Veterinarian
Dr. Julia Zuercher joined the Animal Hospital team in 2021 at Statesville. She will move to the South Main location upon its opening in the fall of 2025. She is excited to continue to provide exceptional client and patient care at this sister location.
Originally from Richmond, Virginia, Dr. Zuercher and her husband moved to the Lake Normal area in 2018 when she was still at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. She visited the Animal Hospital of Statesville for a day and "instantly fell in love with the supportive culture and the way the Animal Hospital values its employees, patients, and clients." She joined as soon as she could and is happy to be able to practice veterinary medicine consistent with the high ethical and medical standards held by the Animal Hospital.
Dr. Zuercher is an Elite Fear Free Certified Professional, which means she has extensive training and experience looking after the physical and emotional wellbeing of her patients. She seeks to create a low-stress environment for all of the pets she sees from the happy-go-lucky Maine coons to the misunderstood chihuahuas with strong feelings. She especially enjoys working cooperatively with her anxious patients and their parents to help them feel at ease while they receive needed care. Ultimately, Dr. Zuercher wants everyone (people and pets alike!) to feel comfortable during their visits to Animal Hospital.
A graduate of Virginia Tech's Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine (VMCVM), she was named a Nandi Scholar for 2021 as an "up and comer" in the field of Theriogenology (animal reproduction) and was an AKC Veterinary Outreach Scholar throughout veterinary school. Dr. Zuercher wants to build a successful reproductive service to help responsible breeders produce healthy puppies.
Outside of veterinary medicine, Dr. Zuercher enjoys gardening, baking and spending time with her German Shorthaired Pointer, Heidi, and her husband, Mark. (Heidi enjoys gardening, too, and particularly loves tasting the tomatoes, cucumbers and arugula.)