Jennifer Kishbaugh, DVM

Dr. Jen Kishbaugh grew up in Cheektowaga, New York, where her family kept everything from dogs, birds, and rabbits to hamsters, gerbils, fish, and even a snake. In fact, it was the hours spent learning about and caring for her very first pet, a hamster named Critter, that convinced Dr. Kishbaugh to become a veterinarian! Her passion hasn’t quit. She couldn’t be happier to help pet owners and their adorable animal companions here at Main West Animal Hospital. 

During her undergraduate studies, Dr. Kishbaugh volunteered at the Aquarium of Niagara and also worked at a local small-animal and exotic veterinary clinic. Next, she moved to the Caribbean to attend veterinary school at Ross University in St. Kitts and completed her clinical training at Cornell University before starting an internship on Long Island. Dr. Kishbaugh worked in several specialty, emergency, and critical care facilities after her schooling, volunteering with local wildlife rehabilitators on Long Island in her spare time, before moving to Washington, D.C. There, she joined the Smithsonian’s Global Health team to focus on emerging infectious diseases. 

Dr. Kishbaugh became a research consultant, specializing in transfusion medicine and researching transfusion applications for zoo species, and still helps animals in that role. Currently, she’s working to meet the transfusion needs of elephant calves suffering from a highly fatal disease known as elephant endotheliotropic herpesviruses, or EEHV. 

Dr. Kishbaugh joined the Main West Animal Hospital family in May of 2020 and couldn’t be happier to use her extensive background experience and skill set to help the area’s pets. She has a special interest in pocket pets and exotic medicine and the unique challenges they present. She’s also still passionate about wildlife rehabilitation—nothing beats helping an animal return to the wild in a safe manner. Dr. Kishbaugh has worked on Asian and African elephants, the Southern White Rhino, the Leatherback sea turtle, and the Nile crocodile! 
When she’s not helping pets, Dr. Kishbaugh likes gardening, biking, kayaking, swimming, and hiking with her family. She’s also fond of knitting, crocheting, baking, and reading. She and her husband have a young daughter, and the family shares their home with three cats: Trixie, Popeye, and Thackary Binx.