Veterinarians continue family tradition in community

SESSER (AP) – Charles Spence poured more than 38 years of long days and nights into his veterinary practice, turning it into a thriving business that became a fixture in the Sesser community.

But Spence sold his hospital in 2007 to a couple of upstart veterinarians without running so much as a credit check on them.

Not a very good business practice, unless you factor in that those upstart doctors were his son and daughter-in-law.

A meeting
of partners

While studying veterinary medicine at the University of Illinois, Charles’ son, John, lived next door to another veterinary student named April. With common interests, they talked often, and their friendship grew.

But it wasn’t until April was getting ready to graduate and take a job in Wisconsin as a dairy veterinarian that the friends became something more. They dated for about 6 months before getting engaged.

After John graduated, the two were married, and April gave up her dairy work in Wisconsin to move to Sesser with John and join the Sesser Animal Hospital practice.

Growing the
family business

John and April served as veterinarians alongside his father for 6 years before Charles retired and sold the practice to them.

“It’s really great. It’s been great for me, and it’s good for them,” Charles said. “They stepped into a practice that was active, and it’s been good for me, because in a small town like Sesser, you’re probably going to have a hard time selling a veterinary practice to someone who actually wants to come to Sesser, because most of the young veterinarians would prefer to go to the larger cities.”

With another doctor seeing dogs, cats and any other animals Franklin County pet and farm owners bring to them, the business has grown and thrived.

John’s dad was able to see, at the most, 20 patients a day. Today, more than 30 patients regularly come through the doors of the hospital.

“They’ve increased the practice tremendously since I was in the practice,” Charles said. “There’s no comparison to the amount of work that they do. I did a lot of work, but two or three people can do a lot more work than one person.”

Working together

John and April have the luxury of collaborating together on difficult cases – a luxury not afforded to John’s father when he set up the hospital in 1969 in a small building across the street from its present location.

But sometimes, the couple needs a third opinion and leans on Charles’ years of experience.

“A lot of times, I’ll go out the back door, and he’s on the mower, and I start flagging him down, ‘Come look at this. Tell me what you think,’” John said.

Most couples would admittedly have a difficult time working with each other every day, but it doesn’t seem to affect this couple as they do what they love with the one they love.

“It’s hard to leave work at work and home at home sometimes, but we have to try really hard to do that because you could talk about work all the time, and you could talk about home all the time,” April said.

A busy practice that has the two doctors hopping between operating rooms and observation rooms throughout the day keeps their work relationship highly professional.

“She’s seeing cases, I’m seeing cases,” John said. “I may be doing surgery, and she may be seeing patients. So, there are a lot of times when we’re both here, but we’re both so busy doing things that we don’t really have much chance to interact.”

John and April have two children – Emma, 10, and Wade, 7 – but they aren’t sure if there will be a third-generation veterinarian in the Spence family.

Emma says she wants to become a veterinarian when she grows up, but right now she’s not too wild about every aspect of veterinary work.

“She’s not into blood or smells,” her mother said.