Veterinarian

Why You'll Love It Here

• Calm the Chaos - Our goal is to make our patients, our clients, and our entire team's day better by easing anxieties. From low-stress patient handling to offering compassionate discussions exploring a spectrum of care, we strive to calm the chaos and find peaceful approaches to whatever our schedule has for us each day.
• No Walk-Ins! - We do not allow walk-in appointments and instead reserve a few Urgent Care appointment spots on our schedule each day. True emergencies are referred to a nearby ER offering overnight care so we can focus on providing calm, compassionate primary care.
• Enjoy a Healthy Work-Life Balance - We understand that life outside of work matters. Whether you're seeking full-time, part-time, or relief work, we're committed to creating an individualized schedule that suits your needs. Our only non-negotiable is that you maintain our culture of taking a lunch break and leaving on time!
• Great staff-to-doctor ratio - Our doctors are greatly outnumbered by our support staff - including three certified veterinary technicians - so you will have the assistance you need to delegate and focus on doing doctor
• Collaborative Leadership - We believe participating as part of a helpful team is the most joyful way to practice medicine. From treatment plans to practice improvements, we foster a supportive environment where collaboration is valued.
• Happy Turtles, Not Snappy Turtles! - We end each morning with a brief 15-minute team huddle to check in with the entire staff so we can maintain open communication, foster mutual respect, and focus on shared goals to provide better care for pets, clients, and each other.
• Exotics... or not! - While we primarily provide care for dogs and cats, our current doctors also see some exotic small mammals and reptile patients, including work with wildlife turtles. We are happy to support you if you want to see exotic patients, and you are also welcome if you prefer to only work with dogs and cats.
• Mentorship & Growth Opportunities - We welcome DVMs of all experience levels. Whether you're looking to expand or fine-tune your skills, we offer ongoing education and mentorship to support your career goals.

Lakewood Animal Hospital has been an award-winning companion-animal primary-care veterinary practice in Morris, IL, since 1992. We maintain a warm, low-stress atmosphere to create better days for pets, pet owners, and our entire staff. Learn more about our hospital and the services we provide on our website:

About Our Doctors

Dr. Michael Miller is our millennial practice owner and full-time veterinarian. His career goal is to create a veterinary practice where people want to work by focusing on the magical moments of vet med and establishing achievable boundaries to allow for himself and the entire team to have a fulfilling life away from the hospital.

After writing articles for popular vet med blogs, he presented lectures on business and wellness topics at veterinary conferences. More recently, he has been a guest on several vet med podcasts. Dr. Miller enjoys visiting zoos in any city he travels to, attending Chicago Bears games, and indulging in any type of sugary treat.

Last spring, we adjusted our work schedule to allow him to take on a new role: coaching his two young sons' T-ball team.

Dr. Stephen Carter is our part-time doctor and full-time source of positivity and entertainment. Everyone loves working with Dr. Carter. He is known for his kind nature, deep experience, and great sense of humor. When he is not at work, Dr. Carter enjoys horror movies, rooting for the Pittsburgh Pirates, and visiting national parks - especially Yellowstone where he loves to fish.