Jay Joyce, DVM, CERPV

Dr. Jay Joyce has been practicing equine medicine and dentistry locally since 2003. He spent his early boyhood years in rural Arizona, then moved to Southern California. He grew up alongside horses and has always enjoyed being around people who care for horses.

He attended the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis and served 9 years on active duty. His Navy years were spent on two warships in San Diego, and in Washington D.C. at the Office of Naval Intelligence. Although a difficult decision to leave the Navy, Dr. Joyce was born to be a horse vet.

To qualify for admission to vet school, he attended the University of Maryland for 2+ years. He was on the Dean’s List for the entire time at UMD. And although he was only 2 classes short of a second Bachelor’s degree in Microbiology, he left UMD after being accepted to 11 veterinary schools.

Dr. Joyce graduated with Honors from the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California, Davis (the #1 ranked vet school by US News and World Report). While in school, he received numerous awards and scholarships. In addition to horses, he enjoys wildlife medicine. He spent nearly 3 months in South Africa hanging out of a helicopter darting buffalo, lion, elephants, giraffe, zebra, and others for a comprehensive Tuberculosis study. He also spent a few months hunting and collecting rattlesnakes, surgically implanting tracking devices in them for a habitat study in Southern California. He was a surgery extern at the world renowned Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital and at Hagyard-Davidson-McGee Associates as an internal medicine extern, both in Lexington, KY.

Dr. Joyce moved to Northern Virginia where he interned in both surgery and internal medicine at the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center(EMC) in Leesburg before joining Blue Ridge Veterinary Associates (BRVA) in 2004.  He maintains a strong working relationship with the EMC staff as well as other local referral facilities. With the support of BRVA, he developed an existing strong equine practice into a leading-edge equine practice. Dr. Joyce has developed special interests in equine lameness and dentistry. He is dedicated to staying well-educated in advancements in equine medicine, techniques, and technology.

Underscoring his desire to stay on the cutting-edge, Dr. Jay attended as Presenter to the World Equine Veterinary Association (WEVA) Conference in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in September 2009.  It was with great personal pride that Dr. Joyce was chosen to represent the U.S. equine veterinary community internationally. Besides his international experience lecturing at the WEVA conference, Dr. Joyce has strong veterinary and business ties to Barbados, Brazil, France, and California.

In September 2010, Dr. Joyce spun-off the equine practice from BRVA to create Total Equine Veterinary Associates (TEVA). He holds a vision of superior horse care coupled with excellent customer service. TEVA was created for the horse owner who embraces the concept of “total care” and to bring together a team of professionals to attend to the various needs of their horse. The TEVA veterinarians enjoy working closely with the horse’s owner, trainer, and farrier to form a cohesive care team.

Determined to be a forerunner in lameness diagnosis and treatment skills, he has attended International Society of Equine Locomotor Pathology (ISELP) continuing education courses taught by the world’s greatest equine lameness instructors and clinicians. Dr. Joyce is directly learning from the people who drive equine veterinary medicine to its limits. He seeks certification in this professional endeavor.

Dr. Joyce finds great pleasure in educating clients as well local students. Never hurried and always pleased to explain, Dr. Joyce has taught local high school and college students. He has spent time with students from the Monroe Technology Center, NoVA Vet Tech School, and George Mason University, and recently with a new local veterinary technician program as an Adjunct Professor.

Underscoring his desire to inform horse owners, Dr. Joyce continues to update the TEVA website with new services and the latest treatment technologies available on your farm. He posts regularly on Facebook about equine health issues and area horse news and information. He is frequently published locally in Horse Times and Middleburg Life.

He enjoys spending all his free time with his wife Paula and the kids. You may see Dr. Joyce on the paintball field with his son or riding horses with his wife and daughter. He also served as assistant Scoutmaster with the Boy Scouts in Leesburg.