Twin Sons Join Veterinarian Dad ; Nick and Jacob Mathias Work With Father at the Tipp City Veterinary Hospital and Wellness Center.

By Nancy Bowman Staff Writer

TIPP CITY — Dr. Jim Mathias is more than a teacher and mentor to the twin veterinarians who joined his practice this summer fresh out of Ohio State University.

He’s also their dad.

For Jim Mathias, it was a thrill to see Nick and Jacob choose veterinary medicine as a career. It was an even greater thrill when they decided to return to Tipp City to hone their skills at their dad’s Tipp City Veterinary Hospital and Wellness Center.

Nick and Jacob Mathias, 25, said learning under their dad is nothing new.

Jim Mathias and wife, Jennifer, home schooled their sons through the sixth grade. The twins later graduated from Tippecanoe High School before heading off to Ohio State for undergraduate studies, then veterinary school.

Early one morning last week, Dr. Jim — the office calls the doctors by their first names — was examining a dog having trouble walking as the sons looked on before tackling their list of clients for the day.

Dr. Jim said he didn’t push his sons toward the field he loves, nor toward his business.

“I am really excited about it,” he said of the new associates joining himself and Dr. Susan Dextradeur at the hospital and wellness clinic.

Jim Mathias has been a veterinarian since 1978. He’s been in Tipp City since the early 1980s, opening the hospital and wellness center in a new building along 25A about 11 years ago.

Dr. Nick is no stranger to the veterinary hospital. He started there about 10 years ago, working his way from the kennels to an assistant on the hospital side. A job shadow position at Miami Valley Hospital exposed him to physician battles with insurance companies, helping narrow his interest to the veterinary field.

Dr. Jacob worked at the hospital during college and, like his brother, observed human medicine before settling on the veterinary aspect. “Every vet I met had fun. I love animals. I love medicine,” he said.

The brothers said having their dad welcome them to the practice was not planned, but not surprising in their close family that includes five children.

“It became apparent this was the best place to come and learn. I couldn’t think of a better mentor to have,” Dr. Nick said.

The brothers said they work well together, in part because they don’t think alike.

“If I have a difficult time with a case, I go to him,” Dr. Jacob said of his brother. If they still need advice, they turn to their dad.

“They are great students. They are not afraid to voice their opinions,” Dr. Jim said. “We are learning a lot together, which is pretty cool.”

Contact this reporter at (937) 335-4357 or nbowman@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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