While growing up, Dr. Ashley Kayson has always had pets and an interest in animals. She didn’t have a lot of exposure to veterinary medicine or what it all entailed outside of taking her cats for annual checkups.  Career day during her senior year of high school was the turning point that sparked her interest in the profession. After listening to a local veterinarian, she immediately knew it was what she wanted to do. Since that day, Dr Kayson pursued veterinary medicine whole-heartedly. “Becoming a veterinarian gave me an opportunity to advocate for and treat the animals I care so much about. I consider it an honor to be there for the animals that are always there for us.”

Dr. Kayson grew up in St. Charles and attended the University of Missouri for her undergraduate degree in Animal Science with a minor in Captive Wild Animal Management. During her undergraduate studies, she worked in the veterinary neurology and ophthalmology laboratory, caring for dogs with neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis. She has also worked with a bat conservation/rehabilitation group stationed in Columbia. Dr. Kayson received the Chancellor’s Award and Dean’s list from Fall 2015-2019 and the Kansas City Veterinary Medical Association Award. Dr. Kayson graduated from the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine in 2023.

Dr. Kayson is a member of the Kansas City Veterinary Medical Association, the Missouri Veterinary Medical Association, and the American Veterinary Medical Association. She enjoys internal medicine, emergency medicine, and dermatology.

In Dr. Kayson’s free time she loves being outdoors (hiking, backpacking, and canoeing) and has a goal set to visit every National Park in the US. She also enjoys reading and playing strategic board games with family and friends. Recently married, Dr. Kayson and her husband have three dogs, Charlotte, Leo, and Fen the Dachshunds, a cat named Jeffrey, and five chickens.