Dr. Raasch grew up in the Milwaukee area and having spent many summers on a relative’s farm developed an interest in animal agriculture. As a result, he studied and completed a degree in Dairy Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This background, lead to studying Veterinary Medicine and receiving a degree from the University of Minnesota’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

Prior to coming to McFarland he had practiced in Cresco, Iowa; Joliet, Illinois and LaCrosse, Wisconsin. In 1988 he purchased McFarland Animal Hospital from a classmate who had started the practice eight years earlier. More recently, Dr. Raasch has developed an interest in the relationships between animal and human health. In pursuit of this interest he studied and received a Master in Public Health degree from the University of Wisconsin’s School of Medicine and Public Health. As part of the public health program he completed an internship at the Milwaukee Health Department and made a trip to Africa to study public health in Uganda.

Dr. Raasch is married to Debbie who works as a nurse practitioner for UW Health. They have three adult children and one grandchild. Their household includes four dogs; all rescued from various circumstances through his work at MAH. Dr. Raasch is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Association, the Minnesota Veterinary Medical Association and the American Animal Hospital Association.

Dr. Lisa Yackel has been a veterinarian at McFarland Animal Hospital since 2009. She is a Wisconsin native, raised in the east central part of the state. In 1989 she received her undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin Madison with a double major in Zoology and Business Management with a specialization in health care administration. After working on the UW campus for several years doing research at the UW Hospital department Oncology and later at the UW department of Wildlife Ecology, she returned to school and earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1996.

While in veterinary school Dr. Yackel spent several summers studying aquatic veterinary medicine at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA. She eventually decided to remain in Wisconsin and dedicate her career to small animals. After graduation she practiced small animal medicine in the Fox River Valley for 9 years before relocating back to Madison in 2006.

She lives in the city of Madison with her husband, Jonathan, a software developer for Epic Systems, and four children, Nathaniel (currently in college), Sophia, Oliver and Henry. They share their busy home with two dachshunds (Teddy and Stella), four cats (Howard, Edgar, George and Anya), a fat tailed gecko (Sheila), fire bellied toads and multiple fish tanks. In her infrequent free time she enjoys spending time gardening, traveling and watching great movies.