Contributing Veterinarians
Leonie McKinlay, DVM
Dr. Leonie McKinlay has always had a special fondness for animals and knew from a very young age that she wanted to be a veterinarian.
She worked diligently to make her dream a reality, obtaining her Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology from the University of Calgary and then her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in 2011.
After four cold winters on the prairies, she decided to retire her snow shovel and relocate to beautiful Vancouver Island, Canada. Since graduation, Dr. McKinlay has been working at the same small animal practice, caring for dogs and cats. Dr. McKinlay took over ownership of the practice in 2014.
One of Dr. McKinlay’s favorite aspects of her job is translating complicated medical knowledge into engaging and easily understood information for clients.
This passion for client communication inspired her to branch further into veterinary and medical writing and editing. She has completed a medical writing course through Stanford University and is currently enrolled in the UCSD-Extension Certificate in Medical Writing program.
In her spare time, Dr. McKinlay loves to read, garden, and spend time outdoors with her husband and two daughters. She also shares her home with an English cocker spaniel named Archie and two cats named Abby and Mr. Meow.
Sara Redding Ochoa, DVM
Sara Redding Ochoa, DVM, was raised in north Louisiana, where she had many different types of animals ranging from dogs and cats to chickens and turkeys. Since she was a little girl, she knew she wanted to become a veterinarian.
In 2011, Dr. Ochoa graduated from Louisiana Tech University with a Bachelor’s degree in animal science, and in 2015 she graduated from St. George’s University in Grenada with a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine.
She spent time in Grenada helping with sea turtle conservation and even learned to scuba dive. She also volunteered her time helping at spay and neuter clinics as well as working at a local veterinary clinic.
After graduating, she has been working at a small animal and exotic veterinary clinic in east Texas, where she has experience treating all species that walk in the hospital.
Dr. Ochoa’s professional interests include surgery and exotic animal medicine. She really enjoys spending time with clients teaching them about the proper care for their animals.
When Dr. Ochoa is not at the clinic treating animals, she likes to spend her free time with her husband Greg and her 4-legged fur kids, a dog Ruby, a cat Oliver James ”OJ”, and a tortoise Monkey-Man.
Edele Grey, DVM
Born and raised on a farm in Ireland, Edele grew up with a menagerie of pets and rescues ranging from hedgehogs to horses. From the age of 4, she declared she would be a veterinarian when she grew up.
Edele graduated with honors from University College Dublin, Ireland, with a Bachelor’s degree in Science in 2008 and obtained her degree in Veterinary Medicine there in 2013.
Since graduation, Edele has continued her education with post-graduate certification in Equine Sports Medicine and recently completed the modules for a Certificate of Advanced Practitioner Status with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.
Edele has worked with companion, production animal, and exotic species during her career to date with a particular interest in surgery and pain management.
Passionate about all her patients, Edele enjoys helping clients learn about the best way to care for their animals so they can live long and happy lives together.
Rarely seen without her canine side-kick, Edele spends her free time outdoors with her horses, hiking, and traveling home to Ireland to spend time with family.
Ivana Crnec, DVM
Ivana was born in 1992, in Bitola, Republic of Macedonia. After finishing high school, she graduated from the University Sv. Kliment Ohridski, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Bitola.
During the faculty years, she participated in several international Zoo and Wildlife preservation projects and wrote researches published in international journals.
She spent the faculty summer breaks volunteering in two private veterinary practices – Fiziovet and Kreszinger in Zagreb, Croatia.
In 2015 Ivana finished a course and achieved an internationally approved certificate for HAACP system implementation. In 2016 she got certified as a canine nutritionist.
Currently, she is on postgraduate specialty studies at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Zagreb. The area of specialization is Pathology of Domestic Carnivores.
She regularly attends international veterinary seminars, conferences, and exhibitions. Her research has been published in international journals.
Iulia Mihai, DVM
Iulia Mihai is a DVM specializing in domestic carnivores and rodents, especially rats. She graduated from the University of Agronomical Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Bucharest, Romania, and has a Master’s degree in Small Animals and Equines Pathology and a strong affinity for veterinary parasitology, internal medicine, and laboratory.
In 2013, Iulia started her Ph.D. in epithelial cancer in dogs and cats. Her research has been published in national and international veterinary journals. She is also certified in HAACP food safety system implementation.
Iulia volunteered at the faculty’s clinic in her third year of study and continued to pursue her career in small animal pathology and laboratory.
Currently, she has two cats, three rats, and one African clawer frog and considers her pets to be lucky to have the vet at home!
Abdul Basit Javed, DVM
Abdul Basit Javed has loved animals since his childhood and used to watch animal documentaries for the whole day as a kid. Dr. Jan Pol from Nat Geo Wild was his inspiration for becoming a vet, and Abdul loved to watch his TV show.
Abdul has a DVM degree from Riphah College of Veterinary Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan. His favorite subject throughout his DVM was small animal surgery.
He has worked with all kinds of animals, from livestock to pets. Over the years, he has worked with large animals, avians, small animals, and exotic animals as well. Currently, he is working as a small animal veterinarian at Alpha Pet Care Clinic.
Abdul loves to advise people about feeding and caring for their pets and considers it the most important part of his job. In his opinion, there is a lot of misinformation about pets circulating on the internet, and not every fact is true. Therefore, he wants to help pet owners find the right information to ensure their pet’s health.