BluePearl Pet Hospital Richmond, VA Our Vets

Dr. Stephanie enjoys all aspects of emergency medicine.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Services, Rochester NY
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia-Maryland College, Blacksburg VA
• Bachelor of Science, Rutgers University, New Brunswick NJ

Dr. Katrina Frerichs loves communicating with clients to explain their pet’s condition and ease their worries when needed. She is particularly interested in treating pain, gastrointestinal disorders, and laceration repairs. Dr. Frerichs has extensive experience working with exotic pets and enjoys helping their owners get the information they need to best care for their pets.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Red Bank Veterinary Hospital, NJ
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
• Bachelor of Science, Animal Science, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA

Dr. Frerichs enjoys hiking and adventuring with her partner and working out at home. She has a guinea pig and plans to add to her small mammal family soon. She loves traveling, particularly to the Boston area to see family.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Surgeons-Small Animal
• Residency, Small Animal Surgery, Virginia Veterinary Surgical Associates, Richmond
• Internship, Small Animal Surgery, Virginia Veterinary Surgical Associates, Richmond
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Angell Animal Medical Center, Boston MA
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis

Dr. Amy Gifford enjoys all aspects of surgery, especially emergency surgery, surgical oncology and fracture fixation.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Surgeons-Small Animal
• Residency, Small Animal Surgery, Virginia Veterinary Surgical Associates, Richmond
• Internship, Small Animal Surgery, Virginia Veterinary Surgical Associates, Richmond
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital, CO
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca NY
• Bachelor of Science, Pre-Veterinary Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

When not working, Dr. Gifford enjoys soccer, downhill skiing, being outdoors and visiting her home state of Maine. Her pets include golden retriever Stella, Labrador-pit bull mix Allagash and two cats Letty and Melvin.

Dr. Amanpreet Grewal is a resident in our surgical service. His particular surgical interests include orthopedics, fracture repairs and arthroscopy procedures.

• Internship, Small Animal Surgery, BluePearl Specialty + Emergency Pet Hospital, Richmond, VA
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, VCA Veterinary Emergency Service Veterinary Specialty Center, Middleton, WI
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Bachelor of Science, Biological Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee WI

When not working, Dr. Grewel enjoys playing basketball and tennis.

Dr. Patrick Gritt is part of our emergency medicine training program for clinicians. Dr. Gritt’s special interests include emergency, shelter and preventative medicine for pets.

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
• Bachelor of Science, Pathobiology and Veterinary Science, University of Connecticut, Storrs

Dr. Chelsea Hester is passionate about hospice care, quality of life, incremental care and feline medicine, especially treating feline lower urinary tract disease.

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, University of West Florida, Pensacola

Dr. Hester’s pets include three cats, a rescue iguana and a saltwater fish tank. She enjoys rock climbing, being a small business owner, traveling, getting more tattoos and continuing her education.

Dr. John Litterine-Kaufman has a particular interest in minimally invasive techniques such as laparoscopy and thoracoscopy, and the use of implantable devices such as artificial urethral sphincters and those used for subcutaneous ureteral bypass.

• Residency, Small Animal Surgery, Angell Animal Medical Center, Jamaica Plain MA
• Internship, Small Animal Surgery, Aspen Meadow Veterinary Specialists, Longmont CO
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Angell Animal Medical Center, Boston MA
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, University of Maryland, Baltimore

Dr. Litterine-Kaufman enjoys cooking, snowboarding, reading fiction novels, overseas travel and wilderness hiking and camping. His pets include cats Freya and David Vincent, Labrador Gordy, and bearded dragon Nelly.

As an experienced emergency clinician, Dr. Ashley Miller-Quarles prides herself on great communication skills and her ability to put clients’ minds at ease during emergencies. She particularly enjoys unblocking urinary obstructions in cats, stabilizing trauma patients and managing patient care in the intensive care unit (ICU).

• Internship, Small Animal Internal Medicine & Critical Care , Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists, Houston, TX
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Auburn University, AL
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, University of Tennessee, Chattanooga

Dr. Miller-Quarles is married with two young children. She has three dogs, including a three-legged dog or “tripod.” In her spare time, she enjoys reading, knitting and anything related to true crime (documentaries, podcasts, books, etc.)

Dr. Stephanie O’Connell particularly enjoys the diagnosis and management of endocrine diseases, immune-mediated hematologic diseases, and hepatic diseases. She also has interests and some additional training in critical care, diagnostic imaging and interventional radiology.

• Residency, Small Animal Internal Medicine, BluePearl Specialty and Emergency Pet Hospital, Louisville KY
• Internship, Small Animal Internal Medicine, Affiliated Veterinary Specialists, Maitland FL
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Ocean State Veterinary Specialists, East Greenwich RI
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
• Bachelor of Science, Animal Science and Biology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick NJ

Dr. O’Connell enjoys kayaking, playing volleyball and running. She also likes travel, exploring restaurants and attending concerts. She has a calico cat named Trixie.

Dr. James Riddle’s particular clinical interests include anesthesia and pain management, toxicities and critical care patients.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Red Bank Veterinary Hospital, Tinton Falls NJ
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg VA
• Bachelor of Science, Animal Science, Rutgers University, New Brunswick NJ

Dr. Riddle likes cooking, cycling and hairless cats.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, ASPCA Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital, New York, NY
• Clinical Rotation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Ross University, St. Kitts & Nevis, West Indies
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond

Dr. Kyle Walker's professional interests include orthopedic surgery and minimally invasive techniques.

• Internship, Small Animal Surgery, Virginia Veterinary Surgical Associates, Richmond
• Internship, Small Animal Surgery, Dallas Veterinary Surgical Center, TX
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Oradell Animal Hospital, Paramus NJ
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca NY
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, The College at Brockport, NY

In his free time, Dr. Walker enjoys playing soccer, skiing, running, lifting weights, playing piano and guitar, traveling and spending time with his family, friends, and cat Mrs. Doubtfire.