BluePearl Pet Hospital
Sarasota, Fl
Our Vets

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Midwestern University, Glendale, AZ
• Bachelor of Science, Health Services Administration, University of Central Florida, Orlando

Dr. Channing Cantrell’s clinical interests include diabetic ketoacidosis, renal insufficiency and needle decompression.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, BluePearl Pet Hospital, Franklin, TN
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
• Master of Science, Auburn University, AL
• Bachelor of Science, University of Tennessee, Chattanooga

Dr. Cantrell enjoys staying active and spending time outdoors. Once she settles into her new location, she hopes to adopt a dog from a shelter.

Dr. Melissa Chow is an intern in our ophthalmology service.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, East Bay Veterinary Specialists & Emergency, Walnut Creek, CA
• Clinical Rotation, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, St. George’s University, Grenada, West Indies
• Bachelor of Science, Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz

Dr. Chow’s family includes one dog and two cats.

Dr. Ashley Cubb is a resident in our ophthalmology service. She is most interested in diagnosing and treating corneal disease through medical and surgical modalities.

• Internship, Ophthalmology, BluePearl Pet Hospital, Clearwater, FL
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, BluePearl Pet Hospital, Clearwater, FL
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station
• Bachelor of Science, Animal Science, Texas A&M University, College Station

Dr. Cubb enjoys spending time near the ocean, paddle boarding, baking and traveling. She has several pets, including a chihuahua name Louie, a dachshund named Olive, two guinea pigs and a hedgehog.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, BluePearl Pet Hospital, New York City
• Clinical Rotation, Colorado State University, Fort Collins
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Ross University, St. Kitts & Nevis, West Indies
• Bachelor of Science, Veterinary Technology, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan

Dr. Sandra Diaz’s clinical and research interests include:

• Hair and hair growth disorders
• Allergies
• Middle-ear infection

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Dermatology
• Residency, Dermatology, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, St. Paul
• Master of Science, Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, St. Paul
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Universidad Santo Tomas, Santiago, Chile
• Bachelor of Veterinary Sciences, Universidad Santo Tomas, Santiago, Chile

Dr. David Dominguez’s clinical interests include wound management and ultrasound.

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, St. George’s University, Grenada, West Indies
• Bachelor of Science, Animal Science, University of Florida, Gainesville
• Associate of Arts, Florida International University, Miami

In his free time, Dr. Dominguez enjoys hiking and wildlife photography. He has a rabbit named Brie and a ball python named EJ. Soon, a puppy will be joining the family.

Dr. Samantha Forjan is interested in all aspects of small animal emergency medicine, particularly avian and exotics.

• Clinical Rotation, University of Florida, Gainesville
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, St. George’s University, Grenada, West Indies
• Bachelor of Science, Animal Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville
• Associate of Arts Degree, Biology, Honors College, Florida International University

In her free time, Dr. Forjan enjoys baking and spending time with family, including her rabbit, Brie Everdeen.

Dr. Jennifer Goodman enjoys all aspects of internal medicine.

• Residency, Internal Medicine, MSPCA Angell Animal Medical Center, Boston, MA
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, VCA Veterinary Referral Associates, Gaithersburg, MD
• Internship, Wildlife Medicine, Kenya Wildlife Service, Nairobi
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, MA
• Bachelor of Arts, Earlham College, Richmond, IN

Dr. Goodman and her husband have twin girls, and the family enjoys the beaches and outdoor life around Sarasota. The family has a yellow lab named Monkey.

Prior to emergency medicine, Dr. Kevin Hempfling worked in private practice and as a zoo veterinarian, completing externships in zoos in Australia and Chicago. He is particularly fond of emergency surgery and complex internal medicine cases.

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan
• Bachelor of Science, Zoology, University of Florida, Gainesville

Dr. Hempfling loves traveling with his three children to national parks, colonial Williamsburg, Disney and the beach. He enjoys swimming, reading, weight training and karate.

Dr. Rachel Lucia loves building relationships with clients and considers them team players in the effort of determining the best outcome of their pets’ lives. She loves the wide variety of cases she manages as a critical care clinician.

• Residency, Emergency and Critical Care, BluePearl Pet Hospital, Tampa, FL
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Ocean State Veterinary Specialists, East Greenwich, RI
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville
• Bachelor of Science, Zoology, University of Florida, Gainesville

In her spare time, Dr. Lucia loves reading, kayaking, hiking, visiting the beach, playing board games and spending time with family. She has a wonderful dog and adventure companion named Ripley, as well as a cat who prefers to stay home and get all the pets after adventuring is through.

• Master of Science, Biodiversity and Conservation, University of Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México City

Dr. Rachel Meyers is a resident in our cardiology service. She’s intrigued by all aspects of veterinary cardiology, with particular interests in feline cardiomyopathies and cardiorenal syndrome.

• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Colorado State University, Fort Collins
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh

In her free time, Dr. Meyers enjoys running, cooking, paddleboarding with her husband and spoiling her twin hound dogs, Mousse and Foster.

Dr. Jennifer Mulz has volunteered her board-certified veterinary skills for a number of years screening the breeding dogs at Southeastern Guide Dogs for the presence of cardiac disease. Her particular clinical interests include chronic degenerative valvular disease, feline cardiomyopathies and treatment of preclinical heart disease to delay the onset of clinical disease.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Cardiology)
• Residency, Cardiology, Oradell Animal Hospital, Paramus NJ
• Internship, Cardiology, Oradell Animal Hospital, Paramus NJ
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Cornell University, Ithaca NY
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg VA
• Bachelor of Science, Marine Biology, University of Maryland, College Park

Dr. Mulz and her husband enjoy any activities involving the water. They have a son and four pets. Komodo, Curry and Rosemary are the three cats, and Harris, a friendly chocolate lab, came to join the family after being diagnosed with heart disease during his guide dog screening at Southeastern Guide Dogs.

Dr. Laison Nguyen has been with BluePearl since graduating from Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine in 2017. It was during his training with BluePearl that he fell in love with ophthalmology. Dr. Nguyen enjoys treating animals of all shapes and sizes. He has a special interest in exotic pets as well as surgery – especially corneal grafts and cataract surgeries. He is working towards offering treatment options for retinal detachments in the future.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists
• Residency, Ophthalmology, BluePearl Pet Hospital, Tampa, FL
• Internship, Ophthalmology, BluePearl Pet Hospital, Tampa, FL
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, BluePearl Pet Hospital, Tampa, FL
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, Texas State University, San Marcos

A fan of the outdoors, Dr. Nguyen can often be found playing soccer or ultimate Frisbee. He has a German shepherd named Junior.

Dr. Pedro Rivera’s clinical interests include thoracic and orthopedic surgery.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Surgeons (Small Animal)
• Residency, Small Animal Surgery, BluePearl Pet Hospital, South Hills, PA
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, BluePearl Pet Hospital, North Hills, PA
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, BluePearl Pet Hospital, New York City, NY
• Clinical Rotation, Colorado State University, Fort Collins
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Ross University, St. Kitts & Nevis, West Indies
• Bachelor of Science, Interdisciplinary Sciences, University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras

Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Dr. Rivera loves the beach and ocean. One of his favorite hobbies is installing and maintaining saltwater reef aquariums. He has an American Bulldog mix named Belgium and a long-haired Chihuahua named Demo.

Dr. Sigman has been practicing veterinary medicine for 27 years, the past 10 of which have been spent focusing on emergency medicine for dogs and cats. She has a special interest in ultrasound imaging diagnostics.

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville
• Bachelor of Science, Animal Science, University of Florida, Gainesville

As a native Floridian, Dr. Sigman enjoys scuba diving, snorkeling, fishing or just enjoying the company of friends and family on one of the many beautiful beaches in the area.

Dr. Anja Welihozkiy began her veterinary career at a small animal practice in her home country of Germany. She worked in veterinary research at the University of California, Davis before becoming an ophthalmologist. Dr. Welihozkiy finds glaucoma and corneal disease to be especially interesting and likes the challenges of cataract surgery and corneal grafting procedures.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists
• Residency, Comparative Ophthalmology, Tufts University, North Grafton MA
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, University of Missouri, Columbia
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine TA, Free University of Berlin, Germany

Dr. Welihozkiy likes travel, photography, hiking, biking and reading and can be found volunteering her time at shelters, aquariums and zoos. Her full house includes a husband and son, husky mix Jones, and two tuxedo cats, Floyd and Django.

• Clinical Rotation, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, St. George’s University, Grenada, West Indies
• Bachelor of Science, Animal Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada