Our Veterinarians

Valerie Olszak, DVM

Dr. Olszak is a long time resident of the Orwell area. She grew up on her parents’ farm on Penniman Rd. where her family raised all kinds of animals including cows, pigs, goats, chickens and geese. Early in her childhood she developed her passion to help animals. At the age of ten, she organized an animal shelter and took in unwanted animals in her neighborhood and cared for them until she could find loving homes for them.

Her father, also a veterinarian had a great influence on her career choice as well as her choice of veterinary school. He came to the U.S.A. as a political refugee after World War II. It was while on a very memorable emotional trip to Poland with her family that Dr. Olszak decided she would follow in her father’s footsteps and attend the same veterinary school, Warsaw School of Agriculture, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. She also completed undergraduate studies at Kent State University and the Jagiellonian University in Cracow, Poland. Of course, to keep up with the many advances in veterinary medicine she has attended countless hours of continuing education many of them advanced courses in specific disciplines. She has completed a Post Graduate Institute course in Small Animal Dermatology.

Dr. Olszak’s professional experience includes the Buffalo Zoological Gardens in Buffalo, N.Y.,a mixed animal practice, a herd health practice, a small animal practice and emergency service. In 1983 she established her own practice on her family’s farm originally as a large animal practice which gradually grew into a mixed practice. To accommodate the rapid growth of the practice she purchased and completely remodeled the building where her small animal practice is currently.

Needless to say, Dr. Olszak is very proud of her Polish heritage and she enjoys speaking Polish when given the opportunity. She has a true passion for the veterinary profession and is always excited about any new information she can use to help her patients. She is a firm believer in continuing education for herself and her staff and she emphasizes the importance of educating her clients so they are able to make informed decisions about their pets’ health care. In order to provide the best care possible to her patients she has cultivated relationships with many board-certified specialists so when necessary she can consult with or refer her patients to a veterinarian with the proper skill set or equipment necessary to do what is best for her patient. In some cases the specialist comes to our hospital as a convenience for the client. Dr. Olszak has literally dedicated years to trying to create the best possible veterinary hospital for all the pets in the Grand Valley and surrounding areas. She strives to be the pet’s advocate when advising clients of treatment plans because she knows they cannot speak for themselves. She is also empathetic and sensitive to the economic hardships people in her community are facing. For this reason she and her staff volunteer their time and energy to hold low-cost rabies vaccination clinics,create puppy and kitten giveaways, and in-clinic money-saving specials.

Dr. Olszak and her husband are the proud parents of three beautiful children and the loving caretakers of a menagerie which includes (most of them rescues) 2 horses, 3 dogs 3 birds and 3 cats for now. She loves people almost as much as she loves animals. She is a very honest, caring, conscientious, hard-working veterinarian. She truly cherishes the relationships she has had the privilege to form with her clients and their furry or feathered or scaled family members. You can always trust her to do her utmost to help you and your pet.

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