Our Clinic


   Dr Tom Dougherty started our practice in 1971 after he had completed an internship in surgery at Auburn University Veterinary School and a residency in surgery at the University of Pennsylvania Veterinary School. Dougherty Veterinary was, and still is, dedicated to caring, knowledgeable, and open client informed treatment of companion animals. The practice has been blessed by a dedicated cadre of veterinarians and with the extremely valuable support of the paraprofessional staff.

  Dougherty Veterinary Clinics has had and is continuing a series of firsts in the Duluth-Superior area. We had the first automatic x-ray film processor, the first digital xray system, the first flexible endoscope, the first ultrasound machine, the first arthroscopy equipment, the first clinic to have staff surgeons (Dr. Dougherty and Dr. Jeanetta) perform cranial cruciate ligament repair utilizing Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy, and since 2007  the first clinic outside of the Twin Cities metro area to perform Total Hip Replacement (Dr. Tom Dougherty and Dr. Jeannetta) for diseased hip joints utilizing the Biomedtrix instrumentation and implants for both cemented and press fit replacement.    

   Our clinic has a dental program led by Dr. Pop utilizing the most up to date operating as well as dental radiography  equipment. Cancer care has been aided by our training in cancer reconstruction surgery, our chemotherapy protocols provided in clinic, and consultation with Dr Roger Pitts and cancer centers throughout the United States.

   Dr Kelly Coughlan provides comprehensive internal medicine care for a wide variety of medical problems and also has a special interest in behavior problems.

   We have been willing to invest in the training and equipment to provide services in Duluth that are usually available only at referral institutions such as the University of Minnesota in St Paul. When needed- we have the capacity and willingness to invite specialists to our office such as Dr Roger Pitts (internal medicine) and Dr. Ralph Weichselbaum (ultrasound and radiology) or to refer you to other specialists at their practice locations.

   At Dougherty Veterinary Clinics we take our own post surgical and on going medical care call.  Acute injury or illness at night or on weekends is taken care of at the Emergency Clinic located at 2314 West Michigan St. The phone number for the Emergency Clinic is 218-302-8000.

Dougherty Veterinary Clinic Staff

Dr. Tom Dougherty DVM

   Tom Dougherty DVM graduated from the University of Minnesota Veterinary School in 1969, served as an intern in surgery at Auburn University from 1969 to 1970 and a resident in surgery at the University of Pennsylvania from 1970 to 1971. He returned to his hometown of Duluth in 1971 and started the Dougherty Veterinary Clinic. He is a member of American Veterinary Medical Association, Minnesota Veterinary Medical Association (where he has served as a board member and president) and the Arrowhead Veterinary Medical Association. Civic involvement includes 8 years on the Duluth city council and service on a number of boards in Duluth. He is married to Mary Moyer Dougherty and has 3 daughters Sara, Mina, and Katherine plus 4 grandchildren and dog Bridger-smartest and most handsome dog in the whole wide world. 

   He is also a member of the Veterinary Orthopedic Society, OAVET(an international organization dedicated to excellence in orthopedic care and education),  the Veterinary Society for Surgical Oncology(affiliate member) and the Veterinary Cancer Society. His continuing education interests include attending the annual meetings of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons, Veterinary Cancer Society, Veterinary Orthopedic Society, as well as state and local association meetings. He continues to be a Hanson Scholar of the Minnesota Academy of Veterinary Practice by maintaining a minimum of 50 continuing education credit hours per year achieved.

He has taken specific courses (lecture and laboratory) in shoulder, elbow, and knee arthroscopy. Because of his interest in oncology he has also attended a course in reconstructive surgery for the canine and feline oncology patient. He also has attended the course given by the Slocum Group to learn an additional technique for repair of a ruptured cranial cruciate ligament known as tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO) as well as the course for performing the Tightrope technique for cranial cruciate ligament rupture. In the the fall of 2006 he attended two courses given by Biomedtrix instructing veterinary surgeons on how to perform total hip replacement(both cemented and non cemented techniques) for the dog that suffers from severe hip joint arthritis. He is also a graduate of both the basic and advanced course for fracture repair given by the Association for the Study of Internal Fixation (ASIF/AO). He also has taken an advanced course in TPLO surgery and a masters AOVET course for the correction of angular limb deformities. He has a special interest in canine ear problems and has been trained to perform surgery of the ear canal that has not responded to medical therapy. Surgical correction of laryngeal paralysis in the geriatric dog also is a special interest of his.

In addition to the above interests, he  maintains a general practice at the Dougherty Veterinary Clinic. 

Dr. Lisa Jeanetta DVM

Dr. Lisa Jeanetta is a native of Duluth.  She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota, Duluth, and graduated from the University of Minnesota, College of Veterinary Medicine. After practicing companion animal medicine in St. Paul for several years, she returned to Duluth and joined the Dougherty Veterinary Clinics is 1997.  Dr. Jeanetta’s interests include avian and exotic animal medicine, orthopedics, and ophthalmology.  She regularly attends the Association of Avian Veterinarians and the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmology annual meetings.


Dr. Tirza Pop MVB

Dr. Tirza Pop MVB attended University Minnesota  Duluth as an undergraduate.  During her time there she found information on studying veterinary medicine in Ireland.  She was all for the adventure and headed to Dublin, Ireland for 5 years to receive a Bachelors’ in Veterinary Medicine (MVB) from University College Dublin School of Veterinary Medicine in 2001. After completing licensing requirements she started working at Dougherty Veterinary Clinics.

   As a member of the Minnesota Veterinary Medical Association (MVMA), Dr. Pop has shown interest in educating the public on the importance of spaying and neutering pets. She has volunteered at the Minnesota State Fair in MVMA's surgical suite three times as a moderator.

   With an avid interest in dentistry, Dr. Pop became a member of the American Veterinary Dental Society. She has attended many local dentistry conferences as well as the 19th, 20th and 21st  Annual Veterinary Dental Forum in 2005- 2007.

   Dr. Pop is an academy member and takes continuing medical education seriously by attending local Arrowhead Veterinary Medical Association meetings and Minnesota Veterinary Medical Association meetings. She also attended the Central Veterinary Conference 2006 where she participated in a course on opthalmic surgery.

   A fascination with zoonotic diseases and importance of educating the public stimulated Dr. Pop to speak to St. Luke's Family Practice Residents on this topic in 2005. The same topic brought her in Aug 2007 to Kalamazoo speaking for Grand Rounds for Michigan State Residency Program.

   Dr. Pop enjoys encouraging young people in the pursuit of veterinary medicine and participated in the pre-vet class at University of Minnesota Duluth  where she discussed studying veterinary medicine in foreign countries. She trained in a Dog- Bite Prevention program held by the MVMA in 2009 and was able to use this information to talk to preschoolers at Little Lambs Preschool about how to prevent dog bites.

Dr. Kelly Coughlan DVM

Dr Kelly Coughlan is originally from southern Ohio, she graduated with a B.A. in Biology from Cornell University and went on to earn her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1985.  She is licensed to practice in Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Alaska.

Dr Kelly's experiences have been extensive in the twenty years since her graduation.  In addition to many years in private practice, she has worked exclusively as a small animal emergency clinician, a job she enjoyed for the fast pace and challenging cases.


   She has also consulted with the area shelters, developing vaccine protocols, advocating spay/neuter programs, and treating the unique diseases associated with animals housed in group situations.

   Presently, Dr Kelly has been with the Dougherty Veterinary Clinics part-time for thirteen months. While she pitches in and treats all types of small animal medical and occasional surgical cases, she especially enjoys the challenges of behavioral medicine, from both  behavior modification and pharmacological intervention aspects. She has studied many aspects of small animal behavior with Sue Sternberg, Karen Overall, and Emily Weiss.

   A member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Association of Shelter Veterinarians, and the Arrowhead Veterinary Association, Dr Kelly attends such national meetings as the North American Veterinary Conference, The American Conference of Veterinary Internal Medicine, and the Humane Society of the United States Annual Conference.

   Dr Kelly lives in Duluth and is mom, taxi-driver, math tutor, sports fan, and music booster for children Sara, Christian, and Megan.  Her leftover time is devoted to her radiologist husband Jim.  As a direct result of her years in shelter medicine, she has five adopted cats, two very large Golden Retrievers, a three foot snake, and an assortment of small pet rodents. In her limited spare time she enjoys downhill skiing, reading, traveling, and Italian cooking.