Dr. Coplen's favorite part of working with animals is interacting with both them and their owners, striving to figure out how to give each pet their very best life. She also enjoys collaborating with the hospital team to ensure everything runs smoothly.
Kelly shares her home with three distinct and beloved dogs:
- Maggie, also known as Maggie Moo or Miss Mags, is a scruffy, adorable, medium-sized canine. She's the undisputed queen of the pups and rules the house. Maggie is known for defending the yard against unwelcome critters and has a knack for counter-surfing! She's truly Kelly's girl.
- Murphy is a tan, scruffy "junkyard mutt." He's super sweet as long as you know his triggers, otherwise, "watch out!" He often tries to push Maggie around but never wins. Murphy loves to snuggle and has a tendency to trap you on the bed, making for a fun love/hate relationship with Kelly.
- Charlie is a gigantic, polar bear-like Great Pyrenees. He was brought home over a year ago for treatment during an Addisonian crisis. Initially shy, he quickly transforms into a playful "fool," bouncing around like an oversized cat. Charlie is very stubborn and barks at anything and everything outside as if it's his life's purpose. Kelly describes hugging him as "hugging a giant marshmallow cloud" and deeply loves him.
Dr. Coplen grew up in northwest Indiana and graduated from Indiana University with a BS in biology (Go Hoosiers!). After receiving her undergraduate degree, she initially worked as a veterinary assistant and then as a laboratory technician for a veterinary diagnostic lab.
After six years in the working world, she decided it was time to attend veterinary school and subsequently graduated from Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine. She has gained experience in varied hospital settings from private emergency work to busy corporate clinics as she has moved around the country as a Marine Corps spouse.
She shares an interest in patient care and practicing good medicine in a facility where clients allow for appropriate workups and treatment. Her special interests include internal medicine, cytology, geriatrics, and exotic animal medicine. Dr. Coplen and her husband are the proud parents of a beautiful, energetic girl and her equally energetic brother. When she's not at work, Kelly loves to hike in the mountains.