Our vets.
Janice Buback
DVM, MS, DACVSOn The Job
Dr. Janice Buback finds orthopedics, soft tissue surgeries and minimally invasive surgeries the most gratifying to treat.
Education
- Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Surgeons
- Residency, Small Animal Surgery, Texas A&M University, College Station
- Master of Science, Texas A&M University, College Station
- Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, University of Missouri, Columbia
- Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan
- Bachelor of Science, Kansas State University, Manhattan
Off Duty
Dr. Buback enjoys spending time with her family camping, canoeing in the Boundary Waters, watching and participating in sports, reading and playing board games.
Madalin Ebel
DVMOn The Job
Dr. Madalin Ebel finds trauma, infectious disease, geriatrics and pain management the most gratifying to treat.
Education
- Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, Canada
- Bachelor of Science, Animal Science, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
Off Duty
In her spare time, Dr. Ebel enjoys being outdoors with her family and dog, Emma, and loves the arts, gardening and traveling.
Elizabeth Hiebert
DVMOn The Job
Dr. Elizabeth Hiebert enjoys working with her surgery team to deliver the highest standard of care to patients.
Education
- Residency, Small Animal Surgery, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg
- Internship, Small Animal Surgery, Sierra Veterinary Specialists and Emergency Center, Reno, NV
- Internship, Small Animal Surgery, Central Texas Veterinary Specialty Hospital, Austin
- Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg
- Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Starkville
- Bachelor of Science, Poultry Science, Mississippi State University, Starkville
Off Duty
Dr. Hiebert enjoys visiting national parks, exploring archaeological sites and playing with her two cats.
Tyler Klose
DVM, DACVIM (SAIM)On The Job
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.
Education
- 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
Off Duty
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.
Kevin Kroner
DVM, DACVS-SAOn The Job
Dr. Kevin Kroner has over five years of experience as a surgeon in a high-volume, private practice offering both soft-tissue and orthopedic procedures. He finds fracture repair, oncologic surgery and arthroscopy the most gratifying to treat.
Education
- Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Surgeons-Small Animal
- Residency, Small Animal Surgery, University of Wisconsin, Madison
- Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Colorado State University, Fort Collins
- Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing
- Bachelor of Science, Biology, University of Wisconsin, La Crosse
Off Duty
Dr. Kroner enjoys running, golfing and spending time with his wife, three children and Labrador.
Molly Lien
DVMOn The Job
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.
Education
- 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
Off Duty
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, DACVECCOn The Job
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.
Education
- 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, Canada
- Bachelor of Science, Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
Off Duty
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.
Kristin Luginbill
DVM, CCRT, CVMAOn The Job
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.
Education
- 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
Off Duty
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.
Anna Martel
DVM, DACZMOn The Job
Dr. Anna Martel is part of our Avian & Exotics care team. She always wanted to be an avian veterinarian and loves helping rabbits, guinea pigs, reptiles, and other animals in addition to birds.
Education
- Diplomate, American College of Zoological Medicine
- Residency, Zoological Companion Animal Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison
- Internship, Avian & Exotics, Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists, Houston, TX
- Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Off Duty
Dr. Martel is married and has two children – along with many pets! In her free time, she enjoys reading books, running, and lifting heavy things.
Victoria Miller
DVM, DACVECCOn The Job
Dr. Victoria Miller finds extracorporeal therapies, trauma and would management and CPR the most gratifying to perform.
Education
- Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care
- Residency, Emergency & Critical Care, Lakeshore Veterinary Specialists, Glendale, WI
- Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Kansas State University, Manhattan
- Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University, Corvallis
- Bachelor of Science, Animal Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis
Off Duty
Dr. Miller spends her free time with her husband and two children traveling and enjoying outdoor activities.
Nicole Mueller
DVMOn The Job
Dr. Nicole Mueller is part of our Avian & Exotics care team. She 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.
Education
- 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
Off Duty
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).
Sarah Muhs
DVMOn The Job
Dr. Sarah Muhs is most interested in immune-mediated diseases and transfusion medicine.
Education
- Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, BluePearl Specialty + Emergency Pet Hospital, Glendale, WI
- Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman
- Bachelor of Science, Zoology, Washington State University, Pullman
Off Duty
Dr. Muhs enjoys cooking, reading, and exploring the outdoors with her three dogs.
Claire Puzio
DVMOn The Job
Dr. Claire Puzio’s special interests include emergency surgical procedures and polytrauma cases.
Education
- Residency, Small Animal Emergency & Critical Care, BluePearl Specialty + Emergency Pet Hospital, Glendale, WI
- 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
Off Duty
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.
Rachel Reiman
DVM, DACVIM (Oncology)On The Job
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.
Education
- 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
Off Duty
In her spare time, Dr. Reiman enjoys homebrewing, camping and baking.
Meredith Rice
DVMOn The Job
Dr. Meredith Rice finds toxicities and gastrointestinal diseases the most gratifying to treat. She also finds client education an important part of veterinary medicine.
Education
- Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, BluePearl Specialty + Emergency Pet Hospital, Grand Rapids, MI
- Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Lincoln Memorial University, Harrogate, TN
- Bachelor of Science in Biology, Hope College, Holland, MI
Off Duty
Dr. Rice enjoys cooking, international traveling and spending time with her cat, Teenie Poof, who closely supervises all her daily activities.
Leo Sage
DVM, PhDOn The Job
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.
Education
- 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
Off Duty
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.
Meryl Schimek
DVMOn The Job
Dr. Meryl Schimek is part of our Avian & Exotics care team. She is passionate about soft tissue surgery and exotic animal surgery and medicine – especially rabbits.
Education
- Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison
- Bachelor of Arts, Outdoor Recreation Leadership and Management, Northern Michigan University, Marquette
Off Duty
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.
Elizabeth Schnabel
DVMOn The Job
Dr. Elizabeth Schnabel is an experienced emergency medicine veterinarian. She is interested in avian & exotics, surgery, cytology, and CPR.
Education
- Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Dogs and Cats Veterinary Referral, Bowie, MD
- Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, St. Paul
- Bachelor of Science, Biology, University of Minnesota, Duluth
Off Duty
Dr. Schnabel enjoys backcountry backpacking and brewing beer. She has two dogs, two cats, and a snake.
Carrie Stefaniak
DVMOn The Job
Dr. Carrie Stefaniak has over 20 years of dedicated veterinary emergency experience. She developed the blood donor program at her current hospital and is passionate about transfusion medicine.
Dr. Stefaniak has a special interest in emergency care of brachycephalic dog breeds.
Education
- Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Alameda East Veterinary Hospital, Denver, CO
- Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison
- Bachelor of Science, Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Off Duty
Dr. Stefaniak enjoys reading, traveling and outdoor activities, such as hiking, running and biking.
She shares her home with three French bulldogs and a Llewellin setter. She is a member of the French Bull Dog Club of America Health and Genetics committee and a board member of the Great Lakes French Bulldog Club.
Matt Stepnik
DVM, DACVS-SAOn The Job
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.
Education
- 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
Off Duty
Dr. Stepnik has a wife, Casey, who is a veterinary dermatologist at BluePearl as well, and three children who keep them very busy.
Casey Stepnik
DVM, DACVDOn The Job
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.
Education
- Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Dermatology
- Residency, Veterinary Dermatology, University of California, Davis
- Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Off Duty
Dr. Stepnik enjoys running, reading and spending time with her husband and three children.
Luann Stinnett
DVMOn The Job
Dr. Luann Stinnett is most interested in stabilizing endocrine emergencies, correcting electrolyte imbalances and autotransfusion.
Education
- Residency, Small Animal Emergency & Critical Care, BluePearl Specialty + Emergency Pet Hospital, Glendale, WI
- Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, BluePearl Specialty + Emergency Pet Hospital, Oklahoma City
- Clinical Rotation, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater
- Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Ross University, St. Kitts & Nevis, West Indies
- Bachelor of Science, Animal Science, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro
- Bachelor of Science, Marine Biology, Long Island University, Southampton, NY
Off Duty
Dr. Stinnett enjoys swimming, sun and sand, trying different cuisines, cooking, taking photos, reading and playing piano – although not very well. She has an 18-year-old cat named Soli.
Wade Tate
DVMOn The Job
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.
Education
- 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
Off Duty
Dr. Tate is a dedicated husband and dog lover with a passion for the outdoors and a budding interest in organic farming.
Blake Webb
DVM, DACVIM (Neurology)On The Job
Dr. Blake Webb finds neurosurgery, including ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement and management of auto-immune inflammatory brain disease, the most gratifying to perform.
Education
- Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Neurology)
- Residency, Neurology & Neurosurgery, University of Wisconsin, Madison
- Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Mississippi State University, Starkville
- Clinical Rotation, Auburn University, AL
- Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Ross University, St. Kitts & Nevis, West Indies
- Bachelor of Science, Animal Science, Zoology, Auburn University, AL
Off Duty
Dr. Webb enjoys being outdoors, traveling and spending time with his wife and their rambunctious two-year-old, who keeps them on their toes. They have three dogs: Champ, Big and Zulu.