Our History

Family Pet Veterinary Center was founded by Dr. Jennifer Mathis in July 2008 within the West Des Moines, IA office. This location was originally a veterinary clinic, prior to FPVC opening its official doors. It was during a brainstorming session in early 2008 with her family that Dr. Jen came across the name Family Pet Veterinary Center and it just felt right.

Our second location, in Norwalk, IA, got its start as an exam room about 8 miles away as a way to offer added services to another local area in March of 2013. Just over a year later, in May 2014, the Norwalk location moved into its own building at 1326 Sunset Drive, calling it home ever since.

Our Mission

Our team at Family Pet Veterinary Center makes it our mission to Focus on Providing your pet with Valuable and quality Care for life. We are experienced veterinarians that take pride in being the place many trust to take care of their dogs, cats, pocket pets, reptiles and birds.

We have expanded capabilities with advanced dental care and 3D imaging as well as basic affordable care for pets. Additional advanced therapies such as acupuncture, laser therapy and cancer treatment vaccines are used for better outcomes with specific cases.

We try to provide relationship medicine and offer full-service care. Our team uses fear free techniques to show care during each patient’s visit. We offer a preventative care plan that bundles the well care that a pet should have in a year at almost half of providing those services at regular price. We believe in advocating for pets, who cannot speak for themselves, while providing our clients with quality service and education. Research shows that with the right preventative care, pets can live an average of three years longer, compared with those without the same basic veterinary care.

Our Values

Our core values are centered around the following:

  • Compassionate - we treat all with compassionate and considerate care
  • Communication - we communicate directly and professionally in a positive manner
  • Quality - we practice high quality veterinary medicine
  • Consistency - we are accountable, reliable and consistent
  • Service - we are service-focused, team players

Beyond the day to day, our team on several occasions has stepped in to go above and beyond. There are oftentimes in veterinary medicine where a pet is brought in and a euthanasia is requested for reasons beyond a client’s circumstances. Our team has worked together to find placement for pets as an alternative to an unnecessary euthanasia; we have advocated by finding a rescue or personally adopting pets that needed care, a new environment or just a fair shot at life.

We are focused on providing your pet with valuable and quality care for life. You can count on us for the best medical, surgical, and pet dental care. Our friendly and courteous team believes in promoting responsible pet ownership, and helping your pet live a long and healthy life.

Want to learn more about our team or see our locations? Click below!