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IOWA VET: DOGS, CATS, CORN, & MURDER follows Dr. Alan Younkin, who grew up on an Iowa farm that has been in his family since 1863 and went on to become a veterinarian, husband, father, and eventually the unexpected center of a story filled with remarkable twists.
After graduating as valedictorian from the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Alan built a successful animal hospital with his wife, Dr. Sybil Younkin, and raised four children. But after Sybil’s death, his life took an entirely new direction. Alan moved to New York, met filmmaker Michael Schelp, and the two fell in love and married.
And that’s only part of the story.
Along the way, IOWA VET ventures into murder cases, questions of faith, the dramatic transformation of veterinary medicine, and even the claim by some believers that Zarahemla — the ancient city described in the Book of Mormon — was located on Alan’s family farm.
Funny, surprising, affectionate, and deeply personal, IOWA VET is ultimately about how much one life can change — and how much life can still surprise us.
The film had its world premiere at Cinema Village in New York City in June 2026.
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