With over 22 years of experience in the veterinary field, including large and small animals, pocket pets, exotics, emergency, and specialty care, Heather brings a broad and skilled background to rehabilitation work. She holds a BS degree from Wilson College and has been a Registered Veterinary Technician for 20 years.

Heather obtained her CCRP certification through Northeast Seminars at the University of Tennessee in 2010 and has focused on canine rehabilitation since 2008, with a brief 1.5-year period in laboratory animal research. She also became a Certified Canine Massage Therapist through Equissage in 2011.

• Certified Canine Rehabilitation Therapist, University of Tennessee

In addition to her clinical expertise, Heather is an active member of a volunteer search and rescue team with a working K9 partner. She has a special interest in rehabilitation for geriatric and working dogs and is passionate about helping them maintain mobility and quality of life.

Dr. David Hummel is board certified by the American College of Veterinary Surgeons. He received a BS in Biology from Virginia Tech, and a DVM degree from the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine. After graduating from veterinary school, Dr. Hummel completed a rotating internship at Oradell Animal Hospital in New Jersey, as well as a surgical residency at the University of Illinois. Following his residency, Dr. Hummel returned to the East Coast, where he worked as a staff surgeon in Richmond, Virginia before joining Skylos Sports Medicine.

Dr. Hummel has a passion for arthroscopy, fracture repair and joint stabilization (ACL surgery). He has published several peer-reviewed research articles on topics including total hip replacement, management of long bone fractures and cranial cruciate ligament injury and stifle stabilization. Dr. Hummel is a surgical consultant for the Veterinary Information Network, the largest web-based information service for veterinarians worldwide. Dr. Hummel remains at the forefront of veterinary surgery through a regular schedule of teaching courses for veterinarians and surgeons from around the world. Dr. Hummel is also active as a mentor for veterinary students at the Virginia Tech College of Veterinary Medicine.

Dr. Hummel thrives on the relationships he forms with his clients and patients and strives to provide the very best care to each patient, and clear communication with every client.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Surgeons (Small Animal)
• Residency, Small Animal Surgery, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champagne
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Oradell Animal Hospital, Paramus, NJ
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg

Dr. Hummel’s wife Katie is also a veterinarian. They have two children, two dogs, and five cats. When not spending time with his family, Dr. Hummel enjoys fishing, gardening, and woodworking.

Dr. Sean Kennedy’s clinical interests include stifle surgery, orthopedic oncology and fracture and trauma surgery. He enjoys developing relationships with both patients and their human companions, striving to meet client expectations by providing personalized care.

Having grown up in a family of carpenters, mechanics and teachers, Dr. Kennedy received his first toolbox at the age of six, which kickstarted his passion for taking things apart to understand not only how they work but how to fix them when they break. Combining his love of animals and teaching with his passion for working with his hands and restoring function led him to veterinary surgery. Dr. Kennedy instructs workshops on fracture repair and locking plate technology for Orthomed, an international implant manufacturer.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Surgeons (Small Animal)
• Residency, Small Animal Surgery, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Angell Memorial Hospital, Boston, MA
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, MA
• Bachelor of Arts, Animal Science, University of New Hampshire, Durham

During the process of relocating to Frederick, Dr. Kennedy began converting his garage into a workshop with plans to restore his 1983 Jeep CJ8 pickup. He shares his home with a lovable and high-energy Jack Russell terrier/beagle mix named Obi. An all-seasons outdoor enthusiast, Dr. Kennedy enjoys hiking, camping, rock climbing, scuba diving and snow skiing in his spare time.

Dr. Faith Lotsikas is passionate about rehabilitation therapy and improving quality of life for dogs of all ages and activity levels. She works with senior patients to enhance comfort, mobility and overall wellness, and helps pre- and post-surgical patients recover more quickly and return to normal life. She provides services at Skylos Sports Medicine alongside her husband, Dr. Peter Lotsikas, combining their complementary expertise to support dogs of all backgrounds.

Her experience spans humane societies, private practice and emergency hospitals, where she recognized the need for expanded rehabilitation options for geriatric, arthritic and post-surgical patients. After completing advanced training, she founded and developed a rehabilitation department within a referral hospital.

Dr. Lotsikas lectures at national veterinary continuing education seminars and has authored articles on rehabilitation topics. She enjoys teaching workshops on injury prevention and fitness for agility, herding and search-and-rescue groups.

She is also dedicated to her LLC, Faithful Paws Veterinary, providing performance dogs with rehabilitation therapy for sports-related conditions, wellness and optimized condition maintenance, injury prevention therapy and fitness consults. As an avid follower of canine sports, she understands the unique physical and mental demands of working and sporting dogs and develops tailored fitness and return-to-sport plans for each team.

• Certified Canine Rehabilitation Therapist, Canine Rehabilitation Institute
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg

At home, Dr. Lotsikas is a mom to three young girls and manages a small sheep farm with the help of her very clever Border Collie, Kelsea. She is also an amateur artist and medical illustrator.

Dr. Peter Lotsikas specializes in sports-related injuries and getting performance and working dogs back to full function. His clinical focus is on minimally invasive surgery and total joint replacement. He is certified to perform Biomedtrix hip replacements, TightRope CCL and TPLO procedures for cruciate repair, sliding humeral osteotomy and CUE joint resurfacing procedures for elbow dysplasia. When appropriate, he incorporates orthobiologics.

Whether an elite athlete or an aging companion, Dr. Lotsikas focuses on getting to know each patient to ensure the best possible outcome for their particular needs and goals. He takes immense pride in tailoring his surgical and medical recommendations to meet the needs of his diverse patient population.

Dr. Lotsikas is a veterinary surgical consultant for Arthrex Vet Systems and a national instructor in arthroscopy and minimally invasive knee stabilization. He is credited with developing the technique guide for the TightRope system for stabilization of traumatic hip luxation, now used worldwide. He serves on the medical education advisory board for Zoetis and is a Zoetis ELITE speaker on pain, anesthesia and sedation.

He has contributed to numerous peer-reviewed journals, co-authored a chapter in the textbook Mechanisms of Disease in Small Animal Surgery and served as section chief and author for the orthopedic disorders of the hind limb chapter in Canine Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation. Dr. Lotsikas is a scientific reviewer for Veterinary Surgery Journal and Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association and previously reviewed for the Veterinary Orthopedic Society and American College of Veterinary Surgeons symposiums. He is active in continuing education and has presented at major veterinary surgery meetings across the United States. As a frequently requested author, he writes about sports-related injuries in canine athletes for publications including Clean Run Magazine, Pointing Dog Journal, Retriever Journal and Just Labs Magazine.

• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine & Rehabilitation
• Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Surgeons (Small Animal)
• Residency, Small Animal Surgery, Iowa State University, Ames
• Internship, Small Animal Surgery, Dallas Veterinary Surgical Center, TX
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Kansas State University, Manhattan
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg

Dr. Lotsikas and his wife, Dr. Faith Lotsikas, share three young daughters and a small farm in Maryland. His personal interests include fishing, hunting, golfing and farming.

Susanne has been around and enjoyed having dogs most of her life. Susanne has worked in several dog-related fields, such as veterinary hospitals, pet sitting, and doggie daycare. She has also enjoyed competing with her own dogs in canine sports including flyball, frisbee, and rally-o, with some training in agility and nosework.

Susanne began with Skylos in our surgical department and has always had an interest in canine rehabilitation and injury prevention through fitness. In 2018, she began assisting in our rehab department and later became certified through the Canine Rehabilitation Institute (CRI) in 2021.

Susanne is gifted in animal behavior and training, which helps her put our patients at ease as well as helps teach them how to properly do their therapeutic exercise routines.

• Certified Canine Rehabilitation Assistant, Canine Rehabilitation Institute, Springfield, MO

• Certified Veterinary Food Therapist, Chi University, Reddick, FL
• Certified Canine Rehabilitation Veterinarian, Chi University, Reddick, FL
• Certified Veterinary Medical Manipulation Practitioner, Chi University, Reddick, FL
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, Longwood College, Farmville, VA

Dr. Reitz enjoys canine sports, herding, hiking, horseback riding, conditioning, reading and community service. 

Before veterinary school, Dr. John Schwartz researched cartilage, tendon and fracture repair using novel therapies such as stem cells and platelet-rich plasma at Colorado State University. He is PennHIP certified, enabling him to use a specialized radiographic technique to assess hip laxity and aid in the early diagnosis of canine hip dysplasia.

Dr. Schwartz’s clinical interests include:

• Diagnosing and managing lameness in canine athletes
• Regenerative medicine
• Orthopedic and neurologic rehabilitation
• Sports conditioning and injury prevention

Central to his practice, Dr. Schwartz values non-surgical approaches to maintaining mobility and comfort in geriatric patients. He also incorporates rehabilitation strategies for neurologic mobility conditions associated with intervertebral disc disease and lumbosacral disorders.

• Residency, Canine Sports Medicine & Rehabilitation, University of Florida, Gainesville
• Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
• Certified Veterinary Acupuncture Therapist, Canine Rehabilitation Institute
• Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist, Chi Institute, Reddick, FL
• Internship, Canine Sports Medicine & Rehabilitation, University of Florida, Gainesville
• Internship, Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, VCA Alameda East Veterinary Hospital, Denver, CO
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Midwestern University, Glendale, AZ
• Master of Science, Microbiology - Immunology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins
• Bachelor of Science, Journalism, Boston University, MA

Outside of the hospital, Dr. Schwartz is an avid cyclist and enjoys spending time outdoors with his dog, Darcy, who has been by his side throughout every stage of his veterinary career.