Dr. Alex Cole
Dr. Alex Cole has owned The Urbana Veterinary Clinic since 2010 and previously had 15 years practice experience at Indiana’s Manchester Veterinary Clinic before moving to Ohio. He has an avid interest in small animal internal medicine and clinical pathology. He has a background in caring for dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, small ruminants and young calves.
At his prior practice he served as the back-up practitioner for the practice’s dairy veterinarian, and the ‘go to’ guy for the unusual. His more interesting cases included teaming up with a farrier to treat a lame zebra and providing medical supervision for an elephant, both owned by a retired circus trainer. He also worked with a certified wildlife rehabilitator in Indiana.
He attended Kansas State for his undergraduate degree and is a 1995 graduate from Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine. His veterinary training included extra coursework in exotics and diagnostic imaging. His externship was at an avian and exotic clinic in southern California.
His other interests include outdoor activities such as bicycling, canoeing, and sailing. He is a third-degree blackbelt in the American TaiKwonDo Association and now studies Shotokan Karate. Dr. Cole is also a member of Acres Land Trust–a protector of natural habitats in Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio and volunteers on the Urbana Dog Park member’s board. He has family ties to Cincinnati and Cleveland, as well as Indianapolis.
Dr. Cole currently has a mischievous cat named “Pixel”, whom he adopted from PAWS Animal Shelter in 2012, and an older Jack Russell Terrier named Chloe he inherited from a close friend. Although don’t tell Chloe she’s “older” or she will be forced to run circles around you to prove otherwise!
Dr. Kari McManus
Dr. Kari McManus has been an associate veterinarian with The Urbana Veterinary Clinic since 2012. Dr. McManus grew up with a wide variety of animals, including horses and llamas, on her family’s 10-acre property just outside Sheridan, Wyoming (a city just slightly larger than Urbana). She discovered her calling at age 8, when she began shadowing her family’s veterinarian. While growing up she was involved in 4-H and FFA. Her projects included horses, llamas and poultry. In Colorado she has assisted the Alpaca Breeders of the Rockies and has conducted veterinary checks at livestock shows through the American Association of Small Ruminant Practitioners.
She attended The University of Wyoming for her undergraduate in Medical Microbiology and Animal and Veterinary Sciences and is a 2012 graduate from The Colorado State University College of Professional Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Dr. McManus also gained certification as a veterinary acupuncturist through the International Academy of Veterinary Acupuncture in a program offered by the Colorado Veterinary Medical Association and Colorado State.
Dr. McManus is the first veterinarian in the area to also offer veterinary medical acupuncture and spinal manipulation, or VSMT, as a complement or adjunct to traditional veterinary medicine. She offers acupuncture for small and large animals to alleviate chronic pain and treat a variety of common conditions, such as hip dysplasia, chronic degenerative joint disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and respiratory, neurological and urinary tract disorders. VSMT complements acupuncture by providing a healthy stimulus to the nervous system. This can help with illnesses and chronic conditions from arthritis to organ dysfunction.
“I like general veterinary practice, seeing my patients all the way through their lives and building a relationship with clients and patients.” –Dr. McManus
Her interests also include outdoor conservation, horseback riding, spending time with friends, walking trails with her dog, drawing and painting.
Dr. Jessica Higgins
Dr. Jessica Higgins has been an associate veterinarian with the Urbana Veterinary Clinic since 2017, as well as three prior years working summers and holidays with us as a veterinary student.
When she graduated from The Ohio State University, she found herself torn between two passions: swine/poultry population medicine and caring for your beloved pets, so she is doing both! Dr. Higgins works with us on some Saturdays and loves developing relationships with your pets and families. Since 2005, she has been involved with small animal medicine and has special interests in behavior modification techniques and controlling pet allergies.
During her free time, Dr. Higgins enjoys spending time with her husband and two girls. She met her husband through 4-H when they were young and the two of them now judge 4-H projects at the Ohio State Fair together as a way to give back to the program. They also enjoy relaxing at home with their three “fur babies,” Scarlet (Lab/Boxer mix), Moses (Devon Rex cat) and Henry (domestic shorthair cat).
