Jessica Marziani - Integrative and rehabilitation veterinarian

Dr. Jessica Marziani has wanted to be a veterinarian since a very early age.

Growing up on a small family farm in northeast Indiana, she knew the best career for her would be one surrounded by animals.

Dr. Marziani’s family farm had a little bit of everything. If it lives in a barn yard, Dr. Marziani has probably owned one or more! She was very active in 4-H growing up, completing ten years of 4-H showing livestock, horses and even doing crafts and baking. Her family history is deeply rooted in 4-H as she is a fifth generation member.

Dr.Marziani also actively competed in the Indiana Paint Horse Association show circuit and will tell you stories about the most influential animal of her life, Gretta, any time you want to hear them!

Dr. Marziani attended undergrad at Central Methodist University and vet school at the University of Missouri (Mizzou). After vet school, Dr. Marziani completed a grueling one-year rotating internship at Arizona Equine Medical and Surgical Centre. Dr. Marziani’s main interest going through school and her internship were lameness and getting horses back to competition. Having had injuries take her out of the show ring growing up, she wanted to be able to help keep horses moving at their best. After her internship, Dr. Marziani spent several years in equine medicine helping countless horses overcome injuries and making them comfortable. All the while, Dr. Marziani herself dealt with pain from years of horseback riding and strain on her neck. During this time, Dr. Marziani tried countless western therapies to try to reduce her neck pain without any success. All the while, she had witnessed several patients of hers improve dramatically through acupuncture therapies. This compelled Dr. Marziani to try acupuncture herself. After waking up for the first time in years without a headache, thanks to acupuncture therapy, Dr. Marziani was a believer! She knew this was a therapy method that she had to learn to help her patients even more.

Dr. Marziani attended the Chi Institute and became certified in mixed animal acupuncture. Once practicing acupuncture, Dr. Marziani started realizing that disease and injury prevention is a more effective service than simply reacting to ailments. She added chiropractic medicine to her tool belt by attending Parker University’s animal chiropractic course and becoming certified by the American Association of Veterinary Chiropractic. Practicing chiropractic exposed Dr. Marziani to cases that needed rehab, some due to surgery and some just due to lack of muscle mass from skeletal frame misuse. Wanting to know how to isolate a muscle and engage it to help build its mass lead to Dr. Marziani becoming certified in canine rehabilitation therapy by the Canine Rehabilitation Institute. Now Dr. Marziani believes her career has come full circle. From her childhood dream of getting her horse back into the ring after an injury, to being able to not only help patients recover from injuries, but help them prevent injuries in the first place!

Next time you’re at the Houston Zoo, keep your eyes out for Dr. Marziani. You just may see her rolling her bag around the zoo visiting some of the animals there and providing complimentary veterinarian therapies. Dr. Marziani has been volunteering her services at the zoo since September of 2014 and enjoys every second she gets to spend there.