets in the area that is available only in places like Auburn and Montgomery, some involving cancer treatment.
“I work with those services and can do a lot of the preemptive care up front, surgical recessions of cancer and then go see the oncologist,” Miller said. “It allows me to bring a broad spectrum of services and care to people without having to pay that hefty referral fee up front.”
Currently Miller isn’t offering orthopedics but hopes to grow into it eventually as well as Saturday appointments. The clinic is open 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday to Friday but makes special arrangements for drop offs on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
But just because the clinic is in a rural area doesn’t mean she can treat everything.
“We are a small animal exclusive,” Miller said. “I hope to someday grow and recruit someone for the large animal population that is here.”
