CASEY DUXBURY, DVM
Growing up on a cow/calf operation between Miller and Ree Heights, SD, Casey Duxbury knew she wanted to be a veterinarian well before she even entered kindergarten.
“I was three or four years old when I first said I want to be a vet,” she said with a smile. “I never really had much interest in anything else.”
After graduating from Miller High School in 2009, Duxbury attended SDSU in Brookings, earning a degree in Animal Science in 2013. Eager to pursue her dream of being a veterinarian, Duxbury began her first year of vet school during the last year of her undergrad degree — graduating from Iowa State with a DVM in 2016.
After graduation she married Troy Duxbury who is originally from Wessington and graduated high school from Wessington Springs in 2010.
“I’ve always been familiar with Wessington Springs, that’s where I went to the dentist growing up,” she said, also pointing out that 4-H activities brought her to Springs as well. “In fact, my first date with my husband was in Wessington Springs at his prom my senior year.”
The day after their wedding, the couple moved to Rensselaer, Indiana for her first job out of vet school at a general livestock practice named StockVets.
“There I took care of cattle reproduction and herd health. I did a little AI, advanced repro technology, embryo collection and transfer as well as in vitro fertilization,” she said of the position she held from June 2016 to June 2022. “The practice covered anything food animal related — cattle, sheep, goats and pigs.”
The Duxburys have two children: Evelyn (3) and Parker (1). Troy works as an international civil engineer for a company based out of New York.
“Troy works from a home office most of the time and as needed, does international travel,” she explained, adding that child care can get tricky when she’s on a vet call. “Both kids have grown up in clinic settings and tag along to farms calls with me too. There are no grandmas in Indiana — but there are here in both Wessington and Miller.”
She and her husband’s goal has been to eventually circle back closer to their family’s farms.
“We want our kids to have the best and the opportunity to spend time with cousins and grandmas,” she said. “To be closer to home is something we couldn’t pass up.”
And the opportunity to do just that resulted in relationships she made as an intern.
“I worked with Dr. Eric Knock at Miller Vet Clinic — in fact, he wrote one of my letters of recommendation,” she said, explaining that he is one of the owners of Prairie View. “I already had strong ties to this group of doctors — it was a clear choice to seek employment with them as they grew.”
Dr. Knock purchased the Miller Vet Clinic in 2011 and later changed the name to Prairie View Veterinary Clinic. Dr. April Schilder became part owner of the clinic in 2016 after working with Dr. Knock for one year. Then in 2021 Dr. Katie Hunsucker-Brown bought into the clinic. Together, Dr. Knock, Dr. Schilder, and Dr. Hunsucker-Brown along with their Associate Veterinarians, Dr. Gina Neu-Paulsen and Dr. Hailey Ehlers grew Prairie View Veterinary Clinic to include four locations in Central South Dakota: Miller, Highmore, Redfield and Wessington Springs.
In her new position she joins Dr. Katie Hunsucker-Brown at the Wessington Springs clinic.
“I will continue to help Dr. Katie and staff provide large and small animal services and I’m hoping to add embryo transfer services and collection,” she said, adding that the practice gives her plenty of opportunities to do what she loves. “Even though calving season is crazy and busy, OB has always been my favorite. Even when I was little, I’d help my dad pull calves and I have done a fair amount of goat, sheep and pig OB. It’s a fun, challenging puzzle to solve and I enjoy figuring it out.
This week marks her first at the clinic and in the field. An open house is scheduled for July 26 from 2-4 p.m. at the Wessington Springs clinic with pie and ice cream on the menu.
The Duxbury family has been busy renovating their house and Casey said she has relished spending extra time being a mom, especially enjoying her toddlers’ tall tales.
“I know a good chunk of the clientele in the area because of where I grew up. It’s nice to be back in the small town atmosphere — everyone here is so welcoming,” she said. “It’s refreshing being back in this setting — it’s really fun for us.”