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Our Veterinarians

Meet the folks who make it all happen. We see big potential in every moment, and care deeply about what we do every day.

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Our Veterinarians
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Dr. Mike Thompson

Dr. Mike Thompson

Owner, Veterinarian

Dr. Mike Thompson grew up in rural Benton County, Mississippi on a row-crop and cattle farm. Even though he was too young to fully grasp all that being a veterinarian involved, he proudly proclaimed as a boy that he was going to become an animal doctor one day. The older he got, the more certain Dr. Thompson became: he wanted to dedicate his life to veterinary medicine and help all the animals and pet parents that he possibly could! His dream has come full circle, and he’s now the proud owner and operator of Willow Bend Animal Clinic.

Dr. Thompson was accepted into Mississippi State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 1983 after only two years of undergraduate education, and graduated with his Doctorate in 1987. He practiced for the next year in Ripley, Tennessee before moving closer to home and working in Tupelo and Guntown. After three years of fantastic learning and growing opportunities there, Dr. Thompson joined the team here at Willow Bend Animal Clinic. He purchased half of the clinic in early 1992, and the rest in early 2018. Now, he’s been a member of the hospital family for more than 3 decades and couldn’t be happier to continue serving the pets, livestock, and animal owners of this area.

Dr. Thompson is proud to have been recognized with multiple awards and accolades over the years. He was named Young Veterinarian of the Year by the Mississippi Veterinary Medical Association in 1997, and became board-certified in Theriogenology (reproductive medicine in animals) in 2007. In 2015, Dr. Thompson served as program chair for the Annual Conference for the Society of Theriogenology in San Antonio, and was named Veterinarian of the Year by the MVMA in 2016. In 2021, we was awarded the Dr. John Steiner Award for Practitioner Excellence. He’s also proud to have served as President of the Society for Theriogenology, as well as President of the Theriogenology Foundation.

When he has time away from work, Dr. Thompson enjoys hunting and fishing, and enjoys restoring old Willys Jeeps. He is active in his church, serving as a deacon, Sunday School teacher, plays keyboard and sings in the choir. He’s also fond of spending quality time with his family and pets at home. He and his wife of more than 30 years, Terry, have two children: Rebecca, a dentist who practices in Little Rock, Arkansas, and Joshua, who is also a veterinarian with Willow Bend Animal Clinic. The family shares their lives with Bonnie, a loveable Border Collie; a pair of Jack Russell Terriers named Chip and Ringo who never fail to make Dr. Thompson laugh; three cats and four horses.

Dr. Brittany Hearn

Dr. Brittany Hearn

Associate Veterinarian

Dr. Hearn is originally from Semmes, AL. She attended Mississippi State University for her undergraduate degree and veterinary school. During her fourth year of veterinary school, Dr. Hearn completed an externship here at Willow Bend Animal Clinic and knew it was the perfect fit for her!

Dr. Hearn knew from a young age that she wanted to be a veterinarian. She enjoys helping others and working with animals and veterinary medicine puts those two hand in hand. It wasn’t until her time in undergrad, working at the MSU dairy that she developed a passion for working with cattle. Professionally, Dr. Hearn enjoys surgery and going out on large animal calls.

Dr. Hearn is married to Ken Hearn who teaches Horticulture at Oxford High School. They have two dogs, a yellow lab named Sadie and a coonhound named Bugsy. In her spare time, Dr. Hearn enjoys spending time outdoors and traveling.

Dr. Katie

Dr. Katie Jacobs

Associate Veterinarian

Animals and science. Those were the two things that Katie loved most as a child. While most other children were watching cartoons, Katie spent her time watching Animal Planet and ER vet shows. Most children were asking for toy dolls for Christmas; Katie requested a doctor set to practice on her animals. With the passion she has shown for animals throughout her life, it should come as no surprise that today she’s an associate veterinarian at Willow Bend Animal Clinic!

A native of Atlanta, GA, Katie decided to venture out of state after graduating from high school. She ended up majoring in Biology and Economics at Boston College, and then was accepted into Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine. While there she met Dr. Josh Thompson, whose father just so happened to own Willow Bend Animal Clinic, where Katie was offered a position after graduating.

Katie loves several different facets about the job, from the dermatology side to dealing with various internal medicine cases. She relishes solving different challenges that are thrown her way on a daily basis at the hospital.

In her free time, Katie enjoys spending time with her 3 cats, Sookie, Stuart and Fitz. She also has a dog named Finn, who accompanies her and Dr. Josh at the clinic. When Katie isn’t busy working, she enjoys traveling the world, cooking and eating!

Dr. Joshua Thompson

Dr. Joshua Thompson

Veterinarian

Unlike many of his colleagues who spent their childhoods dreaming of one day working at a vet clinic, Dr. Joshua lived his dream almost from day one. The son of Dr. Michael, whom he affectionately calls “Pop,” Dr. Joshua has been immersed in animal medicine his entire life. It came as no surprise that he would decide to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a veterinarian as well.

Dr. Joshua attended MS State for his undergrad studies before being accepted to Ross University’s School of Veterinary Medicine. Upon graduation, he rejoined the Willow Bend team, this time as one of the doctors. Clinically, Dr. Joshua has a special interest in surgery – particularly bone surgery. It’s almost like putting a puzzle together, which he finds both fascinating and fulfilling.

At home, Dr. Joshua has several pets of his own, including three cats – Stuart, Sookie and Fitz – and a lab named Finn, who accompanies him to the clinic every day. Finn is extremely intelligent and has been trained for duck hunting.

When he’s not busy working, Dr. Joshua loves spending time outdoors. His personal hobbies include duck and turkey hunting, and going snowboarding.

Dr. Hunt

Dr. Hunt

Associate Veterinarian

Dr. Hunt became a veterinarian for one simple reason: to help not only pets, but the owners who love and care for them, through the power of veterinary medicine. For him, using his skill set while spending time around animals every day is a dream come true. He’s proud to serve as an Associate Veterinarian here at Willow Bend Animal Clinic!

Originally from Starkville, Mississippi, Dr. Hunt attended Mississippi State University to earn his Bachelor’s degree in animal and dairy science in 2007. Next, he received his Doctorate from Mississippi State’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 2011, where he received the MVMA award for Economic and Performance Medicine. Dr. Hunt launched his career in private practice at a clinic in Hattiesburg in May of 2011, then relocated to the northern part of the state a few years later. He joined the Willow Bend Animal Clinic family in July of 2013, and has been caring for the area’s pets and animal parents here ever since.

Medically, Dr. Hunt enjoys orthopedic and soft-tissue surgery, and he’s also fond of getting outdoors for large-animal calls. Dr. Hunt also loves to work with veterinary students and impart important knowledge about the profession that they might not always learn in veterinary school.

Dr. Hunt’s interests outside of work include working on cars, training for and competing in Spartan races, and going deer, duck, and turkey hunting. He and his wife, Megan–a veterinarian herself and owner and operator of Cornerstone Equine Veterinary Services–have a yellow tabby cat, Lois, and two Corgis named Murphy and Abilene. Dr. Hunt’s wife also owns a horse named Wyatt.

Dr. Hudson

Dr. Hudson

Associate Veterinarian

Unlike many of her colleagues, Dr. Maryanna Hudson didn’t daydream about becoming a veterinarian at a tender age. In fact, it was more of a practical decision based on a need she recognized. Growing up on a small hobby farm in Dyersburg, she experienced firsthand how challenging it could be to get access to quality veterinary care. A natural problem-solver, Dr. Hudson decided to become a vet in hopes of bridging that gap so other animal owners wouldn’t have the same issue. The rest, as they say, is history!

Dr. Hudson received her undergraduate degree at the University of Tennessee at Martin and then went on to pursue her master’s at the University of Arkansas. She ultimately achieved her DVM at Mississippi State University and completed her externship here at Willowbend Animal Clinic during her third year of vet school. She officially joined the team as an associate veterinarian in September of 2023. Clinically, Dr. Hudson has a special interest in theriogenology because there is something to learn from every case.

Outside of work, Dr. Hudson lives with her husband, John, and their three dogs: Tex, Doc, and Sully. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking and baking, spending time at the lake, and traveling. One of her most memorable moments occurred in high school, when she was able to visit the White House and meet the President of the United States.

Pet Visits

22,005

Pet Visits

Treats Given

19,115

Treats Given

Mouths Cleaned

19,166

Mouths Cleaned