Veterinarians have been around since 3000-3400 B.C. The Egyptians needed vets for their beloved animals. Veterinarians did not used to come to your house, but now some do – like Dr. Jessica Scruggs, of Macon County.
She told me that being a vet is both rewarding and difficult on a daily basis. She loves helping every type of animal, and no two days are the same. As a mobile vet, she is always going somewhere and there is never a slow season.
Dr. Jessica (pictured above speaking to Franklin high students) went to Berea College for her undergraduate degree (four years), and then she attended N.C. State University for her master’s degree (two years) and her doctorate degree (four years). That’s 10 years total.
“I have wanted to be a vet since I was really little,” she said. “I grew up on a cattle farm, watching my uncle work and taking care of the herd. I was the one who knew the most about cattle. I wanted to be like him. Though my Grandma told me girls didn’t do that kind of work, my great-grandma and Momma always told me I could do anything I put my mind to.”
She added, “I have always been the type to do things that people told me I couldn’t. The more my Grandma told me I couldn’t be a vet, the more I wanted to be one.”
At the age of 8, Dr. Jessica started watching videos, working with her uncle more on the farm, and studying [about animal care]. When she entered high school, she was ready to join the organization called Future Farmers of America. Needless to say, her Grandma was not happy.
Wanting to give back to the community, and with a shortage of vets in the surrounding area, she combined her passion of becoming a vet with her interest in caring for animals.
Dr. Jessica is a hard worker, always putting people and their animals first. I know this firsthand: It is never a dull moment when Dr. Jessica is around; you can laugh with her and sometimes cry with her.