Dr. Lara de Courtivron

Dr. Lara de Courtivron, VMD was raised in Long Island, NY and Sarasota, FL. Her first name was inspired by the lead song in Dr. Zhivago, and her last name was inherited from her French family. She has an international background, with close family members living in France and in Costa Rica, whom she visits often. This explains why she learned to speak French and Spanish. Dr. Lara's grandfather was a diplomat in the U.S. State Department, which allowed her to travel to strange and exotic places as a child. When her grandparents retired in Sarasota, FL, she and her parents followed.

Dr. Lara graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the College of Wooster in Wooster, OH with a degree in History and French. She held several positions in business, but was reminded of her true passion when she adopted a stray Chihuahua mix named Dexter off the streets of Miami. When she turned 30, she moved to Boston, MA, where she took post-baccalaureate pre-medical courses at Tufts University and UMass Boston, while working as a veterinary technician at a small animal hospital. She then attended the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine in Philadelphia, PA.

Dr. Lara shares her home with her boyfriend, Alex, and their menagerie of adopted animals including Dexter, Gracie Jean, an exuberant pitbull mix and the first dog she ever spayed, Gotita, an impish pomchi and one of her former UPenn ER patients, and several cats, Jackson, Jinks, Julep and Chaton Latour, adopted off the streets of Miami, Boston and Philadelphia.

Dr. Lara adores animals and emergency medicine since it gives her the opportunity to intervene when it really matters. She is also very proud to be part of a practice where every member of the team is truly passionate about animal welfare, continued education, and to practicing top quality medicine.