Dr. Judy Marteniuk earned her DVM from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in 1975 and then completed a rotating internship at the same institution. After a period of time in general practice, where she mostly worked on food animals and horses, she came to MSU for a large-animal residency and a master’s degree in nutrition. She stayed on to become a member of the faculty at MSU, initially in the Field Service program, working with all kinds of large animals. When Field Service was divided into two areas – food animal and equine – she ran the equine service. At the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine, she worked part of the time in the equine medicine area of the Veterinary Medical Center and the rest of the time with Extension.

She is very interested in epidemiology as it relates to herd health and herd management on a farm. As an example, she mentions a situation she investigated where many horses on a farm were suffering from diarrhea and colic. She discovered that the problem stemmed from farm workers mowing the pasture too short. She is also broadly interested in nutrition and foals.

In 2005, Marteniuk received the Spirit of Tucker Award, which recognizes individuals devoted to the veterinary profession who demonstrate a willingness to share and teach, an optimistic outlook on life, recurring benevolence, and a cooperative spirit.

Dr. Marteniuk grew up on a farm in Canada where her family raised beef cattle and had a few horses. Her home today is a veritable zoo. She has cats, dogs, horses, donkeys, sheep, goats, and inside house pets like fish, frogs, and birds.

When she’s not working, she likes to spend time with friends and with her animals. She enjoys breeding goats and sheep and trying to improve their lines. She also enjoys trail riding and would like to have more time to go kayaking and to do some other things like wool spinning, knitting, embroidering, and crocheting.

Dr. Marteniuk is married to Dr. Kent Refsal, and they have two sons.