Dr. Nicole Azene brings extraordinary expertise to Onalaska Animal Hospital and the La Crosse community, having practiced veterinary medicine in the private sector, academia, and as a federal employee. A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Dr. Nicole earned her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Missouri – Columbia in 2005. She also completed post-doctoral training in laboratory animal medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. In addition to time spent in small animal private practice, Dr. Nicole has cared for animals at various nonprofit rescue organizations. As a federal employee, she provided veterinary oversight and preventive medical care, managed chronic diseases, and led her division’s intensive care unit at the National Institutes of Health. She further serves as Attending Veterinarian at the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse.
Dr. Nicole moved to the Coulee Region in 2013. Her passion for nurturing the human-animal bond continues to grow along with her desire to provide pets with the best medical and surgical services in the Coulee Region. This prompted her to open Onalaska Animal Hospital in 2022. Dr. Nicole takes special interest in helping dogs and cats live their best lives by managing chronic diseases and educating owners on the importance of good oral health for their pets.
Away from veterinary medicine, Dr. Nicole enjoys a busy life with her husband and three children. They share their home with Dr. Nicole’s mother as well as Oliver, a dachshund whom Dr. Nicole rescued during her first year in veterinary practice [citation].