Dr. Katherine Klein is a small animal medicine & surgery intern. She is most interested in wildlife conservation and research and has already published two manuscripts on eastern box turtles.
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL
Bachelor of Science, Animal Science, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Dr. Klein enjoys baking and being outside with her family and two terrier mixes, Bernie Lou and Oliver.
Dr. Tyler Klose feels that what he has to offer most is his ability to listen to clients’ concerns and observations, to create a cohesive team around the needs of his patients and to apply empathy to his interactions with the clients as they work to understand their pets' health and the choices and options available to them. He is skilled at ultrasound guided parathyroid gland ethanol ablations, which is a minimally invasive alternative to surgery.
Dr. Klose finds endoscopy, advanced imaging and interventional techniques, such as parathyroid ablation and endoscopic polypectomy, the most gratifying to perform.
Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Small Animal Internal Medicine)
Residency, Small Animal Internal Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens
Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Colorado State University, Fort Collins
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis
Dr. Klose enjoys running, cycling, snowboarding, hiking, swimming at the lake, working in the yard, reading fantasy books and playing with his kids and dog, Celery.
Dr. Kayla Krager is a resident in our emergency and critical care service. She is especially interested in trauma and wound management.
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia
Bachelor of Science, Biology, University of Wisconsin, Platteville
Dr. Krager has two black cats and a husky mix all named after Disney characters. When not working, she enjoys hiking with her dog, going to the theater and traveling.
Dr. Molly Lien’s background includes general practice, emergency medicine and wildlife conservation medicine. Due to these varied experiences, she is knowledgeable regarding many exotic species and is a resource for other emergency doctors for treating non-traditional pets. She serves as the consulting veterinarian for a local wildlife rehabilitation center and enjoys being able to continue working with both domestic pets and local wildlife species.
Dr. Lien finds trauma and wound repair that require surgical intervention the most gratifying to treat.
Internship, Wildlife and Conservation Medicine, Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife, Sanibel, FL
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, Lansing
Bachelor of Science, Biology, Hope College, Holland, MI
In her free time, Dr. Lien enjoys being outdoors, hiking and appreciating the state and county parks in the area, with her family and yellow Lab. She also paddleboards, kayaks and wakeboards in the summer and snowboards in the winter.
Andrew Linklater
DVM, DACVECC
Critical Care
Andrew Linklater
DVM, DACVECC
BluePearl Veterinarian
Board Certified in Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care
Dr. Andrew Linklater has been practicing emergency & critical care for over 18 years. Beyond clinical work of diagnosing and treating critically ill and injured patients on a daily basis, he is most proud of having been involved in mentoring over 25 ACVECC residents and 60 interns. He was the primary editor for two veterinary textbooks, has contributed to dozens of book chapters and publications in peer-reviewed journals and has performed hundreds of hours of continuing education at local, national and international level veterinary conferences.
Dr. Linklater has a passion for treating patients with trauma, coagulation disorders, toxicities and respiratory emergencies. He has become proficient in placing and managing patients with intraluminal tracheal stents.
Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care
Residency, Emergency & Critical Care, Animal Emergency Center, Milwaukee, WI
Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Animal Specialty Group, Los Angeles, CA
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK
Bachelor of Science, Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK
Dr. Linklater enjoys curling, camping, hiking, skiing, reading and running. He has participated in three full marathons and more than a dozen half marathons. He has a wife, two dogs and a cat.
Dr. Kristin Luginbill has been practicing rehabilitation for over nine years. She has treated dogs, cats, birds, goats and even a snow leopard. She implements physical modalities, acupuncture, manual therapy techniques and therapeutic exercise to make her patients more active, more comfortable, stronger and better performers. She has integrated regenerative medicine into her service as well, adding stem cell therapy and platelet-rich plasma treatments to improve the outcomes of her patients.
Dr. Luginbill especially enjoys helping neurologic patients improve function and geriatric dogs become more active and comfortable in their golden years.
Certified Veterinary Medical Acupuncturist, Colorado State University, Fort Collins
Certified Canine Rehabilitation Therapist, Canine Rehabilitation Institute, Wellington, FL
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison
In her free time, Dr. Luginbill spends time with her family hiking, kayaking and biking. She has a rat terrier, Sheldon, and two cats, Panther and Maisy.
Victoria Miller
DVM, DACVECC
Critical Care
Victoria Miller
DVM, DACVECC
BluePearl Veterinarian
Board Certified in Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care
Dr. Nicole Mueller has practiced veterinary medicine in a wide variety of settings: zoos, national forests, Indian reservations, veterinary hospitals, wildlife centers and more. In addition to her canine and feline patients, she is especially passionate about avian and reptile medicine and surgery, client education and captive wildlife and rehabilitation cases.
Internship, Wildlife and Conservation Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, MA
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Bachelor of Science, Zoology and Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Dr. Mueller and her family – her husband, son, daughter and their dog, Vera, a one-eyed golden retriever – spend most of their time outdoors, regardless of weather conditions. They love hiking, canoeing, swimming, biking, bird watching and gardening (particularly harvesting whatever Vera doesn’t eat from the garden first).
Dr. Courtney O'Connor is an intern in our critical care service. She is most interested in emergency surgery, especially gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV) derotation and splenectomy, post-operative medicine and monitoring of her patients.
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater
Bachelor of Science, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater
Dr. O’Connor enjoys traveling with her family and has been to 24 countries. She has a 3-year-old Labrador mix.
Dr. Bridget O’Neil is a resident in our emergency and critical care service. She is particularly interested in treating pancreatitis and hypo/hyperthermia, ICU efficiency and assisting with continuing education in veterinary medicine.
Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Mission Veterinary Emergency & Specialty, KS
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan
Dr. O’Neil enjoys hiking with her dog, going to the movies and relaxing with friends.
Dr. Claire Puzio is a resident in our emergency and critical care service with a special interest in emergency surgical procedures and polytrauma cases.
Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Michigan State University, East Lansing
Clinical Rotation, Michigan State University, East Lansing
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Ross University, St. Kitts & Nevis, West Indies
Bachelor of Science, Biology, University of Houston-Clear Lake, TX
Dr. Puzio is a certified SCUBA diver, cyclist and has two cats named Mercutio and Tybalt, as well as a Belgian draft horse named Jimmy.
Dr. Rachel Reiman is interested in all aspects of veterinary oncology and is passionate about educating her clients on their pets’ conditions and treatment options.
Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Oncology)
Residency, Medical Oncology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge
Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Garden State Veterinary Specialists, Tinton Falls, NJ
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan
In her spare time, Dr. Reiman enjoys homebrewing, camping and baking.
Elke Rudloff
DVM, DACVECC, CVMA
Critical Care
Elke Rudloff
DVM, DACVECC, CVMA
BluePearl Veterinarian
Board Certified in Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care
Dr. Elke Rudloff has been practicing veterinary medicine for over 30 years. She incorporates her medical acupuncture skills into her everyday practice to enhance the well-being and pain management of critically ill and injured patients.
Dr. Rudloff has a strong interest in fluid resuscitation, emergency surgery and trauma management, topics on which she has published in peer-reviewed journals and book chapters.
Certified Veterinary Medical Acupuncturist
Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care
Residency, Emergency & Critical Care, Animal Referral Center, Glendale, WI
Internship, Emergency & Critical Care, Animal Referral Center, Glendale, WI
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
Bachelor of Science, Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
Dr. Leo Sage has a wide array of experience in veterinary science, ranging from shelter medicine and general practice to diagnostic laboratories and medical research. He eventually found his passion in the interdisciplinary field of emergency medicine, and his approach to medicine focuses on an evidence-based, individualized, interdisciplinary and collaborative approach to provide optimal patient care and to strengthen the human-animal bond.
A prolific author of numerous publications, Dr. Sage has received awards for his research in the field of influenza virus immunology, and his expertise has led to the design of isolation and quarantine protocols used in veterinary hospitals. He is especially passionate about the education of his fellow veterinarians, technicians and animal owners.
Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Care, Indianapolis, IN
Doctor of Philosophy, Infectious Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens
Bachelor of Science, Microbiology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL
Dr. Sage is an avid scuba diver and aquarist. He spends his free time running with his dog in the Wisconsin outdoors and then coming home to relax with his cat.
Dr. Meryl Schimek is passionate about soft tissue surgery and exotic animal surgery and medicine – especially rabbits.
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Bachelor of Arts, Outdoor Recreation Leadership and Management, Northern Michigan University, Marquette
Dr. Schimek enjoys camping, hiking with her dogs, drinking craft beer, collecting and caring for house plants and bonsai trees. She has a rabbit named Kevin, a blue heeler named Bandit and two Cavalier King Charles spaniels: Burt and Jerry.
Matt Stepnik
DVM, DACVS-SA
Surgery
Matt Stepnik
DVM, DACVS-SA
BluePearl Veterinarian
Board Certified in Veterinary Surgery-Small Animal
Dr. Matt Stepnik has been a board-certified surgeon for over 10 years and has performed thousands of orthopedic, soft tissue and oncologic procedures. He finds surgical oncology and reconstruction and orthopedics the most gratifying to treat.
Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Surgeons-Small Animal
Residency, Veterinary Surgery, University of California, Davis
Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Dr. Stepnik has a wife, Casey, who is a veterinary dermatologist at BluePearl as well, and three children who keep them very busy.
Dr. Casey Stepnik has been practicing dermatology for over 10 years and prides herself on her ability to build relationships with her patients and their owners. She finds chronic allergic dermatitis the most gratifying to treat.
Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Dermatology
Residency, Veterinary Dermatology, University of California, Davis
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Dr. Stepnik enjoys running, reading and spending time with her husband and three children.
Dr. Wade Tate has over 22 years of emergency veterinary experience and has even been involved in the start-up of multiple emergency services. He finds lacerations, fish hook removals and acute abdomen pain the most gratifying to treat.
Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, University of Minnesota, St. Paul
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, St. Paul
Bachelor of Science, Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden
Dr. Tate is a dedicated husband and dog lover with a passion for the outdoors and a budding interest in organic farming.