Village Vet Animal Clinic Team

Dr. Setser is our founder and medical director. He earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and his Master of Science in Pharmacology from Oklahoma State University. He has served the Broken Arrow community for 40 years. Dr. Setser has a special interest in wildlife and exotic pet medicine and is regionally known for his experience in non-domestic animal medicine, surgery, and care. Frequently, he consults with other veterinarians from across the country to help them with a case.

The staff lovingly refer to Dr. Setser as a human encyclopedia. Over the years, he has spent time teaching other veterinary professionals, including Veterinary Technician students at Tulsa Community College, Oklahoma State University College of Biological Sciences, and Oklahoma State University College of Veterinary Medicine. In addition, he has been a veterinary educator for Fort Dodge, Ceva, and Zoetis. We welcome veterinary students on externship every semester.

Dr. Setser’s willingness to share his vast knowledge is what drives the practice. There is never a day without learning at Village Vet Animal Clinic. His belief that the practice should work as hard for its people as they do for our patients allows everyone to have a supportive and rewarding experience.

When Dr. Setser opened Village Vet Animal Clinic, he penned the motto “Where you go when it matters.” Every day he and the team strive to make this motto your reality.

Anyone that knows Dr. Rust can tell you how incredibly larger-than-life he is. He is large in stature, towering well above 6 feet tall. He has a large booming voice that is still soothing as he cuddles kittens. He grew up in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Young Max was always interested in math and science and enjoyed learning new things. After graduating high school in 1963, he served as a United States Marine. He did a tour in Viet Nam and came home safely.

Max enjoyed body-building and performed well. His love of science, animals, and the people that love them drove him to pursue veterinary medicine. He graduated from Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine Magna Cum Laude in 1977.

Dr. Rust treated small animals, horses, and exotic pets in New Orleans for a few years before coming to Oklahoma. For years, Dr. Rust and his wife, Leann, owned and operated their own private practices in the Tulsa area. Over those same years, they raised three daughters. We were lucky enough to have Dr. Rust join our team in 2014.

His love of science has only grown, and his incessant reading and researching keep us all learning. Dr.Rust is a joy to have in the clinic. He is a natural caretaker and teacher. The staff and clients learn a tremendous amount from him, and the animals get all of his love. If you have the time, we highly recommend you spend some time talking to Dr. Max Rust. If you’re not learning, you’ll certainly be laughing.

Michelle has been in the veterinary industry all of her adult life. Like many people in the veterinary industry, Michelle started as a kennel technician. Most of Michelle’s veterinary nursing career was spent with dogs and cats until she joined the Village Vet Animal Clinic team in 2013.

While her love of animals got her into the veterinary field, her love of people is the reason she is still in veterinary medicine. Michelle is earning her degree in Business Management and is studying for the CVPM exam. Certified Veterinary Practice Managers are the experts in veterinary practice management. We are excited to announce that she will have earned a few more letters to her signature in just a few short months. She has a special interest in leadership. Most of her days at the clinic are spent making sure that the doctors and staff are set up for success. She doesn’t spend as much time with the animals, except for the occasional reptile case that she just can’t walk away from.

The staff appreciates her breadth of knowledge and resources. Michelle can often be heard saying, “I have a resource for that.” A successful day for Michelle includes someone on her team reaching a goal or learning a new skill. By supporting the people that serve our clients, Michelle’s influence can be experienced throughout the entire practice.

When she is not working or studying, she spends time outdoors with her family.

Emily came to Village Vet Animal Clinic as a high school student through the Career Connect program through Union Public Schools. She shadowed for an hour and a half each day. She knew immediately that she had found her calling. Impressed with Emily’s work ethic and personality, we offered her a kennel position. She started in the kennel in 2015. Over the years, she has worked as a veterinary assistant and receptionist. She is now our lead receptionist, and clients love having a familiar face always there to greet them.

She is invaluable to our practice. While she works as a receptionist, her biggest influence in the practice is inventory management. Emily has helped streamline the ordering/receiving process, and we rarely encounter an inventory concern that she does not have an answer for. Emily’s business sense and client relation skills have only continued to develop. To say that we are proud of Emily would be an understatement. We feel so fortunate to have a role in her career development.

Emily has a 4-year-old pit mix and a cat at home. She spends time with her friends and family traveling when she has the chance.

EMAC! Since we have two amazing Emily’s, this Emily is often referred to as EMAC. You know that feeling you get when you talk to someone on the phone or at a desk, and you think to yourself how great it is that this person knows all the answers to all of your questions? Emily delivers that every day. She is enthusiastic about learning about new procedures, therapeutic options, and improved medications.

Emily is currently earning her pre-med Biology degree at Tulsa Community College. After that, she will head to university to finish her degree in Medical Molecular and Cellular Biology. She will take that degree to Medical School to become a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, eventually becoming a board-certified Dermatologist.

Her favorite part of being a Village Vet Animal Clinic team member is the wide variety of species we see and the fact that no two days are the same. She spends her free time with her husband.

Janna has a miniature dachshund named Pudge. Pudge experienced some health concerns that required many veterinary visits. During those hours she spent in the veterinary clinic with Pudge, she recognized that she wanted to join the veterinary industry. We are happy to report that although Pudge was diagnosed with an auto-immune disease, he has made a full recovery.

In early 2021, Janna joined Village Vet Animal Clinic. Her favorite part of working here is the variety of animals we get to treat every day. Our favorite part of working with Janna is her quiet humor. Although she is not loud, she is definitely clever. Janna usually works the afternoon and evening shifts, so you will see her if you have a late appointment.

MyKayla is the life of the party! Wherever MyKayla is, laughter is sure to follow. Since she grew up around horses, she strives to become a large animal veterinarian. While her love of horses runs through her veins, you can’t tell that to Doc. Just like laughter, there is a small dachshund named Doc that follows her in every adventure.

Although she has only worked in the veterinary field for a year, she is just a natural. We are so proud of how fast she has learned new skills, and we are so excited to be a part of her journey. She is eager to learn about exotic animal medicine. Her next career goal is enrollment in a Registered Veterinary Technician program to earn her license while she works toward her dream of becoming a large animal veterinarian.

MyKayla is a born athlete. She played center forward in soccer until she suffered too many ankle injuries to continue. Now, of course, she spends time with her two horses Rayne and Roanoake. As an avid outdoor adventurer, MyKayla (and Doc) can often be found spending time at regional lakes and rivers.

Javi was born in Venezuela and lived there until he was 5 years old. His family moved to the United States, and they lived in several locations during his adolescence. In all of the adventures he and his family shared, animals were always a part of the equation. He has two dogs that he spends time training and taking on outdoor adventures.

Javi is currently earning his Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Health and Safety Management. His plan is to earn his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Oklahoma State University. In the practice, we can rely on Javier to handle any and all species that enter our door. He has a special interest in birds and reptiles and can often be found perusing articles on their care. We love to hear Javi, Dr. Rust, and Dr. Setser sharing interesting science facts they recently learned. If he could be any animal, he would be an octopus. Their cunning and intelligent behavior is endlessly fascinating to him.

Javier is friendly, calm, and brings balance to our clinic. He is another team member that brings laughter to the day. People and animals alike trust him immediately, and we are thankful for his impact here. In addition to his skills as a veterinary assistant, Javier ensures that our Spanish-speaking clients get the same service as everyone else. He works closely with our student volunteers and helps them feel comfortable to learn and broaden their horizons.

Occasionally, we meet an animal that just didn’t get a fair start in life. Nikki is one of those animals. She was hatched with some minor deformities, and her feathers didn’t come in on her body. Her wings and head have feathers. She has no idea that she is naked and lives her best life. She does tend to stress easily, so she lives in the office. She can still see people and interact there, but she is not bombarded with the stress of the animals coming and leaving.

She is relatively quiet for an Amazon but does enjoy chatting with the male technicians.

Bentley is a Quaker Parrot. Quakers are small parrots that do not have the size or vocalization of the larger parrots. He is sweet and loves to be talked to. His little quiet voice can be heard repeating, “Freda, Freda, Freda!” He has lived in a home with Freda his entire life and shares a special connection with her. He and Freda continue to support one another after they joined the Village Vet Animal Clinic team. We enjoy his silly antics every day.

If a bird could be the representation of a grumpy neighbor screaming at you to get off his lawn, Buddy would happily fill that role. Buddy has been with Dr. Setser for many years after a client was unable to care for him any longer. He loves to chat and hates to be touched. Buddy’s pride and joy is his orange bowl. He carries it all over his cage and gets extremely stressed if removed from it. When our team members clean the bowl, you can be sure that it is only under the watchful eye of Buddy.

While Buddy is not in the lobby for client interaction, you may hear him talking throughout the clinic. We love this grumpy guy more than you know.

Oh, Chester! This silly cat keeps us on our toes all day long. He is obsessed with the printer and is quite sure that the papers coming out are just for him. Most of the time, he can be found in the office with the practice manager diligently monitoring the printer for activity. Like all cats, he loves to nap. Of course, he likes to nap across the keyboard. In order to prevent him from interrupting the workflow, we gave him his own keyboard that is not connected to anything. He is sure he just received a promotion. Chester is a relatively new team member and is adjusting to clinic life. Soon, you will be able to see him throughout the clinic. First, we want to make sure to keep him and all of our patients safe while he learns how to be a clinic cat.