Advanced Veterinary Surgery in Bozeman, MT

Dr. Josh Jackson is a board-certified, Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons. Having grown up on a ranch in Northern New Mexico, he developed an early love for all animals. His father’s influence as a General Surgeon for people led to an early interest in surgery. Dr. Jackson went to veterinary school at Colorado State University where he graduated a member of the Phi Zeta honor society. He went on to perform a rotating internship at the Veterinary Specialty Hospital of San Diego and a residency in surgery at the University of California, Davis. Dr. Jackson returned to San Diego and founded the surgery service at the Veterinary Specialty Hospital. Under his directorship, the service has grown to seven surgeons performing thousands of surgeries every year. As an active mentor to over 140 interns and residents, Dr. Jackson has helped many young surgeons achieve diplomate status. Dr. Jackson has broad clinical interests in surgery, ranging from total hip replacements to advanced soft tissue and reconstructive techniques. He has lectured nationally and internationally on cruciate ligament disease, total hip replacement and orthopedic implants and published numerous scientific articles on a variety of soft tissue and orthopedic topics. Dr. Jackson was founder of the Veterinary Specialty Hospital of Hong Kong, the first specialty referral-only hospital in Asia. He was also founder of FACE, a non-profit organization that has saved thousands of pets in the San Diego region from euthanasia for economic reasons.

Dr. Jackson is now happy to bring his years of experience to the pets and people of Montana. He is excited to bring 24-hr, specialty care to the region and looks forward to expanding the services currently available in the area. His free time is spent exploring the rivers, trails and slopes of Montana with his family and his two black labs, Panther and Madison.

Dr. Jason Wheeler was born and raised in Ft. Myers on Florida’s gulf coast. Dr. Wheeler returned to the University of Florida for a combined master’s degree and residency in small animal surgery. During his residency he won several awards for excellence in clinical research from the University of Florida, the American College of Veterinary Surgeons, and the Veterinary Orthopedic. He has been involved in multiple research studies and has authored or coauthored over 20 peer reviewed scientific publications. Dr. Wheeler has since worked at a large referral center in Denver and co-founded a multispecialty clinic in Virginia. Dr. Wheeler and his wife Marion have 3 wonderful daughters who all enjoy the sense of community and love of the outdoors found in Bozeman. 

Dr. Wheeler has a broad interest in veterinary surgery including wound management, cranial cruciate ligament instability, joint replacement, elbow dysplasia, fracture repair and oncologic surgery. In his free time, Dr. Wheeler and his wife Marion stay busy with their girls who enjoy camping, hiking and their dogs Waffles and Pickles. 

Dr. Deandra Owen is a native of Boston, Massachusetts and knew from an early age that she wanted to spend her life helping animals. While studying Animal Science at the University of Vermont, she fell in love with the mountains. Dr. Owen was accepted early to Tufts University where she received her veterinary degree in 2012. It was during this time that she was drawn to the field of surgery and was awarded the Faculty Award for Excellence in Small Animal Surgery. Dr. Owen remained in Boston to complete a small animal rotating internship at Angell Animal Medical Center, one of the busiest veterinary specialty hospitals in the world. She then traveled to Texas where she trained as a surgical intern under world-renowned veterinary surgeons at Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists. Dr. Owen returned to Angell for a surgical residency. During this time, she received the Mark S. Bloomberg Memorial Resident Research Award from the Veterinary Orthopedic Society for her publication on TPLO. Upon completing her residency, Dr. Owen moved to Phoenix, where she worked at a busy private specialty hospital and helped to develop an orthopedic surgery service. But the mountains were calling, and Dr. Owen knew the state-of-the-art facility at Bridger Veterinary Specialists with its highly skilled team members was where she wanted to be. 

Dr. Owen has lectured at the American College of Veterinary Surgeons Symposium and has been an instructor for courses on TPLO and fracture repair. Her professional interests include fracture repair, TPLO, hip dysplasia, and total hip replacement, as well as emergency and reconstructive soft tissue surgery. She has obtained certifications in Biomedtrix Total Hip Replacement, Interlocking Nail (I-Loc) fracture repair, and IMEX External Skeletal Fixation.  

In her spare time, Dr. Owen enjoys snowboarding, hiking, CrossFit, live music, and playing with her cats, Loki and Thor. She also holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. She is looking forward to getting another dog, and has a soft spot for Labrador Retrievers. Dr. Owen and her husband, Chris, are excited to become members of the Bozeman community! 

Dr. Hanlon was born and raised in Prosser, Washington, and attended Montana State University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Biology. He then attended Washington State University for veterinary school, where he discovered his passion for surgery.

He completed a rotating internship at The Ohio State University before matching into a combined master’s and surgery residency program at the University of Florida. Dr. Hanlon completed his residency in July 2026 and moved straight back to Bozeman with his wife, Callie, and their two dogs, Owen and Bitty.

A former fly fishing guide, Dr. Hanlon spends much of his free time fishing, but he also enjoys skiing and hunting. He is passionate about research, with much of his work focused on orthopedic trauma, as well as orthopedic and soft tissue implant development.