BluePearl Pet Hospital Irvine, CA Our Vets

Dr. Wayne Berry is internationally revered in the field of veterinary neurology-neurosurgery, expertise gained from restricting surgery to exclusively spinal and brain surgery. Although respected as an authority on a range of procedures, he is especially recognized for his expertise on the following:
• Spinal decompressive surgery for both neck and back disc ruptures.
• Atlanto-axial luxation reduction-stabilization, a procedure to restore dislocation between the first and second neck vertebrae in mostly toy breeds.
• Lumbosacral distraction-stabilization-fusion to alleviate discomfort and debilitation of sciatic and cauda equine compression, more commonly in large breed dogs.
• Spinal fracture reduction/stabilization, a procedure in which spinal fractures are reduced and repaired using orthopedic implants.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Neurology)
• Member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons
• Residency, Neurology-Neurosurgery, University of California, Davis
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, University of Pretoria, South Africa
• Master of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pretoria, South Africa
• Bachelor of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, South Africa

Away from the hospital, Dr. Berry is an olive farmer. He and his wife have two adult sons.

Dr. Gayle Donner specializes in surgical oncology (the surgical treatment of cancers and tumors) and general soft tissue surgery. Her particular areas of interest include head and neck cancer surgery, and plastic and reconstructive surgery. The first veterinary surgeon to specialize in surgical oncology in a private practice referral setting, she pioneered the surgical technique that combines the removal of tumors with the implantation of chemotherapy beads in dogs and cats eliminating the need for postoperative radiation in many cases.

Dr. Donner’s caseload also includes cancers of the limbs and trunk, chest, abdomen, and urogenital system, as well as other soft tissue disorders and injuries. She performs all of her surgeries using magnification and microsurgical instrumentation, for the utmost in precision to achieve the best possible outcome.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Surgeons
• Residency, Small Animal Surgery, University of Florida, Gainesville
• Internship, Large Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens

If not with patients, pets or family, Dr. Donner can be found at the stable on her horse.

Skilled in all aspects of surgery, Dr. Christopher Eich particularly enjoys orthopedic and wound construction cases.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Surgeons
• Residency, Small Animal Surgery, Animal Medical Center, New York City
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Animal Medical Center, New York City
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville
• Bachelor of Science, Microbiology, University of Florida, Gainesville

Dr. Eich and his wife, a veterinary ophthalmologist, have two active boys. His hobbies include gardening, especially orchids and bonsai.

Skilled in all aspects of surgery, Dr. Adam Gassel’s particular clinical interests include TPLO, a knee-stabilizing surgery, portosystemic shunts, surgical oncology, and minimally invasive procedures, especially arthroscopy and laparoscopy.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Surgeons
• Residency, Small Animal Surgery, Univeristy of Tennessee, Knoxville
• Internship, Small Animal Surgery, Animal Specialty Group, Inc., Los Angeles CA
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Animal Specialty Group, Inc., Los Angeles CA
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, West Lafayette IN
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, University of California at Irvine, Irvine

Some of Dr. Gassel’s favorite pastimes include surfing, snowboarding and crossfit training. He and his wife have a son and two daughters, and the family pets include boxer mix Leroy and rabbit Roxy.

Dr. Katie Kramer finds trauma cases like bite wounds, lacerations, and car accidents the most gratifying to treat.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, VCA Veterinary Care Animal Hospital and Referral Center, Albuquerque, NM
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater
• Bachelor of Science, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Dr. Kramer enjoys gardening, walking local hiking trails, fixing up her house, and traveling with her fiancé. She has one dog that was rescued and lives her days out on Dr. Kramer’s couch.

Dr. Rachel Kurzbard enjoys working on cases with multiple concurrent conditions. She is also interested in assisted feeding, critical care nutrition, and weight loss plans.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Nutrition)
• Residency, Small Animal Clinical Nutrition, University of Missouri, Columbia
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Southern California Veterinary Specialty Hospital, Irvine
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA
• Master of Science, Animal Biology, University of California, Davis
• Bachelor of Science, Animal Science, University of California, Davis

Outside of work, Dr. Kurzbard enjoys jogging and reading. She and her family like to spend time outdoors, especially near the ocean.

Dr. Sarah Miller is highly regarded for her work using minimally invasive techniques to close patent ductus arteriosus (PDAs) from the carotid artery in very small dogs. She is most interested in the role of live 3D transesophageal echocardiography in veterinary medicine.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Cardiology)
• Residency, Veterinary Cardiology, University of California, Davis
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Angell Memorial Animal Medical Center, Boston, MA
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus

Dr. Miller enjoys water skiing, traveling, listening to music, watching Ohio State football and running. She and her husband have three daughters, two geriatric cats and two golden retrievers.

Dr. Kyley Olson enjoys the fast pace of emergency medicine, as well as the variety of cases she sees every day. She finds the process of triaging critical patients and facilitating appropriate diagnostics and treatments particularly rewarding.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Veterinary Specialty Hospital, San Diego CA
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Midwestern University, Glendale AZ
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, California State University, Fullerton

Dr. Olson has two cats, Ice Man and Indy, and two dogs, Vier and Scampi. In her free time, she enjoys camping and traveling.

Dr. Roger Pettigrew has worked all over the United States at different universities and private practices, which has exposed him to a lot of unique and challenging cases. He is most passionate about surgeries and MRI interpretations, and he finds it extremely gratifying to make a neuroanatomical localization, confirm the lesion on MRI and, in some cases, do surgery to fix it.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Neurology)
• Residency, Neurology & Neurosurgery, University of Wisconsin, Madison
• Internship, Small Animal Neurology & Neurosurgery, University of Georgia, Athens
• Internship, Surgery, Long Island Veterinary Specialists, NY
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Animal Specialty Group, Glendale, CA
• Clinical Rotation, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Ross University, St. Kitts & Nevis, West Indies
• Bachelor of Science, Political Science, University of California, Berkeley

Dr. Pettigrew enjoys biking, swimming and spending time with his wife, two daughters, three dogs, two cats, fish and 80lb sulcate tortoise.

Dr. Tracey Rossi likes treating patients with immune-mediated disorders. She has also taken a number of interventional radiology courses to be able to provide patients with lesser invasive methods for treating conditions like tracheal collapse and ectopic ureters. Another particular interest is treating dogs with aspergillosis, a fungal infection in the nasal sinuses.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine
• Residency, Small Animal Internal Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton MA
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, VCA Veterinary Referral & Emergency Center, Norwalk CT
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Dr. Rossi enjoys boat time and time with her fur babies, Colton, Chicken, Jax and Reagan. She also likes traveling and has been to Kenya to help raise awareness for a school.

Dr. Emily Southward has been practicing emergency & critical care medicine for over 20 years. She thrives on opportunities when she can think outside the box to find unique solutions to daily problems, whether it involves creating a missing piece or solving a clinical sign puzzle.

Dr. Southward finds metabolic derangements, traumatic brain injuries, multimodal anesthesia and analgesia and trauma the most gratifying to treat.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care
• Residency, Emergency & Critical Care, University of Missouri, Columbia
• Master of Science, Biomedical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia
• Internship, Small & Large Animal Anesthesiology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul
• Clinical Rotation, University of Minnesota, St. Paul
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Ross University, St. Kitts & Nevis, West Indies
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, University of California, San Diego

Although Dr. Southward admits that she’s not very creative, she does enjoy painting, writing and drawing whenever she can. When she’s not feeling artistic, Dr. Southward spends her time hiking, exploring new places, traveling or relaxing with her spouse and four cats.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Oncology)
• Residency, Medical Oncology, Southern California Veterinary Specialists, Irvine
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Southern California Veterinary Specialists, Irvine
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA
• Bachelor of Science, Arts Administration, Butler University, Indianapolis, IN

Dr. Amy Zide is an experienced surgeon with a particular interest in head and neck surgery and arthroscopic treatment of orthopedic disease.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Surgeons-Small Animal
• Residency, Small Animal Surgery, The Ohio State University, Columbus
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, University of Minnesota, St. Paul
• Master of Comparative Veterinary Science, The Ohio State University, Columbus
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis
• Bachelor of Business Administration, Southern Methodist University, Dallas TX

When not at work, Dr. Zide enjoys spending time outside in the sun, especially horseback riding and traveling. She has one cat named Lola.

Scarlette is passionate about continuing education and often lectures at local and national levels. Her clinical interests include her two specialties as well as advanced imaging and ventilator patient care, a subject in which she was published in the Veterinary Nursing Journal in 2017.