Cory Meirs is a third generation veterinarian. “I was a farm kid in South Jersey. I’d ride along on calls with my old man, muck stalls, mow fields. I was in and out of his surgery suite, and I pulled my first foal when I was two. I was born and raised with animals, I’ve always loved them.”
He met his wife-to-be, Molly, in 2008, when he was 20 years old. They were each with friends at a small town fair. The friends put them together on a ferris wheel, hoping to get them to kiss. “It didn’t happen on the ferris wheel,” he remembers, “but I got her on the pirate ship!”
Dad and granddad both went to vet school at the University of Pennsylvania, and they expected the same of Cory, but he wanted to travel. He only applied to international vet schools, which is how he and Molly ended up at the University of Melbourne in Australia. Cory graduated in 2018. By 2020 he was practicing at the Homeward Bound Animal Clinic in Arvada.
Nate Siegel was raised in Atlanta’s suburbs. “Both my parents are physicians. Growing up, we often talked medicine at the dinner table.”
When he was in fourth or fifth grade, one of Nate’s cats took ill. “She had to be euthanized. The veterinarian stayed late, so we could say our goodbyes. That’s when I first thought about becoming a vet.”
After getting his DVM degree (from the University of Georgia, no less – Go Dawgs!) Nate began practicing at Homeward Bound. This was in 2020, and that’s where he met Cory. Oh, and it’s also where he met his girlfriend Nicki Tatum, a veterinary assistant and groomer.
Cory and Nate quickly realized they were a natural team. Cory explains: “We’re good together. We work hard, and we share the same goals. We’re guided by good medicine and good communication.”
In human medicine, doctors usually have to present as serious. Veterinary medicine can be a bit more relaxed, even fun (“dogs don’t like serious people,” Cory explains.) Yet being a vet can be hard. There is darkness, there are hard times. Financially they don’t make a lot, and they euthanize a lot of animals. It can be an emotional roller coaster.
And now there is a big push for less personal care, more monetization. “We’re not that,” says Nate. “Those aren’t our priorities. It’s not necessarily the bottom line.”
Nate discovered Nederland shortly after moving to Colorado in 2020. He drove up near Hessie Trail for a run. “It was the best thing I ever saw. Eldora, the mountains going on forever. I said to myself, ‘this is why I’m out here.’”
Cory had the same epiphany, at about the same time. “Molly, our two year old, and I were driving Peak to Peak, and we ended up at West Mag. It felt like the real Colorado, nothing like the surrounding cities. We’ve been coming up on weekends ever since.”
The seeds were planted. Then long-time local Mike Clements decided to retire. He put his practice, Peak to Peak Veterinary Hospital, up for sale. Nate and Cory checked it out, and they could see the building wasn’t big enough for the services they hoped to provide.
They waited a year, checked back, and had the good fortune to meet Dani Dillon. She owned the other vet clinic in town, the Nederland Veterinary Hospital, 646 Highway 119 (Highway 119 at the Eldora turn off.) She worked as a tech there too. Cory and Nate saw an opportunity to combine the two vet practices in town.
“Dani, and her receptionist / office manager Lauren, have been really great through this whole process,” said both Cory and Nate. “And Dr. Mike is the best. He exemplifies the dying breed, the true breed, of veterinarian. We met with him at the Wagon Wheel, and talked about what he wanted the practice to become. He cared about the community, and he wasn’t about to hand his practice over to just anyone.” Added Nate: “I thought, okay, this is going to happen!”
And so it did. Cory and Nate are up and running, at the Nederland Veterinary Hospital location. They’ve got Dr. Mike’s patient files, and his awesome assistant Aly. They’ve got Lauren from Dani’s clinic, and Nate’s aforementioned girlfriend Nicki. They treat cats, dogs, chickens, goats, pigs, and exotics. They are affiliated with various rescue organizations, and the building itself will be a safe haven during natural disasters, for “cats, dogs, and whoever else we can fit in here.” As they ramp up they’ll hire more people, allowing them to open up for more weekday hours, and weekends.
“We want to advance the medicine; we’re both well-versed in emergency medicine and surgeries,” says Cory. “We want to bridge the gap with mobile specialists, so you won’t have to go down the hill for things like radiology, oncology, and specialty surgeries. We offer the same high-quality medicine we give our own pets.”
By that Cory means June Tunez, his mini border collie mix, and Deet, his 15-year-old, one-eyed chihuahua. (I’ve met Deet, he’s got a lot to say.) And Nate’s four-year old puppy Max, and golden retriever Flynn. (I’ve met Flynn too – he will steal your heart!)
There’s no replacing Dr. Mike. But true to form, he’s left us in very good hands.
Cory and Nate are a good fit. They care. You should stop by and say hi, but watch out for Deet!
For more information contact Nederland Veterinary Hospital at 303-258-7355 or nedvet.com. They are located at 646 Highway 119, Nederland, Colorado, 80466.
