I am a 1988 Graduate of the Ohio State University. Oddly enough I rarely attended football games as I was always studying. My ultimate goal was to go into equine internal medicine, but I needed to be in a university setting to practice the quality of medicine I intended. Needless to say, I landed in small animal medicine an have absolutely no regrets. I’m good at what I do and get to make a difference every day. 

I take referrals from all over, usually for pocket pets, sometimes birds, but also for soft tissue surgery, and even internal medicine.  I don’t do orthopedics as we have two very qualified individuals in the area that are available to clients. We take emergencies during the week, during regular office hours, but no longer take after hour emergencies as there is a 24-7 emergency facility within 20 minutes of my hospital.  

I worked in Buffalo, NY for 3 yrs. at a multihospital, multi-disciplined practice, then at Pioneer Valley Veterinary Hospital in Greenfield, MA. I was frustrated by the quality of medicine that was practiced at that time so I moved onto a multidoctor facility north of Boston, then came back and purchased PVVH in 2000. The rest they say, is history. 

Everything that I was taught in small animal medicine I saw within the first year of practice as well as a few things I thought I would never see.  Every day is a learning experience.  

The hardest part of practice has been to accept the fact that what is ethical is not always a great business move;  and even though you may be able to fix something, frequently the owner will not allow it. Running a business was nothing I was ever trained in and I have been blessed to have people smarter than me, guide me along the way. 

I am a firm believer in practicing quality medicine and don’t believe that one size fits all, there is always room for growth, frequently laughter, and sometimes tears.  

Feel free to ask me anything and I will answer as honestly as I can.   

Dr. Lisa Underwood  

Owner Pioneer Valley Veterinary Hospital

Greenfield, MA  01301  

PVVH.net

Contact: drpvvh@hotmail.com