BluePearl Pet Hospital Durham, NC Our Vets

Dedicated to compassionate, collaborative care, Dr. Makenna Cash finds managing patients in shock along with internal medicine cases especially rewarding.

• Internship, Small Animal Internal Medicine, Akron Veterinary Internal Medicine/Oncology Practice, OH
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital, Akron OH
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, University of North Carolina,

Away from the hospital, Dr. Cash enjoys spending time outdoors with her family. She likes rock climbing, mountain biking and taking her dogs on long hikes.

Dr. Kelly Catanzaro is interested in treating feline upper respiratory diseases as there are a myriad of potential treatments and she finds it gratifying to identify which ones work best for each patient. Her interests also include Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases as well as infectious diseases, which were the subject of her PhD research.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, MedVet Akron, OH
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg
• Doctor of Philosophy, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, Animal Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park

Dr. Catanzaro and her husband have many pets, but her oldest (and most special) is her tortoiseshell cat named Hampster who she’s had since college. In her free time, Dr. Catanzaro enjoys hiking, being outdoors and renovating every room in her house.

Dr. Amanda Crouthamel serves as a mentor for hospital interns, drawing inspiration from the amazing mentorship she received during her own internship experience. As an emergency clinician, she is particularly interested in determining the best cosmetic approach to repairing lacerations and treating feline urinary obstructions.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, VCA Aurora Hospital, IL
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, AL
• Bachelor of Science, Animal Science, Berry College, Mount Berry GA

Dr. Crouthamel lives with her fiancé and daughter, as well has her Rottweiler and two cats. She enjoys spending time outdoors, traveling and cooking new recipes.

Dr. Nick de Silvia’s professional interests include emergent endocrine diseases, autoimmune disorders and acute toxicities.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Veterinary Specialty Hospital of the Carolinas, Cary NC
• Clinical Rotation, Auburn University, AL
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, St. George’s University, Grenada
• Bachelor of Science, Queen’s College, Barbados

Dr. de Silvia lives with his wife, who is also a veterinarian, their two children, rescue mutt and two cats. Outside of work, he likes making homemade pasta and bread, exploring new places and playing pickleball.

Dr. Bennett Deddens is particularly interested in ultrasound with emphasis on vascular anomalies and acute abdomen cases. He is trained in both large and small animal medicine.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Radiology
• Residency, Radiology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
• Internship, Equine Medicine & Surgery, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
• Clinical Rotation, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Ross University, St. Kitts, West Indies
• Bachelor of Science, Biological Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg

In his free time, Dr. Deddens enjoys listening to music and participating in outdoor activities like running, camping, mountain climbing and snowboarding. He likes spending time with his wife, who is also a veterinarian, and his daughter. His three cats were all rescued from shelters after Hurricane Florence in 2018.

As an experienced emergency clinician, Dr. Isel Del Valle is particularly interested in Eastern medicine, acupuncture, stabilization of septic patients, sports medicine, and rehabilitation.

• Certified in Veterinary Acupuncture, Chi Institute, Reddick FL
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Regional Veterinary Referral Center, Springfield VA
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
• Bachelor of Science, Biological Anthropology, Duke University, Durham NC
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, Duke University, Durham NC

Dr. Del Valle is passionate about travel, gourmet cooking, dressage, gardening, family time, and Duke University sports. She has a horse, a dog and a cat.

Dr. Ryan Dulaney is a dedicated clinician, and his medical interests include non-invasive endoscopy to facilitate diagnosis of diseases within the urinary, gastrointestinal, and respiratory tract.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Small Animal Internal Medicine)
• Residency, Small Animal Internal Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg
• Bachelor of Science, Animal and Poultry Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg

Dr. Dulaney enjoys outdoor water and hiking activities, college football (Go Hokies!), traveling to new places and CrossFit. He is an avid fan of Rottweilers, having grown up with them.

Dr. Tara Enzweiler appreciates the wide variety of cases, challenges, and fast pace of emergency medicine.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Veterinary Specialty Hospital of the Carolinas, Cary NC
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
• Bachelor of Science, Science-Business, University of Notre Dame, IN

Dr. Enzweiler is an avid fan of Notre Dame Athletics. She enjoys spending time visiting North Carolina’s beautiful beaches, staying active, playing sports, and experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen.

A dedicated clinician, Dr. Frances Hinkle’s professional interests include musculoskeletal imaging, ultrasound and computed tomography (CT).

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Radiology-Equine Diagnostic Imaging
• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Radiology
• Residency, Radiology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Veterinary Specialists and Emergency Services, Rochester, NY
• Internship, Equine Medicine & Surgery, Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital, Lexington KY
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station
• Bachelor of Science, Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M, College Station

When not at work, Dr. Hinkle enjoys hiking, exploring, cooking and spending time with her husband and dogs.

Dr. Zachary Kasson is a small animal medicine & surgery intern. He finds wound therapy and surgery the most gratifying to perform.

• Clinical Rotation, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Ross University, St. Kitts & Nevis, West Indies
• Bachelor of Science, Integrative Biology, Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi

Dr. Kasson enjoys exploring new places and spending time with his wife and dog.

Dr. Stephanie Knapp is passionate about making a positive impact in the lives of her patients and clients. She enjoys collaborating with her colleagues to find new and improved methods of figuring out the “puzzles” associated with each case. She promotes a low-stress experience for her patients by using hands-free radiology techniques to obtain diagnostic images when possible.

Prior to becoming a veterinary radiologist, Dr. Knapp worked as an emergency clinician and she still as an “ER spirit.” She likes using imaging to diagnose emergency conditions like foreign bodies and abscess. She finds cancer imaging particularly gratifying.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Radiology
• Residency, Radiology, University of Missouri, Columbia
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, VCA Sacramento Veterinary Referral Center, CA
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, Truman State University, Kirksville MO
• Bachelor of Arts, Biology, Truman State University, Kirksville MO

Dr. Knapp and her husband enjoy outdoor activities and travel to beautiful places. She and her dog as interested in “canicross,” a sport involving cross-country running with dogs, on the local trails.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Veterinary Specialty Hospital of the Carolinas, Raleigh-Durham, NC
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman
• Bachelor of Science, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Mathematics, University of Colorado, Boulder

A highly experienced clinician, Dr. Sarah Leigh is passionate about integrated, collaborative medicine. She thrives in the fast-paced ER environment and enjoys treating and managing complex cases.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Florida Veterinary Specialists, Tampa
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, West Lafayette IN

A fan of outdoor sports, running and sports training, Dr. Leigh enjoys spending time with her husband, three children, dogs Stan and Shy and cat Joseph.

An experienced clinician, Dr. Maureen Levesque is especially interested in imaging the musculoskeletal system. She also finds participating in emergency cases to be extremely gratifying.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Radiology
• Residency, Radiology, Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Grafton MA
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Alamo Pintado Equine Medical Center, Los Olivos CA
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champagne

When not working, Dr. Levesque enjoys reading, hiking, and spending time with her young son. She shares her home with two scruffy dogs and two kitties.

Dr. Cecelia Lounsberry is a small animal medicine & surgery intern. She is most interested in oncology, emergency and critical care.

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
• Bachelor of Science, Delaware Valley University, Doylestown, PA

Dr. Lounsberry enjoys working out and spending time with her family, her dog, Millie, and cat, Smudge.

Dr. Kristen Malinak has a background in public health and spent two years working in Asia. She loves emergency medicine and enjoys stabilizing a sick patient and watching how their case unfolds over time, ideally with them going home to a happy family at the end.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Friendship Hospital for Animals, Washington DC
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, Stanford University, Palo Alto CA

Away from the hospital, Dr. Malinak loves to travel and explore new cultures through food. She also rides horses in the English sport of Eventing and enjoys hiking and spending time with her boyfriend.

An experienced clinician, Dr. Amy Melendy’s passion is integrative medicine. She is also interested in acupuncture and chiropractic procedures.

• Certified Canine Rehabilitation Therapist
• Certified in Veterinary Acupuncture
• Certified Animal Chiropractor, Options for Animals College of Chiropractic, Wellsville, KS
• Master of Public Health, Infectious Disease Epidemiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, West Los Angeles Animal Hospital, CA
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
• Bachelor of Science, Ecology, Ethology and Evolution, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Dr. Melendy is a runner and eventer (horses) and stays busy as the Regional Supervisor for North and South Carolina’s United State Pony Clubs. She spends any remaining free time with her small herd of thoroughbreds and sassy ponies, pack of rowdy dogs, handful of daughters and one very patient husband.

A highly experienced clinician, Dr. Kimberly Piner particularly enjoys treating cases of toxicity, urethral obstruction and parvovirus.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Dove Lewis Emergency Animal Hospital, Portland OR
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus
• Bachelor of Science, Animal Science, The Ohio State University, Columbus

When not at work, Dr. Piner enjoys running obstacle races and spending time with her husband and two children. She has three cats, one three-legged calico, one bobtail and one polydactyl.

As an emergency clinician, Dr. Kelsey Routh communicates effectively with clients and uses essential problem-solving skills to diagnose and treat her patients. She finds cases involving shock stabilization, blood transfusions and internal medicine particularly gratifying.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Veterinary Specialty Hospital of the Carolinas, Cary NC
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg

Outside of work, Dr. Routh enjoys hiking, discovering new restaurants and spending time with her husband and German shorthaired pointer, Laney.

Dr. Susan Shapiro is passionate about delivering personalized medicine and comforting end-of-life care; her favorite part of being a vet is getting to know pets and their families and helping them through difficult times.

Dr. Shapiro’s special interests include urothelial carcinoma in dogs, cancer genetics, cytology and molecular aspects of cancer, particularly how environmental exposures may relate to disease.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Oncology)
• Residency, Medical Oncology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Colorado State University, Fort Collins
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
• Doctor of Philosophy, Comparative Biomedical Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville

Dr. Shapiro lives with her husband, son and their dog, a sheltie named Gibita, who happens to be a cancer patient herself. In her free time, Dr. Shapiro enjoys singing, biking, running, international travel, good food and drinks.

Dr. Cate Wadman is a small animal medicine & surgery intern. She is most interested in internal medicine, especially working up endocrine disorders.

• Clinical Rotation, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, St. George’s University, Grenada, West Indies
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, Union College Schenectady, NY

Dr. Wadman enjoys trying new restaurants, exploring the outdoors and spending time with her younger brother and her Grenadian pothound.

Dr. Ashlan Westbrook is most interested in emergency and critical care cases, and she has previously worked in Ethiopia, researching epizootic lymphangitis in working equids.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, BluePearl Specialty + Emergency Pet Hospital, Raleigh-Durham, NC
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC

Dr. Westbrook enjoys being outdoors with her golden retriever, Palmer, finding new music and bands, traveling, snowboarding and surfing.

Dr. Allie Wetzel is part of our emergency medicine training program for clinicians. She is particularly interested in toxicologic emergencies and developing effective pain management protocols.

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
• Master of Science, Forensic Toxicology, University of Florida, Gainesville
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville
• Associate of Science, Biology, Santa Fe College, Gainesville, FL

Dr. Wetzel enjoys living on her mini farm with her wife, two miniature horses, chickens, dogs and cats. In her free time, she does CrossFit competitions and gardening.

As an emergency clinician, Dr. Candace Wimbish is particularly interested in trauma medicine, pain management and feline medicine.

• Internship, Veterinary Clinical Medicine & Public Health, US Army, Fort Hood TX
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater
• Bachelor of Arts, Biology, University of Texas, Arlington

Dr. Wimbish is married, and she and her spouse enjoy camping, hiking and birdwatching. She has many pets, including a Siberian husky, three cats, a sugar glider, chickens and bees.

Dr. Rachel Wong is a small animal medicine & surgery intern. She is most interested in oncology and internal medicine.

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, St. Paul
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, San Diego State University, CA

Dr. Wong enjoys spending time with my two Maine coons, Meyer and Goji, and cockapoo, Huckleberry.