Welcome to the team, Dr. Maia Godfrey!

Cascade Hospital for Animals and Breton Village Animal Clinic are proud to welcome Dr. Maia Godfrey to our amazing team of veterinarians! Dr. Godfrey joins us directly from her hometown of Seminole, FL, where she “pretty much grew up” in the veterinary field, spending her days after school helping out at her dad’s veterinary clinic. “I started doing kennel work in my mid-teens, and then technician work after that before school.”

“Like a lot of kids,” she says, “I wanted to do what my dad did as I was growing up. There was a short period where I considered human medicine, but I’m a chicken around needles when it comes to people so I decided that wasn’t going to work!”

Trading sunshine for snow

Dr. Godfrey earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of South Florida and her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Florida. For the past nine years, she worked at her father’s clinic in Pinellas Park, FL. She and her wife decided to relocate to Michigan and she was drawn to Cascade Hospital for Animals for a number of reasons. “It has a long history in the community and strong commitment to maintaining the best quality of medicine possible and staying up to date on the latest recommendations and technology,” she says. “There’s a strong support system and a well-organized team here.” So far her family is happy to be in Michigan.

A passion for problem solving

Dr. Godfrey loves working with patients and clients alike. “I like being helpful to people, being able to advocate for pets who aren’t able to communicate, solving problems, and educating both clients and veterinary staff,” she says. Over the course of her career she’s also developed a particular interest in veterinary dentistry.

“I think dentistry is an underappreciated side of an animal's health,” says Dr. Godfrey. “A lot of people don't really have a good idea of what's going on inside their dog or cat's mouth. They're unlikely to be lifting up the lip and looking in there. Performing dentistry, doing cleanings, identifying problems via x-ray can have some of the clearest, most immediate impact. Removing teeth can solve such big problems so quickly, and I get so many people that are over the moon by how much better their animal seems to feel within a week of having bad teeth removed. And they don't realize how much that impacts their pet’s overall health and quality of life.”

Dr. Godfrey is also passionate about diagnostic imaging. “I love the technology of it, the problem solving aspect of it, the ability to get information you couldn't possibly get another way. And the fact that it's so much less invasive than exploratory surgery,” she says.

Outside of work, Dr. Godfrey keeps busy with her wife and five-year-old daughter. She loves to get lost in a good story, whether she’s reading it, watching it, or playing it! At home she has three cats, 15-year-old Kuno, 12-year-old Lux, and two-year-old Harrow; and two dogs, 12-year-old mixed breed Raina and four-year-old Pitbull/Boxer mix Tali.

Dr. Godfrey's four-legged friends!

Kuno, Lux, and Harrow	Tali	Raina