Great Lakes Equine is an exclusively equine veterinary clinic providing routine and emergency care for approximately 2,000 horses. An 11,000 square foot clinic and hospital with surgical suite provides an exceptional atmosphere for more advance procedures and overnight medical cases. We are a progressive practice offering dentistry, sport horse medicine, lameness and performance evaluations, high-quality internal medicine, reproductive services, wellness care, and alternative medicine.
At Great Lakes Equine, our staff is dedicated to providing excellent customer service and compassionate equine care. They love what they do. They step in when and where they are needed. We are proud of who they are and the excellence they stand for.
Rob Blohowiak DVM, CVSMT is the owner of Great Lakes Equine. His special interests include veterinary chiropractic and acupuncture, performance enhancement, prepurchase examinations and wellness care. Dr. Rob raises and trains barrel racing horses and competes nationally. He and his wife, Mary, have three sons – Noah, Jonah and Fin. Dr. Rob enjoys hanging out with Mary, traveling across the country to see Noah as a performer, working with his “best tech” Jonah and going to Fin’s dance competitions. He has 3 dogs, but really loves his dog, Greta–who is by far his favorite. He has several horses and 2 barn kitties, GiGi and Schmittens. Dr. Rob looks forward providing the best in compassionate equine care for Northeastern Wisconsin.
Dr. Adam Leininger is a 2007 graduate of The Ohio State College of Veterinary medicine. Following graduation, Dr. Adam completed a one year surgical internship at the Hagyard Equine Medical Institute in Lexington, KY before returning to Ohio to work in a predominately race track and sport horse practice. Throughout his career, Dr. Adam has gained valuable experience in lameness evaluation, performance enhancement of the Equine athlete, limb evaluation in foals, as well as equine podiatry. Dr. Adam joined Great Lakes Equine in 2012 and continues to enjoy working with the talented doctors and staff. When not working, he enjoys spending time with his wife Erin and two wonderful boys, Reed and Avry, as well as his two dogs and three horses.
Dr. Liz Duerr is a graduate of the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. Following graduation, she spent two years honing her lameness skills at B.W. Furlong and Associates in New Jersey and Florida, where she worked with several of the country’s most prolific sports medicine practitioners. Dr. Liz is also certified in veterinary spinal manipulation therapy (“veterinary chiropractic”). Her professional interests include lameness and poor performance issues, injury rehabilitation, and holistic medicine. In her free time Dr. Liz enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter, as well as riding her gelding, Stanley, on the local hunter/jumper circuit. A native of the Chicago suburbs, she is also an avid Chicago sports fan – especially the Blackhawks!
Dr. Abby Pendergast is a Wisconsin native that grew up in Kimberly, Wi. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin Madison School of Veterinary Medicine in May 2021. She enjoys all aspects of equine veterinary medicine, but really enjoys dentistry, wellness and surgery. Dr. Abby grew up trail riding in the north woods. When she has the opportunity, you can usually find her on a horse. She also loves to garden, sew, crochet and be active. Dr. Abby has two adorable cats, Mini and Milo.
Dr. Andrea Bell grew up in Southwest Wi, and she graduated from the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine in May of 2022. Her professional interests include ophthalmology, neonatal care, and wellness. Outside of work, she enjoys camping, hiking, and reading. She also enjoys spending time with her husband-Tyson, her two dogs- Bailey and Moose, and her cat-Henry. Dr Andrea looks forward to working with all of the staff, getting to know all of the clients, and beginning her career at Great Lakes!
Heather Thorn is our Practice Manager; she has been with Great Lakes Equine since 2006. Heather graduated from UW River Falls with Bachelor of Science degrees in Animal Science (equine emphasis) and Broad Area Agriculture, she also has her Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree in Psychology (business emphasis) from UW River Falls. When Heather is not at work, she enjoys working on projects around their property in Iola, traveling the countryside and trout fishing with her husband Rob. Heather and Rob have a house cat named Printz.
Beth joins the GLE team as Administrative Assistant in June of 2017. She is a graduate of Concordia University with a Management and Communications Degree. With a passion for customer service, Beth looks forward to meeting clients and working close with the GLE doctors and team. Beth has been involved with horses for over 42 years and is actively involved with a local dog rescue. When Beth is not at work or busy with the rescue, she enjoys tending to her furry children at home: 2 sassy minis, Millie (better known as Princess Buttercup) and Rue, 1 barn cat, 2 dogs, and 1 house cat.
Mona joined GLEWC in September of 2019 after moving from California back to her home state of Wisconsin. You may find her at the front reception desk or assisting the doctors with their equine patients. She has been a lifelong horse enthusiast and owner; always making an effort to be involved with horses in her personal life and now, her career. She states that her motto has always been “I enjoy helping people through their pets”. Previously, her working career had centered on dogs (her other passion), owning and managing her own dog training school and working at Service Dog Organizations in Minnesota and California. For close to 20 years, Mona worked as a trainer of service dogs, working with their human partners with various disabilities including diabetes, seizures, mobility issues, hearing loss and children with autism. She still enjoys helping to work with service dogs/clients in her spare time. Mona also enjoys spending time with her family, including her fuzzy family: her bunny, “Sadie”, her Collie, “Quest”, and her Quarter Horse Paint, “Kitty”.
Big Guy “BG” Blohowiak joined the Great Lakes team in August, 2018 as the resident “CHO”, or Chief Happiness Officer. Originally from Greenville, WI, he graduated from the prestigious Ebert Farm Academy before joining our team. While there he perfected his skills in mediocre hunting, attacking fellow felines, and using humans as a pillow. He now resides at the Hortonville hospital full time and specializes in greeting clients and doing Feline Friday photoshoots full time. When not working he enjoys eating, napping, then eating again.
Dr. Haley Stietz’s roots stem from Milford, Delaware. She attained her Veterinary Degree at St. George’s University in Grenada, West Indies. She completed her fourth year clinicals at Texas A&M University where she graduated in 2022. She completed her internship at the Waller Equine Hospital in Texas. Dr. Haley’s medical interests include emergency medicine, particularly colic’s. You will likely not find Dr. Haley outside during a storm, as she is deathly afraid of lightning. She was struck by lightning in 2013 where she had 4 cardiac arrests, 3 days in a coma, and bit through her lip. She had to relearn how to walk and talk. She has fully recovered. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, completing puzzles, spending time outdoors with her husband, and relaxing with her 3 cats (Rory, Morpheus, and Diamond). Dr. Haley and her husband have two horses – a palomino mustang gelding (Haymitch) and a grey grade mare (Daisy). Dr. Haley is very excited to continue her veterinary career with Great Lakes Equine
