Dr. Johanna Vena

Dr. Johanna Vena is the president of Cambria Veterinary Care, and she has been practicing since 1994, when she earned her VMD from the University of Pennsylvania after a bachelor's degree in animal bioscience at Penn State. Dogs and cats fill much of her day, but exotic medicine is her real passion, and she brings extensive training in zoo and exotic animal care to the birds, reptiles and amphibians she treats, including four years at the Philadelphia Zoo caring for animals from Galápagos tortoises to giraffes. Reptiles are her favorite for the challenges they bring, and she'll tell you the more unusual the species or the case, the more she enjoys it. She also has a particular fondness for soft tissue surgery.

After three decades in practice she believes that really listening to owners is what makes a better veterinarian. She lays out every option and helps each family choose what fits them and their pet, and she sees preventive care as a very worthwhile investment to save money and heartache in the long run.

Dr. Vena grew up in the suburbs of Pittsburgh and moved to the Johnstown area to be close to family. Her family's farm keeps beef cattle, American Quarter Horses, sheep, chickens, peafowl, dogs, cats and reptiles, and when she isn't at the clinic she's usually outside riding, farming, traveling or competing in cowboy mounted shooting. She mentors students heading into veterinary medicine, works closely with local rescues like the Cambria County Humane Society, wildlife rehabilitators and nature preserves, and is active in Resurrection Roman Catholic Parish. Raising her three children with her husband, Vince, she says, has been her most rewarding life experience.