Dr. Paul Veralli

Medical Director, Veterinarian

Dr. Paul Veralli has always had a deep-seated passion for animals thanks to the dogs and cats his family kept while he was growing up. By the time junior high rolled around, Dr. Veralli’s interest in science was blossoming. For him, a career in veterinary medicine was the perfect way to mix his fascination of science with his long-standing adoration of animals!

Dr. Veralli grew up in an Italian family in Mamaroneck, New York. After attending Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, he studied at Oregon State University before completing his veterinary degree at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Veralli practiced veterinary medicine for many years in Massachusetts, Vermont, and Colorado before arriving here at The Animal Hospital in a relief capacity. After a year and a half, he took the opportunity to become the facility’s owner and Medical Director.

Dr. Veralli and his wife have five grown children and four wonderful grandchildren. They share their home with a Shih Tzu named Ebony and a Lhasa/Shih Tzu mix named Winston. When he isn’t spending time with his family or tending to the needs of pets here at The Animal Hospital, Dr. Veralli likes biking, hiking, gardening, and enjoying food and wine.

Dr. Megan Brandt

Associate Veterinarian

Megan is an associate veterinarian with The Animal Hospital. She grew up in Houston, Texas. She completed her veterinary education at Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine. She is Fear Free Certified which a tremendous help to treat our furry friends. She wanted to be a veterinarian since the age of six. The idea of helping animals has been an integral part of her life since childhood. She currently lives in Niwot with her husband and one year old son. She moved to Colorado this year and is enjoying the hiking and skiing available in her new community. She also likes golfing, crafting and watching baseball. She is a huge anglophile and lived in London for a short time while in college.

Dr. Renee Nankervis

Associate Veterinarian

Renee rejoined our team in November 2018. She is originally from California. She did her undergraduate degree and Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine at Colorado State University. She enjoys spending time with animals and the challenge of science/medicine. In her spare time, Renee enjoys equestrian sports, quilting, and photography.

Dr. Emily Thetford-Smith

Associate Veterinarian

Emily is a Colorado native, born and raised in Boulder County.   She earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from Bard College in the Hudson Valley, New York. After college, Dr. Thetford spent 4 years living and working in Paris, France, before she was called back to her lifelong dream of becoming a veterinarian.

Dr. Thetford earned her veterinary degree from the University of Edinburgh in beautiful Scotland and has been practicing as a small animal veterinarian since 2014. She worked in Oklahoma City in general practice as well as emergency and critical care medicine prior to returning to Colorado and joining the team at The Animal Hospital in 2019. Her interests include dermatology, dentistry, internal medicine and critical care. She is passionate about fostering the bond between people and their animal companions.

In her time away from the clinic, Dr. Thetford enjoys spending time with her husband, Adil, cat, Lula, and two dogs, Bug and Mimi. She loves hiking, cooking, arts and cinema, and traveling to new places.   

Carla

Certified Veterinary Technician, Practice Manager

Carla used to work in the business field before making the decision to change careers. She wanted a job where she could utilize her strong client education skills, exercise her desire to help others, and spend time around adorable pets—the veterinary profession was the perfect fit! Now Carla is a Certified Veterinary Technician here at The Animal Hospital.

Carla grew up in North Dakota and first came to Colorado to attend Colorado State University. She enjoyed the area’s weather and people so much that she decided to come back after graduating! She joined The Animal Hospital family in late 2014.

In her free time, Carla enjoys hiking, camping, boating, fishing, and spending time with her trio of rescued dogs.

Kim

Certified Veterinary Technician, Lead Technician

Kim has always known that she wanted to work in the healthcare profession, but it wasn’t until she was in nursing school that she realized where her heart truly lay. Her life-long adoration of animals won her over, and she decided to become a veterinary professional!

Originally from Minnesota, Kim moved with her family to Colorado when she was 10 years old. She received her Veterinary Technician’s certification in 1998, and joined the team here at The Animal Hospital in the fall of 2004.

The diversity of the job is Kim’s favorite part of her work; no two days are ever the same, and she can’t imagine doing anything else! She also loves making patients feel as comfortable as possible and working alongside her fellow staff members, many of whom are just like family to her.

Kim lives with her boyfriend, Scott, his twin boys, and her own two boys. The family shares their home with a pair of cats, Callie and Otis, as well as three dogs: Buster, a Jack Russell/Springer spaniel mix, Rottweiler mix Coco, and a Bluetick Coonhound/Yorkshire terrier mix named Cowboy.

Dani

Veterinary Technician

Danielle has felt a kinship with the earth’s creatures ever since she was young, and always suspected that she would love a career in the animal care field. Now, she’s been helping to improve the lives of pets as a veterinary professional for over 20 years!

Danielle grew up in Florida and relocated permanently to Colorado with her family in 2012 after first falling in love with the state during a snowmobiling trip in 2004. Her veterinary origins stretch back to 1995 when she accepted a kennel position before working her way up into a Veterinary Technician role. She became a member of The Animal Hospital team in the summer of 2016, and couldn’t be happier to serve the pets and animal owners of the area alongside her skilled and caring coworkers. Danielle’s favorite part of the job is being able to learn something new every day—no two shifts are ever quite the same!

When she isn’t caring for the area’s critters here at the hospital or spending time with family and friends at home, Danielle likes drag racing and other motorsports, snowmobiling, and enjoying the company of her own pets. She and her husband have three animal companions: a dog, Chance, and two rescued cats named Beck and Chevy who relocated from Florida with Danielle.

Brittany

Veterinary Technician

Brittany grew up in Colorado Springs. Since she was in elementary school, she loved animals. She always knew she wanted to work with them. Brittany would bring home any and all stray animals to give them a home or help them if injured. Brittany has two Alaskan Malamutes, Chevayo and Chetahna, plus two cats, Menace and Precious. Brittany has just welcomed twins to her family. She now has 3 boys and 1 girl. She is busy taking care of her family, taking them to school plus football and baseball practice. In her free time, Brittany likes to spend time with her family. She is an avid Broncos fan. She also likes to go on bike rides and to play legos with her sons. She is also a fraternal twin herself.

Melissa

Veterinary Technician

Melissa grew up in Arvada Colorado. She has always had a passion for animals, starting at a young age. Before she was even sixteen, she helped deliver 2 litters of puppies, a litter of kittens and treated a puppy with parvo virus at home. Melissa comes from a large tight-knit family and they have been very supportive of everything. She enjoys camping, fishing, hunting and cars. Melissa has a five year old lab mix named Remi.

Darlene

Receptionist

For Darlene, nothing is more satisfying than knowing she’s helping a family take care of their beloved animal companion. As a pet owner herself, she knows firsthand how much joy these special friends can bring! Darlene has served the area’s pets and owners here at The Animal Hospital since March of 2015.

At home, Darlene and her husband, Jerry, live with one dog. Phoebe Butterbean is a young Goldendoodle who enjoys holding hands and cuddling. She’s also quite good at opening doors and bringing Darlene and Jerry their shoes!

Tabitha

Receptionist

Tabitha grew up in a small Oklahoma town, where her childhood dog, Hershey, was her constant companion. She learned early on in life exactly how valuable our beloved pets are. She’s always wanted to do her part to give something back. As a veterinary professional, Tabitha gets to do just that on a daily basis.

Tabitha holds a degree in biology and has long been fascinated by plants, animals, and nature. She moved here to Longmont with her husband in 2011, and it wasn’t long before she had signed on at another local veterinary hospital. After a year and a half, Tabitha jumped at the chance to join The Animal Hospital family in October of 2016, and she’s been helping the area’s pets here ever since.

When she isn’t tending to the pets’ needs here at the hospital, Tabitha can be found reading, gardening, working on home-improvement projects, and spending time with her family. She and her husband, Zack, live in Longmont with one pet, a betta fish named Sheldon.

Alicia

Receptionist

Alicia grew up in a small farming town in Minnesota, where animals were simply a natural part of life. She’s never taken for granted the true value that pets provide for families, and has always wanted to act as an advocate for their well-being and healthcare. Alicia is able to do just that as a member of The Animal Hospital team!
Alicia moved to Colorado in 2013 and began working at another local pet hospital shortly afterward. It was then that she met Vicki, The Animal Hospital’s very own Practice Manager, who convinced Alicia to join the compassionate and talented team here at the clinic. Alicia now serves as a receptionist, and particularly loves cuddling with adorable furry visitors and hearing wonderful stories from the area’s pet owners.

Away from work, Alicia is an avid hiker—she recently climbed her first “14-er!” She also enjoys spending quality time with her family at home. Alicia and her husband share their lives with a stubborn Shih Tzu named Willy Wonka and an energetic Yellow Labrador puppy, Stout.

Kristina

Receptionist and Tech Assistant

Kristina was born and raised in Longmont. She graduated Niwot High School. Growing up, she always had animals plus she worked for several years at a doggie day care. She continued to expand her skills by working at a grooming facility for about three years. She realized she wanted to actually care for pets not just groom them. She is very interested in continue to expand her knowledge and become a veterinary technician in the future. In her free time, she likes to travel. Kristina enjoys driving through the Colorado Mountains with her family and it helps relieve stress. She also likes to cook and her favorite recipe is Chicken Marsala. She and her husband have three pitbulls (Kricket, Bingo, and Talla).