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DISCOVER

OUR VETERINARIANS

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

Dr. John Metzger

Dr. John Metzger

Owner, Veterinarian

Dr. John Metzgers’ grandfather and great-uncle were both veterinarians, so he’s always had a level of familiarity with the world of animal care. He’s also been a lifelong animal-lover and always enjoyed science and medicine. For him, a career as a veterinarian simply made sense! Dr. Metzger is proud to now serve as the owner, operator, and chief veterinarian of his very own practice: Compassionate Care Veterinary Hospital.

Dr. Metzger is a Fredericksburg native and attended Tarleton State University in Stephenville to pursue his degree in animal science while playing football for the university during his time away from class. Next, he worked in a laboratory on the campus of Texas A&M University’s College of Veterinary Medicine before gaining admittance to the school to earn his Doctorate. Dr. Metzger graduated in 2006 as a licensed veterinarian, returned to Fredericksburg, and has been helping the pets and animal parents of the area ever since.

In the spring of 2019, Dr. Metzger was fortunate to have the opportunity to purchase Compassionate Care Veterinary Hospital from the clinic’s previous owner, Dr. Fritz. He’s proud to offer his own brand of high-quality, family-oriented pet care to the area’s animal owners. Medically, Dr. Metzger enjoys working through complex internal medicine and endocrine cases, and he’s also fond of oral and soft-tissue surgery. Above all, he loves knowing that he’s able to make a lasting difference in the lives of others, whether they have four legs or just two!

Dr. Metzger and his wife, Alysha, met at Tarleton State University and have two sons, Hunter and Logan, who have both been involved in football and basketball for most of their schooling years. The family raises cattle and also shares their home with three loveable dogs: Sophie, a terrier mix who loves to chew holes in the bedding, and a pair of sibling German Shorthaired Pointers named Buck and Tex.

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Dr. Susan Fritz

Dr. Susan Fritz

Associate Veterinarian

Dr. Susan Fritz was born in Bryan, Texas, and was only 9 years old when her family moved to Santa Anna to operate her father’s family ranch. Young Dr. Fritz was always the one who nurtured the weakest and sickest animals around the farm, and she quickly fell in love with the world of animal care. Her close connections with the earth’s creatures made a permanent impression—she would go on to have a fulfilling career as a veterinarian! Dr. Fritz founded, owned, and operated Compassionate Care Veterinary Hospital for many years before selling the practice to Dr. John Metzger in 2019. Now, she continues to help the area’s pets and animal parents as an Associate Veterinarian.

After working alongside multiple veterinarians during her summers on the family farm, Dr. Fritz entered college at Texas A&M University to pursue her degree in animal science. Although it was quite an uphill battle for a woman to get into veterinary school at that time, Dr. Fritz persevered—she gained acceptance into the university’s vet school and was even the first female member of the Meats Evaluation Team. Today, she’s even a member of the Advisory Council for Texas A&M University’s College of Animal Science!

Dr. Fritz established Compassionate Care Veterinary Hospital in 1987 as the only small-animal provider in Gillepsie. Upon selling the business to Dr. John Metzger in February of 2019, she stayed on as an Associate Veterinarian. Dr. Fritz continues to serve the pets and animal owners of the area with her brand of family-centered, patient-first care. She especially likes the way her job constantly keeps her on her toes, and she never tires of using diagnostic tools to investigate a tricky case and work out a diagnosis.

Dr. Fritz and her husband, Kevin, have three children named Karin, Kody, and Katie, as well as two wonderful grandchildren named Taylor and Kaden. The couple runs a successful herd of 400 southdown ewes, and they also produce market lambs for 4-H and Future Farmers of America students to compete with. Dr. Fritz and her husband serve as mentors to kids across the state! At home, they have 14 Great Pyrenees dogs that serve as guards for their large flock.

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Dr. Trish Brannan

Dr. Trish Brannan

BS, DVM, CVA, CVCH

Dr. Trish Brannan grew up in Bowie, Texas, where she spent time with horses, cattle, dogs and cats, guinea pigs, hamsters, and just about anything she could catch and sneak into the family home. She remembers “doctoring” animals when she was only a little girl, and that passion simply never quit. Dr. Brannan always knew that she wanted to help animals professionally as a veterinarian! She’s been doing just that for more than two decades here at Compassionate Care Veterinary Hospital.

Dr. Brannan attended Texas Tech University in Lubbock, majoring in animal science as a part of the pre-veterinary program, before gaining acceptance into Texas A&M University’s School of Veterinary Medicine. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in veterinary science in 1986 and her Doctoral degree in 1988, and she’s been a practicing veterinarian ever since. Dr. Brannan worked at an equine hospital in Lexington, Kentucky before moving to San Diego, California and helping pets at a clinic there for a few years. Next, she returned to her home state of Texas, settling in San Antonio and working at a small practice there, before relocating again to Fredericksburg in 1994. It wasn’t long before she had signed on here at Compassionate Care Veterinary Hospital, and the rest is history!

Medically, Dr. Brannan is interested in holistic and alternative medicine approaches. She recently returned to school to study veterinary acupuncture and became certified in April of 2019. In 2020, she was honored to teach an acupuncture course with the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society! And in 2021, Dr. Brannan also received her CVCH (Certified Veterinary Chinese Herbalist), to incorporate all of these modalities into her care regimen and treat chronic and long-term problems.

Dr. Brannan lives on an Angus cattle ranch with her husband, Ross, and they have three children: Wyatt, who recently graduated from Texas Tech University and is currently in a post-graduate program; Garrett, who studies at the University of Wyoming; and Kacie, a sophomore at Texas Tech. As a family, they love to spend time outdoors fly fishing, snow skiing, hunting, hiking, kayaking, and visiting all of the mountains, beaches, and national parks they can find.

Dr. Brannan also shares her life with several pets. The canine contingent of the family includes four Border Collies—Scout, Dally, Rio, and Gus—as well as a Blue Heeler named Buck and a blue-eyed Australian Shepherd named Walker. There is also a menagerie of barn cats, as well as Dr. Brannan’s two personal cats, Crash and Poncho.

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