Dr. Swainson was born and raised in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and completed pre-veterinary studies at the University of Wyoming. After receiving his DVM degree from Colorado State University in 1994, Dr. Swainson completed a one-year general internship in Los Angeles, California, followed by a one-year surgical internship in Winter Park, Florida. Dr. Swainson then completed a 3-year residency in small animal surgery at Iowa State University. Following his residency, Dr. Swainson was a clinical instructor at the University of Wisconsin.
Dr. Swainson became board-certified as a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2000.
Dr. Swainson then entered private practice and has worked in Boston, MA, Loveland, CO, and Albuquerque, NM. He joined Colorado Canine Orthopedics in the summer of 2008 and has settled himself and his family here in Colorado Springs, CO.