“You gotta give it a try”

Dr. Jenni Stumpf Spaulding ’12 is ready to tackle any challenge in vet medicine

The fact that Dr. Stumpf became a veterinarian surprised no one in her family. Her love for animals and passion for problem solving have defined her since the very beginning.

“I have wanted to be a vet since I was two years old — or so my parents tell me,” said Stumpf. “I grew up going to my family’s farm a lot, where I was kind of known as the cat tamer. I would catch the barn cats and give them their meds. So, loving animals and wanting to help people, becoming a veterinarian just brought it all together.”

In many ways, Stumpf’s circle of life story began at Simpson College. During her time here she got an internship at the Indianola Veterinary Clinic and worked there four years, including every summer while attending Simpson.

Then, a week after earning her DVM from Iowa State, Stumpf returned to the Indianola Vet Clinic as an associate. By 2019, she became a partner and today she is co-owner of the practice.

Every Case is So Different

The problem-solving skills she honed at ISU and Simpson have given her the confidence to meet constantly changing challenges.

“We treat patients who can’t tell us what’s wrong or what they did,” said Stumpf. “And we treat several different species. I might go from treating a 2,000-pound bull to a two-pound kitten in the same hour. And we have to handle every case differently because of financial constraints.”

Her work involves going through a rollercoaster of emotions with her patients and their owners. Sometimes treatments work, sometimes they don’t — or sometimes people can’t afford treatments. Stumpf approaches everything with a positive attitude.

Recently, for example, a dog came in with a large mass that Stumpf and her team felt insufficiently equipped to treat, so they sent the case to Iowa State. Unfortunately, the cost of treatment was going to approach $10,000. The owner couldn’t pay that much and was prepared to put the dog down. But Stumpf and her team intervened to try a modified procedure for less than $1,000.

“I said, ‘This pet is either going to be euthanized or we’re going to try to save it.’ We just did surgery the other week and the dog’s doing great. So, I think you need a motto in veterinary medicine of ‘you just gotta give it a try.’”

Embracing Community and Can-Do Spirit

Stumpf’s fervent desire to help people was fueled largely by her time at Simpson.

“Simpson does a good job of encouraging you to be part of a community,” said Stumpf. “And I think that’s a huge part of veterinary medicine. My goal is for everyone we hire here to know they’re not just part of the veterinary community, but also Indianola and every person that walks through our doors.”

Stumpf and her husband, Matt Spaulding ’11, remain faithful members and supporters of the Simpson community. The former Storm varsity golfers enthusiastically give back to the program, helping to purchase equipment and even starting an endowment fund to support the team.

“We just hosted a little get together at our house for the team,” said Stumpf. “It was fun meeting the students and showing them that after Simpson you can still give back and be part of that community.”

Stumpf also hopes that Simpson students will carry a never give up attitude in their career quests, just as she does in her veterinary practice.

“I think everything goes back to just being a hard worker and having a growth mindset. There’s never been a day where I felt like any of my failures were because I didn’t try hard enough. And I think that’s a big part of why I’ve had a successful career — I just keep going and keep at it.”