Lynn M. Fenwick, a veterinarian, grew up in a household steeped in the medical profession. Her father, John Francis Fenwick, was a family physician, and her mother, Elizabeth (Cowan) Fenwick, was a nurse. This early exposure influenced her later to pursue medicine as her own lifelong career in caring for animals. After earning a Bachelor of Science in biology from Virginia Tech in 1983 and then her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine in 1986, Dr. Fenwick realized one of her proudest achievements by becoming the practice owner and veterinarian at Breton Veterinary Hospital, established in 1990 in Leonardtown, Maryland.
Voted Best in the Community for Veterinary Medicine, Breton Veterinary Hospital is a state-of-the-art, complete wellness, general, and dentistry practice, which Dr. Fenwick enthusiastically operates keeping in mind her motto,” It’s four paws, two, hands, one heart,” and treating the pets and their owners like family. Fulfilling a diverse array of responsibilities at the helm of her practice, as a veterinarian, she conducts wellness and sick appointments, performs various types of surgeries, dentistry procedures, radiology scans, and lab testing. Additionally, wearing her administrative hat, she oversees the staff, manages payroll, handles inventory-related tasks, and more.
Dr. Fenwick is praised by her furry and feathered patients’ families for her hard work and dedication to providing the best care possible and going above and beyond her already extensive duties for their animals. These sentiments are invaluable to Dr. Fenwick, who says she loves helping to improve the quality and longevity of animals’ lives and relishes witnessing the bonds between pets and people. Committed to contributing to and staying on top of developments in her profession within and outside her practice, Dr. Fenwick maintains memberships in the Maryland Veterinary Medical Association, the American Veterinary Medical Association, the American Association of Feline Practitioners, and the American Animal Hospital Association, from which she recently obtained accreditation.
Dr. Fenwick’s success, she believes, is the result of her tirelessness, hard work, unfaltering compassion, perseverance in the face of challenges, and being a lifelong learner—all of which have paid off by enhancing her personal and professional growth and enabling her practice to thrive. Further, Dr. Fenwick says it is important to treat the people you work with well and to give back to the community. In the largest measure, she credits her accomplishments to her father, her mentor, whom she describes as an excellent, devoted, and caring family physician who had a great rapport with his patients. Likewise, Dr. Fenwick thanks and cherishes her family, including her husband of nearly four decades, Timothy Gerard Buhler; her children, Kristen and Erin; her granddaughter Joanie; her parents; and her golden retriever, Pipa.
Looking ahead, Dr. Fenwick is optimistic about expanding her flourishing Breton Veterinary Hospital practice. She seeks to extend its reach by obtaining her certification as an international veterinary dental practitioner, which tops her list of priorities. Moreover, she wants to hire another veterinarian so she can concentrate more on specialties such as dentistry and advanced internal medicine cases. Ultimately, Dr. Fenwick is working toward establishing a legacy of excellence in veterinary dentistry. In the meantime, she continues to enjoy running her practice while reserving a big part of her heart for the pets she serves. The long hours of juggling her many duties as a veterinarian and as the leader of her business while striving to keep qualified and trained staff on board are all worth it, because, she says, at the end of every day, she still has goals – the most important of which is to keep her much-needed practice running.