Dr. Amy Thalacker grew up in rural Minnesota. She spent her childhood playing with any animal she could get her hands on: dogs, cats, lizards, turtles, snakes, hamsters, and especially horses. She joined the Army Reserves at 21, and after 10 years of traveling around, she settled in Iowa with her husband Andy to raise their daughter Loren. There, Dr. Thalacker started a Holsteiner sport horse breeding farm on a small acreage. She earned her degree in German from the University of Maryland and her teaching degree from the University of North Dakota, and she spent 7 years teaching high school German and English as a Second Language. However, she was always fascinated by the medical side of owning animals and decided to go to veterinary school.
Dr. Thalacker graduated from Iowa State School of Veterinary Medicine in 2009 on an Army scholarship and spent 3 years as an Army veterinarian. She loved taking care of Soldiers’ personal pets and had the privilege of overseeing the medical care of 20 military working dogs.
In 2012, Dr. Thalacker obtained her certification in equine acupuncture from the Chi Institute and her certification in equine and canine chiropractic from the International Veterinary Chiropractic Association. She received her board certification in 2021 and is a member of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine.
After the polar vortex of 2019, Dr. Thalacker decided to sell her breeding operation and move to Aiken with her husband. They currently have a Fresian/Standardbred mare (Lady), two donkeys (Hazel and Hickory), a German Shorthaired Pointer (Penny) and a cat (Shadow). In her free time, Dr. Thalacker loves to dabble in dressage, go to Yoga and garden, and sing in the Augusta Choral Society and the Aiken Choral Society.
Dr. Thalacker believes it’s important to treat the whole pet. Just like people, nutrition, exercise, play, and social interactions are all important to a pet’s well-being. She also loves the relationships she builds with the pets’ parents. “It’s so important to understand the entire family dynamics to find the best solutions for a pet’s veterinary care.”
