How a rescued pit bull’s seizures helped inspire a career-defining vision.
Missy Carpentier, DVM ’11, DACVIM, always knew she’d become a veterinarian. Growing up in Boston, Massachusetts, she spent much of her time with animals, dogs and horses, including tagging along to veterinary appointments. These experiences kindled Dr. Carpentier’s career ambitions, and when it came time to apply to vet schools, her connection to a Ross Vet graduate made the first step in her academic journey simple. But it wasn’t until an elective neurology course during her clinical year that her veterinary path narrowed into something far more specific — and far more personal.
“My own dog started having seizures when I was at Ross,” she recalls. “This sweet lemon of a pit bull I rescued when she was only a 6-week-old. Managing her seizures just further sparked my interest in neurology.” That pit bull became an unlikely catalyst, steering Carpentier toward a specialty that few veterinarians pursue.
Developing a Veterinary Specialty
When Dr. Carpentier began her student journey at Ross Vet, she didn’t know much about the world of veterinary specialty medicine. It was a neurology course online followed by a clinical year at the University of Minnesota where Dr. Carpentier began to see the possibilities of neurology specialization. She completed a rotating internship in Connecticut, a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Missouri, and a three-year neurology residency split between Missouri and a private specialty practice in St. Louis. That dual training — bridging academia and private practice — proved formative. She says “Neuro is neuro, but it’s a different beast in both the academic and private practice setting. Both have benefits, challenges and differences, so it was really nice to be able to see both sides.” Her depth of understanding neurology and private practice experience would serve her well years later.
A Gap in Care, a Business Emerges
After years at a large referral hospital in Minnesota, Carpentier watched the post-pandemic surge in pet ownership collide with limited specialty access. Paralyzed dogs waited while more acute emergencies took triage priority. “It was becoming more difficult to provide the immediate care I wanted for my patients,” she says.
The solution: open Minnesota’s first sole-specialty neurology hospital. In September 2025, Minnesota Veterinary Neurology opened its doors in the Twin Cities, offering care and treatment for the specific needs of neurologic patients. With a state-of-the-art facility, 24/7 operations, and a team of technicians and assistants, the hospital is quickly working to fill a much-needed critical care void in Minnesota and the greater region.
The Doctor and the Owner
While becoming a business owner was not something Dr. Carpentier ever thought she’d do, striving to provide the best possible neurological care for her patients was always her goal. Opening a specialty practice from scratch — construction, staffing, HR, PR — while continuing to practice medicine has tested even Carpentier’s multitasking skills. “You know it’s going to take up a lot of time, but I definitely under-estimated the 20 hour workday being the “norm” in the beginning,” she laughs. Dr. Carpentier credits her practice manager, support staff, and a very patient husband for keeping things running.
With a second neurologist joining the team and expansion across the Midwest on the horizon, Dr. Carpentier’s vision is scaling fast. Her advice to current Ross Vet students is straightforward: “Vet med is always changing. Don’t feel like you need to be stuck in one little box. Make vet med anything you want it to be.”
