From Buffalo to Bothell and Back: The Uncharted Flight of Dr. Jeff Hess
The path to a dream is rarely a straight line. For Dr. Jeff Hess, an exotic animal veterinarian whose passion was ignited by the infectious enthusiasm of Steve Irwin, it was a journey that included a turbulent detour through the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic and the lonely nights of emergency medicine—all before he could truly take flight.
Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, Dr. Hess’s childhood ambition wasn’t to wield a stethoscope but a joystick. “I always wanted to be an Air Force pilot,” he admits. “If they didn’t let me fly, I probably would have been a carpenter. I like working with my hands, building things.” That practical, hands-on creativity would later become the bedrock of his veterinary practice, where he builds solutions for the most unusual of patients.
His true calling, however, was for the weird and the wonderful—the scaly, the feathered, and the slimy. He carried a fascination for exotic animals from Buffalo to the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine and straight into an elite internship at the Center for Bird and Exotic Animal Medicine in Bothell, Washington. It was there, doing high-quality exotic medicine, that he landed his dream job.
Then, the world shifted.
“I graduated just before the start of the COVID pandemic, so things didn’t quite go according to plan,” he says. The agonizing decision to move back to Buffalo meant leaving his dream role behind. Exotic jobs are rare, so he took the only available path: a position as a solo overnight emergency doctor.
“I hadn’t practiced small animal medicine since graduation,” he recalls. The adjustment was brutal. The quiet of the night shift was punctuated by critical cases he had to manage alone, a world away from the exotic focus he loved. Yet, he now sees it as the crucible that forged him into the clinician he is today. “While this change was rife with challenges, I learned so much. I strengthened my surgical skills and learned emergency medicine inside and out. Those skills are now invaluable.”
Today, Dr. Hess is back where his heart is, primarily practicing zoo and exotic animal medicine with a special interest in reptiles, amphibians, and birds. But the lessons from those long nights remain.
To shake off the stress of a profession known for its emotional toll, Dr. Hess has a need for speed—and a need for serenity. His preferred reset button is a speedy, scenic ride on his motorcycle, a way to leave everything on the road before heading home. When Buffalo’s infamous snow makes that impossible, he finds peace in two other ways: tending to his “unreasonably large collection of house plants” and strumming his guitar for an audience of his cats and reptiles. “I’m not particularly good,” he confesses, “but it’s a great creative outlet.”
His mission, shaped by his hero Steve Irwin, is one of passion and education. “He showed me it was okay to have such love for the ‘weird’ animals,” Dr. Hess says. He embodies the Irwin mentality every day, championing animals that others might find creepy and educating owners on how to care for them. “I want to leave the world a better place for me being a part of it. I’ve realized that doing big things is wonderful, but the small impacts you can make every day are just as incredible.”
Looking forward, Dr. Hess is working towards board certification in Reptile and Amphibian Medicine and is even considering the daunting leap of practice ownership. He also aims to combat the rampant misinformation exotic pet owners find online. “I believe it is important for veterinarians to be a part of that outreach,” he states.
He does all this while keeping a close eye on what he sees as the biggest threat to the veterinary field: the rapid growth of corporate medicine. While he acknowledges potential positives like increased salaries, he worries about the cost: shorter appointments, administrative pressure from non-veterinarians, and skyrocketing prices.
“If the current trend continues, I think we are going to struggle to do the job we dreamed about,” he says. His solution? A return to private ownership, which he believes allows vets the freedom to practice medicine as they see fit and better support their staff and community.
It’s a bold vision from a vet who knows that the path to a dream is never straight, but is always worth navigating—even if you have to build the road yourself.
