BluePearl Pet Hospital
Brandon, FL
Our Vets

Dr. Barbara Avalos Cavero is particularly interested in treating gastrointestinal (GI) diseases, endocrine disorders, toxicities and feline urinary tract diseases.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, BluePearl Pet Hospital, Virginia Beach VA
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
• Bachelor of Science, Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan

In her spare time, Dr. Avalos Cavero enjoys exercising at the gym, salsa dancing, painting and traveling. She loves to spoil her dog, Koko Puff.

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
• Bachelor of Science, Entrepreneurship, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC

Dr. Maxie Bowen is particularly interested in treating respiratory emergencies, mechanical ventilation, toxicities and polytrauma.

• Residency, Emergency & Critical Care, BluePearl Specialty + Emergency Pet Hospital, Tampa, FL
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, University of Georgia, Athens
• Bachelor of Arts, International Affairs, University of Georgia, Athens

Dr. Bowen has a mini farm with six chickens, two tortoises, one snake, three cats and four dogs. She enjoys working with rescue organizations and almost always has a foster pet in her home. In her free time, she likes being in nature, going to the beach and visiting her family.

Dr. Alyxandra Brady is part of our emergency medicine training program for clinicians. She finds critical care cases the most gratifying to treat.

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville
• Bachelor of Science, Marine Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa

Dr. Brady has a dog named Totem and a cat named Edgar.

A dedicated emergency clinician, Dr. Casey Braginton’s interests include urethral obstruction, diabetic ketoacidosis and toxicities. He has also worked with hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, VCA SouthPaws, Fairfax VA
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville
• Bachelor of Science, Animal and Poultry Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg VA

When not working, Dr. Braginton enjoys reading, visiting breweries and board games. He has two cats, Frodo and Dart, and a pit bull mix named Roo.

Dr. Kylee Bush is part of our emergency medicine training program for clinicians. She is most interested in soft tissue cases, specifically lacerations, foreign body, gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV), orthopedics, specifically fracture stabilization, and cardiology. Dr. Bush is certified in basic and advanced life support through the Recover initiative.

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan
• Master of Science, Animal Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville
• Bachelor of Science, Animal Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville

Dr. Bush enjoys running to help de-stress after a long day or catching up on the latest documentary series on Netflix with her couch potato dog, Murphy.

Dr. Emma Byers is part of our emergency medicine training program for clinicians. Her particular clinical interests include ophthalmic cases, Addison’s disease, diabetic ketoacidosis and toxicities.

• Clinical Rotation, Royal Veterinary College, London, England
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Ross University, St. Kitts & Nevis, West Indies
• Bachelor of Science, Organismal Biology, Christopher Newport University, Newport News VA

Dr. Byers loves travel, yoga, reading, paddle boarding and watching football. She has two cats, Alice and Minion, and a hound mix dog.

Dr. Coyle manages a large caseload of pets with cancer, with the goal of extending their lives while providing a good quality of life.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Oncology)
• Residency, Oncology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
• Internship, Oncology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Florida Veterinary Specialists, Tampa
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville
• Bachelor of Science, Auburn University, AL

Dr. Coyle loves her all-orange family: a golden retriever named Murphy and two cats, Aubie and Ellie. She loves college football and is an avid Auburn fan.

• Clinical Rotation, University of Florida, Gainesville
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, St. George’s University, Grenada, West Indies
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, Youngstown State University, OH

Dr. Dugger enjoys all aspects of emergency medicine.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca NY
• Masters of Science, University of New Hampshire, Durham
• Bachelor of Arts, Graceland University, Lamoni IA

Dr. Dugger’s hobbies include spending time with her pugs, sailing and photography.

Dr. Kristin Habegger has a background in working with wildlife and in zoological institutions and enjoys bringing her knowledge of exotic animal medicine into clinical practice. She finds triaging and managing trauma and metabolic derangement cases the most interesting to address.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, BluePearl Specialty + Emergency Pet Hospital, Tampa, FL
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Lincoln Memorial University, Harrogate, TN
• Bachelor of Science, Biological Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens

Dr. Kristin Habegger lives with her boyfriend and their two Australian shepherds, Khali and Arya. They all enjoy spending time outdoors together or staying in and watching movies.

Dr. David Hoch’s special interests include transfusion medicine; metabolic disorders like diabetic ketoacidosis, pancreatitis, disseminated intravascular coagulation and systemic inflammatory response syndrome DIC/SIRS; and surgery involving foreign bodies, splenectomies, gastric dilatation volvulus GDV, and C-sections.

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, Eckerd College, St Petersburg FL

Dr. Hoch and his family share their house with a variety of pets: dachshund Paxton, Chihuahua Lola, a Pacman frog, two pythons and three African cichlid fish tanks. An avid golfer, Dr. Hoch hopes to one day finish 18 holes using only one golf ball.

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, AL
• Bachelor of Science, Animal Sciences, Auburn University, AL

Dr. Jennifer Irizarry is a small animal medicine & surgery intern.

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Midwestern University, Glendale, WI
• Bachelor of Science, Integrative Animal Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa

Dr. Irizarry’s hobbies include fencing, watching 80s movies, checking out new restaurants and breweries, and longboarding. Her pets include a cat named Holly and a German shepherd mix named Orchid.

Dr. Megan Johnson’s particular clinical interests include feline medicine, urethral obstructions, renal failure, trauma and shock.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Red Bank Veterinary Hospital, Tinton Falls NJ
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, University of the Sciences, Philadelphia PA

A diehard sports fan, Dr. Johnson’s favorite teams are the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Mets. Favorite activities include biking, running and working out on her elliptical. She and her husband have three cats: grumpy Siamese mix Caleb and two naughty orange kitties, William Alexander and JT.

Dr. Tara Keaney is an emergency clinician. She is particularly interested in the role of ultrasound in an emergency setting.

• Clinical Rotation, Texas A&M University, College Station
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, St. George’s University, Grenada
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, Stony Brook University, NY

The proud mom of rescued pup Zahra, Dr. Keaney is a fitness advocate and enjoys travel and going to the beach.

Dr. Zachary Lembersky is a small animal medicine & surgery intern. His clinical interests include anesthesia, sedation and pain control.

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
• Bachelor of Science, Emory University, Atlanta, GA

Publications & Articles

Dr. Rachel Lucas is most interested in exotic and wildlife emergencies and gastrointestinal diseases.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, BluePearl Specialty + Emergency Pet Hospital, Tampa, FL
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville
• Bachelor of Science, Marine Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville

Dr. Lucas enjoys spending time with her husband and their foster-failure feline, Aslan, and serving their church and the Tampa Bay community.

Dr. Cassandra Mancari is part of our emergency medicine training program for clinicians. She finds helping animals in respiratory distress, treating feline urinary obstructions and repairing lacerations particularly gratifying.

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC

Dr. Mancari and her fiancé have two cats who they enjoy spoiling to no end. She enjoys being outside (hiking, walking and beach trips), working out (Pilates and Yoga) and lazy mornings playing video games with her cats.

An experienced clinician, Dr. Thao Nguyen finds emergency medicine especially gratifying. Her particular areas of interest are toxicology, wound care and treating trauma cases.

• Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Ireland
• Bachelor of Science, Zoology, University of Florida, Gainesville

In her free time, Dr. Nguyen enjoys traveling, exploring the outdoors and rock climbing. She has two dogs: Rua (her “Irish souvenir” from living in Dublin) and Archie (a mutt who is half-amazing and half-terrific).

Dr. Sidney Rouse is a small animal medicine & surgery intern. Dr. Rouse particularly enjoys emergency cases that allow her to provide immediate support and relief to animals in need and critical anesthetic cases. She is passionate about helping patients who can benefit from a nutrition standpoint in health, wellness, and specific disease management through diet.

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus
• Bachelor of Science, Health Science, University of Florida, Gainesville

Dr. Rouse enjoys exploring local breweries, cheering for the Gators and Buckeyes in sports, cooking and grilling, scuba diving and water activities, and most importantly, spending time with her little family, including her husband and their two cats: Uno and Dusty.

Dr. Nicole Tomasso’s special interests include foreign body removal as well as treating diabetic ketoacidosis (especially in cats), soft tissue injuries and fractures.

• Clinical Rotation, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Ross University, St. Kitts & Nevis, West Indies
• Bachelor of Science, Animal Science, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ

Dr. Tomasso enjoys walking outside on trails, playing tennis, eating sushi and visiting her family for Sunday dinners. She has two cats: one named Manny, who was adopted in St. Kitts during her time at veterinary school, and one named Dominik, who was adopted in Indiana during her clinical rotation.

Dr. Jessica Weeks’ special interests include trauma, sepsis, blood transfusions and mechanical ventilation.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care
• Residency, Emergency & Critical Care, BluePearl Specialty & Emergency Pet Hospitals, Tampa FL
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Valley Animal Hospital, Tucson AZ
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville
• Bachelor of Science, Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California, Davis

Dr. Weeks enjoys time with her husband, ornery cats and her one-eyed dog.

Dr. Robert Weeren has been a surgeon in a specialty hospital setting for over 20 years and was the chief of surgery for the majority of that time. He is skilled in all aspects of the field to include orthopedic, thoracic, soft tissue and reconstructive surgery.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Surgeons
• Master of Science, Veterinary Clinical Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus
• Residency, Small Animal Surgery, The Ohio State University, Columbus
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Friendship Hospital for Animals, Washington D.C.
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables FL

Married with two daughters, Dr. Weeren loves traveling with his family. He’s also an avid SCUBA diver and instructor and a saltwater fishing fanatic. The family has three French bulldogs, Dexter, Fiona and Bridgette, and a cat named Sophia.