Practice Owners

Paul Dlugopolski, DVM

Dr. Paul, as he most commonly is called, grew up in southeastern Wisconsin near Hartford. After graduating from UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine in 1990, Paul and his wife, Mary, moved to Athens to start his career and family. They have two sons named Brian and Evan.

Dr. Paul has enjoyed working with a wide variety of patients at Athens Vet Service over the years. 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, 3 new grandbabies, 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 "tween" children, Valerie and Lucas. Valerie is involved in competition dance and Lucas in karate. She loves spending time with family, running the kids to activities, exercising with her dogs, and enjoying 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 and two sons at barrel races across the Midwest for 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. She became partner in 2024.

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. She recently began coursework to become a Master Beekeeper and looks forward to growing that aspect of the practice. 

In her spare time, Dr. Carla enjoys her bees, cooking, reading, gardening, Packer football, and the great outdoors.  She has a son, Jacob, and they reside here in Athens with their dog, cat, and chickens.

Kyle Karlen, DVM

Dr. Kyle grew up on a small hobby farm near Owen, Wisconsin. He attended UW-River Falls and earned a Bachelors degree in Animal Science in 2017 before attending the UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine and graduating in May of 2020. While he was relatively new to the Phillips area at the time, he spent time with the staff of both the Athens and Phillips veterinary clinics for 2 years prior to starting at the Phillips Veterinary Clinic. He became partner in April of 2026. 

Dr. Kyle has a deep love for animals of all kinds and wants to do all he can to help them and their owners. He is especially passionate about working with farm clients and their animals, helping with topics ranging from general surgery and herd health to calf health, ventilation, and advanced dairy production techniques.

Outside of work, he spends a lot of time outdoors and enjoys sports, hunting, fishing, being out on the water, and helping on his family’s hobby farm. They have a large vegetable garden and raise beef cattle, miniature donkeys, chickens, and two farm dogs (Cash & Dan). He and his wife have a cat named Eggs Benedict and two rescue dogs--Margot and Theo--who you may see at the clinic from time to time.

Associates

Amber Likens, DVM

Dr. Amber came to central Wisconsin in 2014, after graduating vet school, to practice at a large animal clinic for 4 years. Her and her husband purchased their dairy farm in 2017 and have resided in Arpin, WI ever since. Dr. Amber graduated from undergrad at UW-Platteville in 2010 with a degree in Biology. She then began veterinary school at the University of Illinois and graduated in 2014. Her primary professional interests are small animal preventative care and internal medicine.

Dr. Amber and her husband, Mike, have two girls named Autumn and Addison. They enjoy working on their farm, spending time at home and going to movies together. When she gets time, she also really enjoys baking. Dr. Amber currently has 3 dogs; Ruby, Freddo, and Trip. Trip is short for Tripod Trip, because he is missing one of his back paws. She also has one house cat named Eli.

Rylei Clark, DVM

Dr. Rylei Clark grew up in rural mid-Missouri and earned a Bachelor of Science in Animal Sciences from the University of Missouri in 2021. She went on to complete her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Missouri, graduating in May 2025. She then moved up here and joined the Athens Veterinary Service in June of 2025 as an Associate Veterinarian. Her primary professional interest is equine medicine and surgery, but she also enjoys seeing small animals as well. In her free time she enjoys barrel racing and spending time with her pets, friends, and family. She has two dogs, three cats, and two horses.

"I love being a vet because I get to be an advocate for those without a voice. Animals are both family members and livelihoods; and caring for them also means supporting the people and communities that depend on them."