Associate Veterinarian
Dr. Kara Stem graduated with honors from Clemson University with a degree in Animal Veterinary Science in 2017 and began her DVM degree at the University of Georgia’s College of Veterinary Medicine that same year. She graduated with her veterinary degree in 2021 with an emphasis in small animal medicine and specific interests in surgery, dermatology, and dentistry. Following graduation, Dr. Stem worked in a couple clinics around the Athens area but always dreamed of making western North Carolina home. She is excited about becoming part of the Haywood Animal Hospital family and caring for your pets!
Dr. Stem was born in Altus, Oklahoma and grew up in many states of the southeast before her family settled in Charleston, South Carolina when she was eight. She has always loved animals and had many fluffy, scaled, or feathered family members including dogs, cats, birds, snakes, turtles, ducks, fish, and horses (oh my!). In preparation for vet school, Dr. Stem spent many hours and weekends shadowing her hometown veterinarian and did an internship working with raptors, birds of prey, and shore birds in Charleston, SC. As a young woman, Dr. Stem spent most of her free time riding her horse, Nellie, and playing the viola in various orchestras throughout middle school, high school, and college. In 2015, she and Nellie ended their 8 years of competitive showing with a World Championship in Road Hack at the PHBA World Show. While in vet school, she got engaged and married to her high school sweetheart, David, in 2018. They later welcomed a baby in 2023 and now are thoroughly enjoying the happy chaos of toddlerhood.
When not practicing medicine, Dr. Stem enjoys traveling, music, reading, writing, long walks and hikes, and spending time outside with her family and pets when the weather is nice.