Practice Owners

Paul Dlugopolski, DVM

Dr. Paul, as he most commonly is called, grew up in southeastern Wisconsin near Hartford. He attended UW- River Falls for four years and graduated with a bachelor's degree in biochemistry and animal science minor. Before starting veterinary school, Dr. Paul married his home town girl friend and neighbor Mary in the summer of 1985. Then after graduating from UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine in 1990, Paul and Mary moved to Athens to start his career and family. Paul and Mary have two sons named Brian and Evan, plus a wonderful rescue dog named Bizbee.

Dr. Paul has enjoyed working with a wide variety of patients at Athens Vet Service over the years. Most of his time is spent working with dairy cows. He enjoys dairy production medicine, promoting preventive care and consulting with clients to solve current farm management issues. In the past 10 years, he has found a passion for orthopedic issues and specialty surgeries with small animal patients.

 In his free time, Dr. Paul enjoys relaxing with his family and friends at their cabin near Rhinelander. Playing any sport is always fun, but golf and fishing are at the top of his list.

Taylor Marquardt, DVM

Dr. Taylor Marquardt attended the University of Tennessee, College of Veterinary Medicine. She graduated in 2009 and joined the Athens Veterinary Service in 2013 and enjoys working with small animals and clients in the clinic. Dr. Taylor became partner in January of 2017.

Dr. Taylor grew up in northeastern Florida where her family still resides.  Taylor and her husband, Brian, have two young children, Valerie and Lucas.  She and her husband love spending time with family and enjoy the outdoors, especially hiking and riding horses!

Tom Albrecht, BS, DVM, DACVPM

Dr. Tom grew up on a dairy farm near Seymour,WI. He has had a love of animals since he can remember, having had pets of all kinds. The goal from when he was in high school was to become a veterinarian. He attended UW-River Falls where he received a B. S. degree in Animal Science and then went on to the School of Veterinary Medicine in Madison, WI. When Dr. Tom graduated he started working right away for the clinic. Dr. Tom became a partner in the practice in 2006. Over the years he has done work with all of the different kinds of animals but now focuses mainly on the dairy service and some equine services. Dr. Tom is a member of the Diplomat to the American College of Veterinary Preventative Medicine(DACVPM), which is a specialty that encompasses disease control, public health, food safety, and regulatory medicine.

Outside the clinic Dr. Tom keeps busy with his children and is a veterinarian in the U.S. Army Reserves.

 Ben Tegen, DVM, CVSMT

Dr. Ben developed a love for animals growing up on his families' dairy farm in Kennan, Wisconsin.  His farm included horses which gives him an added understanding of the equine field.

Dr. Ben went to UW- River Falls where he received a B.S. degree in Bio Chemistry and a minor degree in Animal Science.  He then went on to the School of Veterinary Medicine in Madison and graduated in 2015 and has since graduated from the Healing Oasis Wellness Center in December of 2016; He is certified in Veterinary Spinal Manipulation Therapy. 

He was employed in Western Wisconsin for a year before joining the Athens Veterinary Service. He is practicing veterinary medicine at both our Athens and Phillip veterinary clinics.  Dr. Ben became partner in January of 2019.

Dr. Ben has other interests too which includes fishing, hunting and woodworking.

Ashley Clarke, DVM

Dr. Ashley is originally from the Medford area.  She grew up on a small hobby farm and was active in 4-H.  She spent 3 years at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, before she went to veterinary school in Missouri.  She spent 4 years studying veterinary medicine at the University of Missouri - College of Veterinary Medicine, where she graduated with her DVM in 2015.  She spent the next 2 years practicing in northern Indiana on Standardbred racehorses, draft harness horses, and small animals. In 2017 she returned home to be closer to her family and began working at Athens Veterinary Service. In 2019 she became a partner of the practice.

Dr. Ashley’s primary interest is in equine medicine, surgery, and lameness.  She also enjoys working on dogs and cats from internal medicine to preventative care.

In her spare time, Dr. Ashley’s passion is in performance horses, especially barrel horses.  She often spends her weekends with her husband at barrel races across the midwest competition.

Carla Prahl, DVM

Dr. Carla is originally from the Wausau area.  Her parents owned a dairy farm and began raising beef cattle when she was in 4-H and FFA.  In 1998, she earned a bachelor’s degree in animal science from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. She then went to work on large dairy farms for five years before deciding to further her education. Upon completing her DVM in 2008 from Oklahoma State University, she returned home and began her career at the Athens Veterinary Service.

Dr. Carla’s primary area of interest is large animal medicine and surgery focusing on dairy and small ruminants.  She enjoys helping dogs and cats in the small animal clinic with wellness and preventative care, especially dermatology.

In her spare time, Dr. Carla enjoys cooking, reading, gardening, Packer football, and the great outdoors.  She welcomed her son, Jacob, in January 2012.  They reside here in Athens and Jacob is planning on being a member of the Athens Bluejays football team.

Associates

Justine Rausch, DVM

Dr. Justine grew up in Marathon City, WI on her family’s dairy farm. She attended UW-River Falls for her undergraduate degree in Dairy Science with a Minor in Chemistry. She graduated from UW – Madison School of Veterinary Medicine in 2015 and practiced at a bovine-exclusive veterinary practice in central Wisconsin for 3 years. She joined Athens Veterinary Service in 2018.

Dr. Justine enjoys working with large animals and spends most of her time working with dairy and beef clients. She enjoys dairy medicine and surgery and especially likes to work with calves and troubleshoot herd management and health issues.

 In her free time, Dr. Justine enjoys working on her family’s dairy farm and cheering for the Green Bay Packers! She loves spending time with her husband Matt, their son Trey, and their dog Louie!