MEET BRENT COOK, DVM

I am so lucky to be a veterinarian. What other career do so many kids grow up wishing they could do? And I am one of the lucky few who actually gets to do it. Being a veterinarian is great! Since animals can’t talk and tell you what’s wrong with them, every case is like a puzzle that we get to work on and solve. There’s never a boring moment as we combine our physical exam findings with the history the family gives us, our lab tests, x-rays, ultrasounds and biopsies. We piece together the parts of the puzzle and come up with the answer. The best part of working in an animal hospital like Kingsbrook is our people. When we have a difficult case, we all put our heads together to help come up with the answer. Of course, we don’t always find problems that can be fixed, and some people say they could never be a veterinarian because you have to euthanize animals. To me, helping families is this most vulnerable time is a privilege to share and we get to help ensure their loved one is not suffering. It’s often when I feel we are able to help the most.

I grew up on a farm in West Virginia in the same mountains where my family has gardened and raised cows, sheep, hogs and chickens since the mid-1700’s. The nearest veterinarian was over an hour away, so there was always some animal that had a medical need that wasn’t being met. Becoming a veterinarian allowed me to figure out what until that time I had always considered unsolvable “medical mysteries” and really made me feel like I can make a difference. Today Kingsbrook Animal Hospital not only helps people in the Frederick Community, but also people who drive from 1-2 hours away! Since we started with just a doctor and an assistant in 1999, we are really blessed to have so many people who trust us to care for their 4-legged family members.

Dr. Cook represented the first generation of his family to leave home and attend college. It was complete culture shock for him (!!), but he ended up doing well and making the best friends of his life. After graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, PA, he received his veterinary medical degree from The Ohio State University in 1993.

Dr. Cook worked as a veterinarian for many years in Northern Virginia before he and Dr. Davis opened Kingsbrook Animal Hospital in 1999. Dr. Cook is married to Dr. Cardella and they have one daughter. When not at work, they enjoy hiking along the C&O Canal or riding the family’s horses in the mountains of his native West Virginia. Genealogy, learning about his forefather’s involvement in the Civil War (some of his family fought for the North, while others fought for the South), traveling to national parks and discovering more about the Lewis & Clark Expedition, or any other type of history are his main interests.