Tom Taylor, DVM

I have had the privilege to be part of the Den Herder Team since 1998. I started where many of us do, in the kennel. I took a few years off when I moved away to vet school and have been a veterinarian here since 2004, immediately after graduation. Dr. Jerry Den Herder and Dr. Lori Cherney molded me into the vet I am now, and I am grateful to have the opportunity to learn from these 2 wonderful vets, and people. Since then, I have tried to continue to try to emulate the fundamentals that Jerry built the practice on. That philosophy always centered around taking care of those around us. In effort to continue to provide the best service and medicine for our clients, we took the leap and built the new facility in 2019. We are proud to have our clients and staff walk into a facility that allows them to be proud as well.

I wouldn’t say I specialize in any one thing but tend to really enjoy surgery and love the challenge that presents itself in so many different ways.  I recently completed training in a knee surgery called a Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy or TPLO to repair torn cruciate ligaments in dogs.  It’s a common injury and something our clients traditionally had to travel to Ames or Des Moines to repair.  Now we can offer that right here in Waterloo.  In addition to surgery, I enjoy trying to figure out complicated medical cases.  I tend to be pretty competitive, and don’t like a hidden medical condition to get the best of me.  I realize we can’t win them all, but not for lack of trying.  

My wife, Mandy, and I have 3 boys: Coby 19, Isaac 16, and Wesley 11. They have been my biggest cheerleaders, and absolute best friends throughout my career.  If I had to choose a different full-time job, it would be crappie fishing with the boys in the spring and summer and hanging out on the beach with Mandy in the winter.  I hear neither one pays well, so that may have to be a long-range plan.  Without them believing in me, I wouldn’t have had the wonderful career I’ve had to this point. We have collected 2 golden retrievers, a vizsla, and 1 cat. Their best tricks are to get into the trash, get hair on every article of clothing we have, and to provide unending loyalty to our family. (the pets and the boys.) They are keepers, and so are they boys, I guess. I’m grateful for all this career has provided for me. It has opened countless doors to meeting so many people that have become friends over the years. We’ve shared laughter, tears, milestones, and countless memories. Sometimes all in the same 20-minute window. I’ve had the pleasure to connect to so many pets that have walked through the front door. I have the fortune to see a happy family as they introduce their new best friend to us, and the challenge of helping another family say goodbye to theirs. I embrace these moments and every moment in between. I appreciate the trust our clients have in me, and our team, and to look to us when they need us most.