09/09/2026
Meet the veterinarian/owner:
Born and raised on a dairy farm just southwest of Wadena, it is no surprise that Dr. Bobbi Jo (Rowan) Burkett ended up in veterinary medicine. Her love for animals started as a little girl taking care of her barn cats and transitioned to training her Cocker Spaniel , "Billy" for 10 years in the Wadena County 4-H program.
Dr. Burkett graduated from WDC in 1993 and eventually made her way to the Veterinary Technology program at Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee. Following graduation, she started work in the radiology department at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine. This is where she developed her love of all things imaging.
In 2004 she moved back to MN and took a job as a CVT at Animal Emergency Clinic (now Animal Emergency and Referral Center) and began her career in emergency medicine.
After several years, she then started working at Pet Poison Helpline and after having her daughter transitioned to sharing her skills and teaching a new generation of veterinary technicians at Argosy University.
She returned to the ER full time and decided that she wanted to switch from her nursing role to go back to school and become a DVM.
Following graduation in 2015 from the U of M, CVM, Dr. Burkett did a year long rotating internship at VCA Aurora Animal Hospital (Aurora, IL). There she worked with many boarded veterinary specialists and helped to train interns as an emergency clinician for an additional 10 years.
Dr. Burkett elected to return home with her husband and daughter after her daughter graduated from high school. She chose to open Lakes Urgent Vet (LUV) due to her extensive training and years of experience working in emergency medicine. She also wanted to help aid the community where there is an overwhelming need for veterinary care, especially after hours care. Her hope is to fill the gap between the many wonderful local general practice veterinary practices and critical care services that are offered in Fargo and St. Cloud.
In her free time, Dr. Burkett is an avid reader, loves gardening, cooking, an occasional k-pop concert with her daughter and spending time with her family. She has 4 dogs: Clementine (terrier mix) and 3 chihuahuas (tiny dragons) who are all named after cheese (Colby, Jack and Mimolette).
Dr. Burkett is excited to be home again and is overwhelmed by the wonderful reception she has received from the local communities and hopes to open as soon as possible to help serve the community.
