OUR TEAM
Meet our talented doctors and staff!
FOCUSED ON THE “WHOLE PET”
Drs. Nicole Sheehan and Carrie Uehlein set up The Veterinary Hospital of Davidson in 2013 with the idea to bring integrative veterinary medicine to Lake Norman, but also to bring outstanding service and an enjoyable work environment to the community as well. Since 2013, the growth has been rapid and steady, attracting clients and patients from many miles away, showing the need for this type of care not only in this community but others as well. With the rise of veterinary demand through 2020 and 2021, they expanded their work force and their community into Charlotte and Wilmington, NC. With this expansion came the need for a rebranding for something greater than just Davidson, NC. In 2020, we adopted the name Whole Pet to encompass how we feel about how we care for our patients. For us it is about total wellness – careful vaccination, early detection, full surgery and chemotherapy options as well as several alternatives to provide maximum comfort and results for our patients. Dr. Nicole and Dr. Carrie carefully mentor and support the veterinarians and support staff in all locations to try to provide the best care possible in the most healthy work environment possible. We are beyond proud of the professionals who are here to serve you. We think you will find them to be extremely capable, caring, and committed to your success.
VETERINARIANS
DR. NICOLE SHEEHAN, DVM, CVA, CVCH, CVFT
Veterinarian, Hospital Director
DR. CARRIE UEHLEIN, DVM, CVA
Veterinarian, Medical Director
ASSOCIATE VETERINARIANS
Dr. Zoe Forward, DAVBP (canine/feline)
Veterinarian
Dr. Melissa Kerns, DVM
Veterinarian
Dr. Megan Comeaux, DVM
Veterinarian
DR. HEATHER LINEN, DVM
Veterinarian
DR. HANNA ANDREWS, DVM
Veterinarian
Dr. Meghan Hall, DVM
Veterinarian
Dr. Marian Benitez, DVM, MS Diplomate, ACVS-SA
Veterinarian
MANAGERS
Kristin Brown
Practice Manager
Kristin's Bio
Education: The University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Hometown: Indian Trail, NC
Pets: Penny and Hazel (dogs)
Kristin has been in the veterinary field since 2006 and has been a part of the management team at Whole Pet Veterinary Hospital Davidson since its opening in 2013. She grew up in Indian Trail, NC, and received her B.A. in psychology from UNC-Charlotte.
Kristin is a huge supporter of animal rescue and adoption. She is a pit bull advocate and loves to educate people on this misunderstood breed.
Kristin became Fear Free certified in 2019 and tries to make every visit less stressful for both pet owners and their pets. She is also a member of the Veterinary Hospital Managers Association (VHMA).
She lives in the Lake Norman area with her husband and 2 children. On any given night, you can find her eating tacos and drinking margaritas – Mexican food is her fav! She also enjoys being outdoors, reading, taking weekend trips to the beach or Charleston, listening to music (she’ll beat you in music trivia!), and family movie nights.
Linda Hood
Client Service Manager
Linda's Bio
Education: Glassboro University
Hometown: Mt. Laurel, NJ
Pets: Kevin and Charlie (yellow labs)
Linda grew up in New Jersey but moved to North Carolina in 2005 with her husband.
After spending over 20 years in the clinical research field, the move to North Carolina allowed her to pursue a career that reflected her love of animals: working at a doggie daycare/boarding facility. During those 13 years, she got to experience the joy of seeing cats and dogs every day.
Over the years of caring for her fur children, she was introduced to and excited about the holistic treatments available to treat many different conditions that her pets were experiencing. She is excited to be a part of this practice and to learn about this area of pet care. She is also Fear Free Certified.
In her spare time, she likes to hike, bike, and hang out with friends and family.
Heather Tamulionis
Assistant Practice Manager, RVT
Heather's Bio
Education: Johnson & Wales University
Hometown: West Bridgewater, MA
Pets: Floyd, Arya, and Mildred (dogs)
Heather was born and raised in southeast Massachusetts. She relocated to Huntersville with her husband and daughter, Lydia. She has been in the veterinary field since 2012 but has had a love for animals since she was young. She grew up with every animal you can think of. Dogs, cats, goats, ducks, pigs—you name it!
Heather grew up as a horse girl and has been riding for 23 years. In her free time, you can find her at the barn, hiking, or walking her dogs. You can also find her running with her German Shepherd, Mildred.
Heather is excited to be a part of the practice and to learn more about the holistic approach!
Patient Care Team
Kayleigh Brooks
Lead Registered Veterinary Technician
Kayleigh's Bio
Education: Gaston College
From: North Carolina
Pets: Ruby and Crabcake (dogs)
Born and raised in North Carolina, Kayleigh has had a love for animals her whole life. Kayleigh comes to us as a registered technician, graduating from Gaston College in 2008. Kayleigh has a passion for exotic animals and supporting animal charities, her favorite being the World Wildlife Fund. Her favorite part of veterinary medicine is hands-on nursing care and helping the animals recover after illness, injury, or surgery. Kayleigh loves continuing education courses and gaining more knowledge to bring to her position as a technician. She has two dogs of her own: Ruby, a sweet Chihuahua, and Crabcake, an adorable Chiweenie. In her free time, Kayleigh loves to spend time with friends and family. Her favorite place to vacation is Ocean Isle, and she tries to visit as often as she can. She loves loves loves Christmas and enjoys buying decorations and decorating for the holiday.
Megan Clark
Lead Registered Veterinary Technician
Megan's Bio
Education: Miami Jacobs Career College
Hometown: Sidney, OH
Pets: Jordyn, Carmen, and Stella (dogs)
Megan is from a small town in Ohio. She moved to Huntersville in the summer of 2012 after finishing college to pursue a job as a licensed veterinary technician.
Megan got married in September 2016 and bought a house in Huntersville. She currently has three dogs: Jordyn, Carmen, and Stella.
Megan is obsessed with Corgis and anything to do with Corgis.
In her free time, she loves shopping, going to the pool or lake, country music, finding new trails with the pups, and exploring parts of the Charlotte area she hasn’t been to, and spending time with her husband and fur kids. She also enjoys crafting and sewing when she isn’t out and about.
Alexandria Bacon
Registered Veterinary Technician
Alexandria's Bio
Education: Penn Foster College
Hometown: Cornelius, NC
Pets: Zeus, Arrow, Chopstick (Chops), and Ralph
Alex was born and raised right here in Cornelius, NC! She’s been volunteering with animal hospitals since she was 16 and has been working in the veterinary field since 2020, earning her RVT license in 2022. Alex enjoys working with the more holistic approaches to medicine and is striving to learn more about herbal therapies!
Outside of her days at Whole Pet, Alex enjoys travelling, shopping, brunch, and spending time on the lake with her husband and their daughter.
Breanna Coughlin
Lead Veterinary Assistant
Breanna's Bio
Hometown: Davidson, NC
Pets: Peter and Simon (cats)
Breanna grew up right here in Davidson, North Carolina. She has always loved animals and knew from a young age that she wanted to be a veterinarian. In 2016, she interned at Whole Pet Veterinary Hospital to gain experience as a technician. After leaving Davidson to attend Elon University for a biology degree, she moved back in 2018 to work at Whole Pet again. She plans on applying to veterinary schools in the future with the hopes of becoming a doctor. She is also Fear Free Certified. She loves music and traveling; if she could spend all her money on concerts and plane tickets, she would! While at home, she enjoys reading and snuggling with her cats, Peter and Simon.
Julie Generi
Lead Veterinary Assistant
Julie's Bio
Education: Ashworth College
Hometown: Long Island, NY
Pets: Freydo, Oreo, Pringle, Drake, and Gizmo (cats); Jax (Rottweiler)
Julie is originally from Long Island, NY but moved to North Carolina when she was 10 years old.
She has been working in veterinary medicine since high school. In 2015, she earned certification in veterinary assisting from Ashworth College.
Her interests include supporting her local sports teams…Go Panthers! Go Hornets! She also enjoys going to concerts and watching horror movies.
Lynne Prowker
Lead Veterinary Assistant
Lynne's Bio
Education: Kent State University
Hometown: Kent, Ohio
Pets: DD and Ida Mae (dogs), Rascal (cat), Maddie Medusa and Clove (snakes), Jerry and Elizabeth (parakeets), and fish
Animals and their care have always been a huge part of Lynne’s life. She was raised on a small family farm in northeastern Ohio. Growing up, she was very active in both equine and beef 4-H. She was able to gain some experience with exotics managing a pet store while studying at Kent State. Her family then moved to North Carolina, and she went to work for The Institute of Environmental Toxicology at Clemson University working in wildlife research. She then moved back to North Carolina and found her calling as a veterinary assistant and has been blessed to do this job for the past 25 years!
She is very excited to be joining our family and learning how to better help our furry friends by combining traditional and holistic medicine. She is also Fear Free Certified.
In her free time, she enjoys boating and fishing with her husband and son, as well as rehabbing the occasional baby squirrel.
Katie Chami
Lead Veterinary Assistant
Katie's Bio
Education: Colorado State University
Pets: Pickles, Carolina, Thatch, and Bauer (dogs), Calypso (cat)
Katie is new to the Lake Norman area and veterinary medicine but has been working in the pet industry since 2007. She has a bachelor’s degree in equine sciences and business from Colorado State University. Katie grew up riding horses and working in barns.
She has 8 years of working in a natural pet store that specialized in holistic nutrition and care.
Outside of work, Katie enjoys gardening, hiking with her dogs, and playing and watching ice hockey. She has also taken 2 of her dogs to national dog agility competitions.
Amanda Villanti
Veterinary Assistant
Amanda's Bio
When she isn’t at work, she is known to be at the gym, spending time with family and friends or her two pups, Hayleigh (Boxer) and Goose (Pitbull/Chow/Akita mix).
Kendel Godfrey
Veterinary Assistant, CCMT
Kendel's Bio
Education: Gaston College
Hometown: Fort Lawn, SC
Pets: Wednesday (cat), Karm (sugar glider), and Gabby (dog)
Kendel was born in Fort Lawn, SC, and her soft spot for animals started at a young age, spending most of her time outdoors growing up alongside exotics, horses, dogs, cats, and all sorts of critters. Kendel moved to Charlotte when she was seven, and her love for animals continued growing. She has worked at animal shelters and in stables prior to landing a job at a veterinary practice. While there, she gained over four years of experience handling animals as well as exotics, which hold a special place in her heart. While working, she also obtained an associate degree in arts from Gaston College.
In her free time, Kendel enjoys hiking the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, painting, and chilling with her rescues: Wednesday (cat), Karm (sugar glider), and Gabby (standard poodle), who have finally adopted her roommates as part of the family instead of terrorizing them.
Kendel is excited to be a part of our team and learn more about our holistic approach to provide the best care for your pet! She is also Fear Free Certified.
Candace Craven
Lead Veterinary Assistant
Candace's Bio
Education: UNC-Charlotte
Hometown: Mooresville, NC
Pets: Cheeze (golden retriever), Cody (Mixed)
Candace originally grew up in upstate New York, but considers Mooresville her hometown.
She has three sons who keep her busy traveling up and down the east coast wrestling year round.
Candace loves reading, movies, traveling, and of course wrestling.
Candace has been in the veterinary field for 19 years. Work-wise, she loves learning new things and her main focus is always the client and making sure they leave happy.
Keri Basher
Lead Surgery Assistant
Keri's Bio
Being in surgery every day, she sees a wide variety of procedures, but orthopedic and dental procedures are her favorite! Nothing brings her joy quite like a good underbite/overbite in a patient.
Keri and her husband have quite the acquired crew of rescued furkids. Their dog Taco had six other homes by one year of age before coming home with them. He was an incredibly fearful pup, but with their help he is learning to let his guard down day by day and to feel what it is to have a happy home. Their cat Gouda came from the Hurricane Dorian crew that Whole Pet fostered and found homes for in 2019 and their cat Keeper was a stray found hiding under a house.
When Keri isn’t keeping things moving in surgery she can be found spending time at the beach, in the mountains, or cooking with her husband, Brett. Who knows, she may even be throwing a bowl on her pottery wheel or settling in with a glass of wine and a good book.
Keri knows no strangers and loves making all of our surgery patients feel at home. She is happy to have found Whole Pet, and we are happy she did!
Julian Coppola
Technician Assistant
Julian's Bio
Education: Gardner-Webb University, CPCC
Julian grew up in the University City area and moved to Cornelius in 2010. He graduated from Community School of Davidson. He is currently working toward an associate’s degree in Criminal Justice at CPCC. He enjoys being outdoors. He is an Eagle Scout. For his project, he built a roof for a bird cage at the Carolina Raptor Center. Julian has always had a connection to animals. He is happy to be a part of the Whole Pet staff. He likes sports. His teams are the Panthers, Hornets, Knights, Hurricanes, Checkers, and Charlotte FC
Courtney Draper
Veterinary Assistant
Courtney's Bio
Courtney is from Greensboro, NC. She grew up riding horses and originally wanted to work with large animals, however, the wonderful world of cats and dogs won her over! Courtney graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Animal Sciences and dove into the vetmed world headfirst. One of her favorite parts of veterinary medicine is developing relationships with clients and their pets to provide the best care possible.
She and her boyfriend have 3 dogs (a Husky, German Shepherd and Golden Retriever), as well as a cat. Her cat sometimes wears a hat…which Courtney crocheted, because it is a passion of hers (feel free to scroll back on our instagram feed @wholepetvets for proof, it’s something you don’t want to miss). Aside from crocheting hats for animals, Courtney is also fond of caring for her plants and is an avid coffee addict lover.
Samantha S.
Veterinary Assistant
Samantha's Bio
Sam is originally from Long Island, NY but moved to NC in 2022! She started in the vet field about 6 years ago after adopting her two pitbulls. With the stigma around the breed and seeing how many end up in bad situations her love for animals and vet med began. She earned a certification in veterinary assisting from Molloy College and is also Fear Free certified! Sam is excited to continue learning more about the holistic/integrative approach that we take on at Whole Pet. During her free time, you can find Sam out in the sun, spending time with her fiance, Brian, and traveling.
Pets: Rex and Bay (pitbulls) and Xena (florida king snake)
Emily Rogers
Veterinary Assistant
Emily's Bio
Emily is originally from Long Island, NY, but moved to NC when she was ten. She has her AA in Fine Arts from Mitchell Community College and a BA in Sociology from App State (Go ‘Neers!). Emily started in the animal field in 2021 with a boarding and daycare position. She wasn’t particularly interested in vet med at first, but after working with the animals in the boarding facility, her passion for vet med was born, and she is now enrolled in the Penn Foster RVT program! Emily has a dog, Rhaegar (ACD mix), and a cat named Te’Kay (tuxedo bobtail). Her dog Rhaegar has his novice trick dog title (NTD) through Do More With Your Dog! In her free time, Emily loves reading, training with Rhaegar, and hiking with her husband.
Kaitlyn Cook
Veterinary Assistant
Kaitlyn's Bio
Kaitlyn has a Shih tzu named Biscuit and a Domestic Shorthair cat named Gravy. The ultimate name combo! When she’s not at work helping animals, she can usually be spotted at an anime convention, reading or being creative with cosplay. In fact, she has participated in several anime convention competitions involving singing and dancing and has won multiple awards! We are excited to see how Kaitlyn wins over our patients and clients at Whole Pet!
Ava Kishpaugh
Veterinary Assistant
Ava's Bio
Client Care Team
Kelly Carpenter
Client Care Rep
Kelly's Bio
Kelly was born and raised in Western Pennsylvania and moved to Charlotte in 1988. She’s called Huntersville home since 1992. She enjoys the Lake Norman area and resides with her husband, Todd, and two sons, Cameron and Dawson.
In her spare time, she likes to watch movies, shop, and enjoy family time at the beach.
Taylor Hayes
Client Care Rep
Taylor's Bio
Meet Taylor! Taylor was born and raised in Greensboro, NC along with her brother and sisters, being the middle child of five! Did you catch that? Taylor drives from GREENSBORO to care for our clients and patients! When she’s not here answering phone calls and emails, she can be found spending time with her fiancé or cuddling up with the both of her cats, Fitzgerald and Lou! Taylor enjoys learning new things and hopes to further her knowledge within Whole Pet, we couldn’t be happier to have her on our team!
Cailyn Muiselak
Client Care Rep
Cailyn's Bio
Cailyn is originally from Jacksonville Florida! She has always had a soft spot for animals. When asked to choose between animals and humans…animals always win (a difficult stance to argue!). She has a passion and a gift for helping clients help their pets and it shows! Cailyn and her husband have a dog, Juniper (lab) and two cats, Autumn (calico) and Chip (tabby).
When she isn’t greeting clients at the door, she can be found out paddle boarding, doing yoga, reading or fully immersing herself in a puzzle.
Lizette Espinoza
Client Care Rep
Lizette's Bio
Lizette has always had a love for animals, so what better career path than the veterinary field? She has two spunky chihuahua mixes, Brewski and Dumpling and loves spending time with them when she isn’t helping clients and patients. She also loves hiking, working out and spending time with her fiance!