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.

Dr. Christopher Eich’s clinical interests include orthopedics, trauma cases and complicated wound care.

• 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, enjoy traveling and spending time with their boys. His hobbies include gardening, with a special interest in orchids and bonsai.

Skilled in all aspects of surgery, Dr. Adam Gassel’s clinical interests include TPLO (knee-stabilizing surgery), portosystemic shunts, surgical oncology and minimally invasive procedures, especially arthroscopy and laparoscopy. He has a unique interest in regenerative medicine, including stem cell and platelet-rich plasma therapy.

• 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 rescue pet, Hank.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Inland Valley Veterinary Specialists, Upland, CA
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA
• Bachelor of Science, Animal Science, University of Maryland, College Park

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.

Publications & Articles

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.

• Member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons
• Certification, Advanced Veterinary Practice, University of Liverpool, England
• Postgraduate Certificate, Small Animal Medicine, Harper Adams University, Newport, Wales
• Internship, Small Animal Surgery, Fitzpatrick Referrals, Godalming, Surrey, England
• Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine, Royal Veterinary College, University of London, England

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Pet Emergency and Specialty Center, La Mesa, CA
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
• Bachelor of Arts, Anthropology, University of California, Berkeley

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. Maria Rodriguez is an emergency clinician whose special interests include complications involving endocrine disorders, toxicities and laceration repairs. She is RECOVER certified in Basic and Advanced Life Support.

During her final year of veterinary school, she was awarded membership into the Society of Phi Zeta, the honor society of veterinary medicine of the United States. She also received an Excellence in Dentistry Award.

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Colorado State University, Fort Collins
• Bachelor of Science, Animal Science, University of California, Davis

Dr. Rodriguez loves traveling to new places, trying new restaurants or coffee shops, reading and spending time with her family. She enjoys relaxing at the beach, spending days surrounded by nature and creating memories in theme parks.

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. Kelly Schrock is a skilled surgeon whose clinical interests include a wide range of general and soft tissue surgical procedures, emergency surgery and complex wound management.

• Residency, Small Animal Surgery, Michigan State University, East Lansing
• Internship, Surgery, Texas A&M University, College Station
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Texas A&M University, College Station
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis
• Bachelor of Science, Animal Science, University of California, Davis

Dr. Schrock enjoys gardening, horseback riding, powerlifting and biking. She and her three-legged dog, Levi, also love hiking along the local canyon and beach trails.

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia
• Bachelor of Science, Animal Science, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Dr. Seers enjoys hiking, plants and spending time with her family, friends and all her fur babies.

Dr. Amy Zide is a very skilled surgeon in all respects. She has a true passion for her work and a special interest in soft tissue surgery, emphasizing surgical oncology. Her clinical interests include:

• abdominal and thoracic surgery
• head and neck surgery
• perianal surgery
• reconstructive surgery

Dr. Zide is well-versed in integrating her knowledge of oncologic disease processes with surgical treatment for a global approach to the individual patient. She also enjoys orthopedic surgery, including:

• TPLO (tibial plateau leveling osteotomies)
• Arthroscopic management of juvenile orthopedic diseases, specifically elbow and shoulder arthroscopy

• 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

Dr. Zide is an Orange County native. Outside of work, she enjoys taking barre classes, traveling and enjoying the outdoors. She has one cat named Lola, who has been with her since her internship.