Our Veterinarians

Meet the folks who make it all happen. We see big potential in every moment, & care deeply about what we do every day.

Dr. DuPre

Owner, Veterinarian

When he was seven years old, Dr. DuPre found an injured dog while at school, and he stayed long after school ended to stay with the poor puppy . Eventually, he and his parents took the dog to the local veterinarian’s office. Dr. DuPre never forgot the way that the vet interacted with the dog and nursed it back to health; he quickly decided that he would like to become a veterinarian himself.

Dr. DuPre was born and raised in Alabama alongside his two brothers and older sister. His veterinary journey began when he was only 11 years old and started volunteering at a veterinary hospital in Anniston, Alabama.

After graduating from Auburn University’s School of Veterinary Medicine in 1985, Dr. DuPre took his first job at a clinic in Orlando, Florida. He then relocated to Fort Myers, where he worked under Small Animal Hospital’s previous owner Dr. Richard C. McDuffie until his retirement in 1990, at which point Dr. DuPre took ownership of the clinic. In total, Dr. DuPre has been serving the pets of the Fort Myers area for nearly 30 years.

In his time away from work, Dr. DuPre enjoys big-game fishing, flying as a private instrument-rated pilot and is an avid college sports fan. Of course with his favorite team being the Auburn Tigers.

Dr. DuPre’s immediate family includes his two daughters, Halle and Katie, as well as his twin boys, Justin and Jared, who currently work in their grandfather’s business. Dr. DuPre also shares his life with Ladybird, a young Bloodhound who enjoys visiting Small Animal Hospital whenever she gets the chance.

Dr. Mary Nicholson

Associate Veterinarian

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Dr. Mary Nicholson was born in Mississippi and also grew up in Mobile, Alabama for a time. She would spend many weekends as a child on her grandparents’ country property; some of her first memories include her grandfather placing her in the pen with his foxhounds and going for rides along with him on the back of his horse. Dr. Nicholson always wanted to learn more about the care of pets so that she could best tend to her own companions—a career as a veterinarian simply made sense!

Dr. Nicholson began volunteering at an animal shelter when she was 20 years old, and it wasn’t long before her volunteer work turned into a paying job. Next, she enrolled in Hinds Junior College’s veterinary technology program, graduating with her degree in applied science and passing her state certification to become a Licensed Veterinary Technician. After working that summer as a Tech, she returned to junior college in the fall to finish her prerequisite coursework for veterinary school.

Dr. Nicholson attended Mississippi State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, earning her doctoral degree in 1991 and practicing in mixed-animal care in the northeastern part of the state for two years. She then relocated to Homestead, Florida for a year before returning to Mississippi again—Dr. Nicholson would spend the next several years traveling back and forth between Florida and Mississippi, using her dual licenses to provide relief services to veterinarians in both states. In 1995, she joined a feline-only practice in Fort Myers, Florida. Over the years, she’s worked in exotic clinics, animal shelters, spay-and-neuter clinics, and even at a Greyhound racing track! Dr. Nicholson also launched her own house-call practice in 2006 while still performing relief veterinary work.

Having filled in for Dr. DuPre for a number of years, Dr. Nicholson was happy to recently join the Small Animal Hospital team as an Associate Veterinarian. She has special interests in behavioral medicine and client education, and she especially loves learning new things within the constantly evolving field of veterinary medicine. She’s attended the North American Veterinary Conference for nearly 20 years in a row, and holds special certifications in applied clinical behavioral medicine, advanced clinical behavioral medicine, feline medicine, and exotic companion mammal medicine and surgery!

In her time away from work, Dr. Nicholson enjoys working in her yard, observing wildlife, reading, visiting the Smoky Mountains whenever the opportunity presents itself, and spending time with her own animal friends at home. She has a multitude of cats, two pet rabbits who go by Buckley and Jenny, and a rescued mixed-breed dog named Oliver.

“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.”

–Anatole France

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