Dr. Don Dykhouse of Baldwin (Tyrone, NM) – 2000

Dr. Don Dykhouse  of Baldwin  (Tyrone, NM) –

WVMA President 2000

Personal information

       I attended Michigan State University where I graduated in 1966. In 1966 I practiced in Joliet, Illinois. That consisted of 60% equine and 40% food animal medicine. I then moved to Ripon, Wisconsin for about a year where I practiced mainly dairy and small animal. I also did some relief work in Hortonville, Wisconsin in 1968. From 1968-1985 I practiced at the Baldwin Veterinary Clinic in Baldwin, Wisconsin. There I practiced primarily dairy and about 30 percent small animal. In 1985 I began to practice solo where I did all dairy. I then moved to Glenwood City in 1995 where I practiced at the St. Croix Valley Veterinary Clinic.

       I married my wife, Sharon, in 1964. We adopted our son, Steve in 1988. We have two daughters, Sherry and Julee. We also adopted a sibling group of three: Ken, Rachel, and Jennifer. We have 16 grandchildren with one more on the way!

Involvement in the WVMA

      My first involvement was when the state veterinarian invited me to serve on the state laboratory advisory board. I served on the executive board for six years – filling an unexpired term and then elected to a full term. The highlight of that time was probably the hiring of Leslie Grendahl, even though I asked a couple of politically incorrect questions of her. She would periodically tease me about that until I moved to New Mexico.

       Between the executive board and my presidency, I served on the AMDUCA task force. When it went on the road, I was president-elect and was to ‘show’ the flag at the presentation in Stevens Point. However, there was a major snowstorm that night with high winds and the presenter could not make it. Leslie was there with the materials, and I had to give the presentation as the only task force member there.

Involvement on the Executive Board

        I always enjoyed the executive board meetings. The years before Leslie was executive director we had some differences as there were four relatively young members and the rest were almost a generation older. The last few years on the board, and my time as an officer was calmer and much less antagonism as issues were sometimes hotly debated, but never personalities.

Annual Meeting      

       When I was president-elect, the ‘mega study’ from KPMG and the AVMA came out and it’s findings resonated with me, so at local meetings and when installed as president, I advocated practitioners to evaluate their fees and how they determined them. In the 1970’s there were some local associations that had fee schedules. In 1998 and 1999 I researched fees (Veterinary Economics and other sources). I found that some fees had not increased from those in 1975, and some were the same as in the late 1950’s. With financial help from Kath Palmquist (Merck representative at the time) and Greg Skarda (Dairyland Veterinarian Supply at the time) I have magnetic mirrors with the saying  “If it is to be, it’s up to me” on them to emphasis that each individual practitioner was responsible to be financially viable.

      I really enjoyed the animal hero awards (Pet Hall of Fame) given at the Winter Retreat meeting in Green Bay and the touching stories so ably written by Mary Beth!

Challenges and difficulties throughout presidency

       The WVMA faced challenges during my years on the executive board and as an officer of fighting for funding and maintaining the quality of the diagnostic laboratories – both for staffing and facilities and equipment. It all came to fruition long after me when the new central lab was built – Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.

Final thoughts

       I really loved and enjoyed being a part of organized veterinary medicine. So much so, that given the opportunity to run for AVMA House of Delegates as alternate delegate here in New Mexico, I ran and was elected and served three years ending in 2010. In a fitting conclusion, on the next to the last day of the HOD, I was riding up an escalator and was poked in the back. It was Dr. Arnoldi who had started me on my path in organized veterinary medicine. I found my experiences educational, enjoyable, enlightening and would encourage all to take the opportunity to serve the profession in this way.