Trupanion Announces Winners of the Veterinary Appreciation Day™ Awards

SEATTLE, June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — In honor of Veterinary Appreciation Day on June 18, Trupanion, the leading provider of medical insurance for cats and dogs in North America, held its annual awards event to celebrate and recognize the veterinary community for their profound impact on the lives of pets and their families.

This year, the awards program saw an incredible outpouring of gratitude across North America, receiving more than 47,000 public votes.

From the thousands of nominees, just 12 winners were chosen based on their significant influence on their veterinary teams, pet parents, and the communities they serve.

“This year’s record-breaking voter turnout shows how increasingly important veterinary teams throughout the U.S. and Canada are to pet parents, peers, and their broader communities,” said Margi Tooth, President and CEO of Trupanion. “Each of these professionals works tirelessly to keep pets healthy, making picking just twelve honorees from the thousands of talented nominees a truly difficult job. Today, we’re proud to acknowledge and celebrate their achievements.”

In 2015, Trupanion established June 18 as Veterinary Appreciation Day to celebrate the veterinary community. The annual awards have since become a platform to honor the extraordinary and often unsung efforts of these professionals.

Here are the 2025 Veterinary Appreciation Day Award Winners.

United States

US West

Veterinarian of the Year

• Winner: Yafen Zhen, DVM
• Practice: VCA San Martin Animal Hospital | San Martin, CA

Veterinary Professional of the Year

• Winner: Marie Marquez, CSR
• Practice: VCA Veterinary Care Animal Hospital | Albuquerque, NM

US Midwest

Veterinarian of the Year

• Winner: Jeffrey Baranack, DVM
• Practice: West Side Animal Hospital | Alliance, OH

Veterinary Professional of the Year

• Winner: Ezzy Mercado, CSR
• Practice: Buffalo Grove Animal Hospital | Buffalo Grove, IL

US Northeast

Veterinarian of the Year

• Winner: Katherine Wheeler, DVM
• Practice: Back Bay Veterinary Clinic | Boston, MA

Veterinary Professional of the Year

• Winner: Maddie LeMarquand, Veterinary Assistant
• Practice: Heart + Paw – Glen Mills | Glen Mills, PA

US South

Veterinarian of the Year

• Winner: Caitlin Townes, DVM
• Practice: Paulding Animal Clinic | Dallas, GA

Veterinary Professional of the Year

• Winner: Marissa Love, Firefighter, EMT
• Practice: Country Oaks Animal Hospital | New Port Richey, FL

Canada

Canada West

Veterinarian of the Year

• Winner: Jody McMurray, DVM, BSc (Ag)
• Practice: Heartland Veterinary Clinic | Airdrie, AB

Veterinary Professional of the Year

• Winner: Leah Penner, RVT, Practice Manager
• Practice: Pacific Cat Clinic | Victoria, BC

Canada East

Veterinarian of the Year

• Winner: Deirdra Johnson, DVM
• Practice: CBS Animal Hospital | Conception Bay South, NL

Veterinary Professional of the Year

• Winner: Julie Dorney, BSc, RVT, CCRP, CCFT
• Practice: Gilmour Road Veterinary Services | Puslinch, ON

“Few professions embody as much compassion, empathy, and dedication as veterinary medicine,” stated Dr. Steve Weinrauch, Chief Veterinary and Product Officer at Trupanion. “While Trupanion celebrates our community daily, the Veterinary Appreciation Day Awards offer a unique platform for fellow professionals and pet parents to express their gratitude. On behalf of Trupanion, I commend these twelve distinguished winners for their unwavering commitment and incredible achievements.”

Pet lovers everywhere are encouraged to visit vetappreciationday.trupanion.com to learn more about the 2025 winners.

About Trupanion

Trupanion is the leader in medical insurance for cats and dogs throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia with over 1,000,000 pets enrolled. For over two decades, Trupanion has given pet parents peace of mind so they can focus on their pet’s recovery, not financial stress. Trupanion is committed to providing pet parents with the highest value in pet medical insurance with unlimited payouts for the life of their pets. With its patented process, Trupanion is the only North American provider with the technology to pay veterinarians directly in seconds at the time of checkout. Trupanion is listed on NASDAQ under the symbol “TRUP”. The company was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Seattle, WA. Trupanion policies are issued, in the United States, by its wholly owned insurance entity American Pet Insurance Company and, in Canada, by Accelerant Insurance Company of Canada or GPIC Insurance Company. Trupanion Australia is a partnership between Trupanion and Hollard Insurance Company. Policies are sold and administered in Canada by Canada Pet Health Insurance Services, Inc. dba Trupanion 309-1277 Lynn Valley Road, North Vancouver, BC V7J 0A2 and in the United States by Trupanion Managers USA, Inc. (CA license No. 0G22803, NPN 9588590). Canada Pet Health Insurance Services, Inc. is a registered damage insurance agency and claims adjuster in Quebec #603927. Trupanion Australia is a partnership between Trupanion and Hollard Insurance Company. For more information, please visit trupanion.com. 

Contacts:

Corporate Communications
[email protected]

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