Brandace rhymes with Candace, but if you prefer you can just call her “B”. To us, Brandace Parham is pronounced “invaluable vet tech”. She primarily works in surgeries, and helps ensure they go smoothly, from start to finish.

Doll and Brandace are the few employees at Town N Country who have been here since Dr. Peterson owned the practice. Doll knew Brandace’s parents, and that’s actually the connection that got Brandace the job. She was 17 when she started as a kennel tech, but very quickly began assisting with blood draws and observing surgery, and then progressed to nursing. She left for several years while she got a degree in animal science (because it was way more hands-on than zoology), then came back in 2008 – to us!

If your pet has surgery, you very well may have Brandace helping you during the entire procedure. She’ll start by explaining the initial surgical estimate, helping you to understand exactly what will take place. She even helps clients understand what will happen postoperatively when they take their pet home. During the surgery, Brandace preps the pet, placing the catheter, giving medication to make the cog or cat sleepy enough to place the tracheal tube and hook them up for the procedure. She assists the doctor, and most importantly, she makes sure the pet is stable.

One of the most important tasks Brandace handles is administering and monitoring anesthesia. She has the talent of knowing just how much anesthetic will keep the pet sleepy enough to not feel pain, but awake enough to be awoken as needed. As the surgery concludes, we count on her to bring the pet out of anesthesia at just the right rate. After surgery, pets are often dysphoric (basically, they’re drunk!), and require a lot of attention.

When there is an emergency, we all know that we can count on Brandace! We recently had a patient who had an unusual reaction the morning after a surgery before the veterinarians were here. Brandace recognized the danger the pet was in, rallied the staff, and gave directions that ultimately saved the dog’s life. It’s no coincidence that her favorite thing about her job is “the high that comes from helping an animal survive a dangerous procedure, helping the owner know what to do post operatively, all for a great outcome for the pet.”

In addition to raising chickens, Brandace has two rescued Greyhounds named Daene and Drogo, one cat named Demitri. We would also be remiss if we didn’t mention her cat Bullwinkle, who recently crossed the rainbow bridge at age 17.

Brandace is dedicated to the details and takes each surgical patient as her very own. While they are here, they are “hers” and she ensures every check mark is checked, every vital sign is recorded, and every belly is scratched. Our patients and our clients are lucky we have Brandace as our dedicated Surgical and Anesthesia Technician. In addition, we feel lucky to have her and can’t imagine doing surgeries without her incredible skills on board!