FACULTY

Allison Heaney

DVM, MS, DACVIM (Cardiology) 

Dr. Allison Heaney started her veterinary career as both an emergency and a primary care veterinarian. She draws on this experience to truly understand the challenges faced by referring veterinarians, as well as the diverse needs of patients and their owners. Dr. Heaney prides herself on her compassion, communication, and ability to build a comprehensive alliance with owners and referring veterinarians in the management of difficult cardiac cases. Dr. Heaney has been practicing veterinary cardiology in Colorado since 2009, and founded Petcardia Veterinary Cardiology (now a part of CVCA) in 2013.

Dr. Heaney began her cardiology training at Kansas State University in 2003 and received an ACVIM Diplomate in Cardiology in 2006. She was an Assistant Professor of Cardiology at Washington State University, where she was awarded a Young Investigator Award by the Journal of Veterinary Cardiology, and has additional publications in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, American Journal of Veterinary Research, Journal of Veterinary Clinical Pathology, and Veterinary Pathology.

Dr. Heaney also believes that service to the profession is one of the essential requirements of a Diplomate. She has remained active within the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, serving on the following ACVIM Committees: Nominating Committee, Residency Training Committee, Cardiology Credentials Committee, and Cardiology Exam Committee.

When not working, Dr. Heaney spends as much time as possible with her family: husband, Adam; two sons, Leo and Max; a five-year-old pit-bull mix named Tess; and a three-year-old beagly-dachshundy-thing named Copper.

Bonnie Wright

DVM, DACVAA, CVMA, CVPP, CCRP, CCRT

Dr. Bonnie Wright was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She accomplished her DVM at Colorado State University and a residency in Anesthesia and Critical Patient Care at The University of California, Davis. 

Dr. Wright is board certified in Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia. She has earned certificates in Medical Acupuncture, Veterinary Pain Practitioner, Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner, Canine Rehabilitation Therapist and advanced training in canine musculo-skeletal imaging and regenerative medicine.  She is the founder and CEO of Evidence Based Veterinary Acupuncture (EBVA). 

Dr. Wright now divides her time between Colorado and Hawaii. She works and teaches in the areas of anesthesia, pain medicine, medical acupuncture, regenerative medicine and rehabilitation. She has two adult sons, several wonderful dogs, half of a horse, and an unknown number of wild hogs. She spends her free-time exercising and building her off-grid Hawaiian farm with her wife.

Gwen Lombard

DVM, MS

Gwen earned her DVM 1990 and her MS in 1993 from Colorado State University. After her schooling, she spent 15 years in small animal veterinary practices in Wisconsin and Colorado where she developed a special interest in surgery, ultrasonography and emergency medicine.

After many years in veterinary practice, she was drawn back to her other passion-education. She has enjoyed educating veterinary nurses for the past 18 years-teaching at Front Range Community College Veterinary Technology Program (Fort Collins, Colorado). She has taught many classes over the years-Clinical laboratory procedures, Pharmacology, Nutrition, Internship coordinator, Emergency and Critical Care-but her main passion is teaching Veterinary Anatomy/Physiology, Anesthesiology-with a special interest in pain management.

While teaching, Gwen continues to volunteer with various non-profit spay/neuter programs providing surgery, and education in Africa, and Mexico. In her spare time, she enjoys photography, horseback riding and spending time with her grown children.

Hannah Gallagher

PT, DPT, CCRT

Hannah Gallagher is a physical therapist with additional certification and licensing in canine rehab and animal physical therapy. She completed her BS degree in Kinesiology - Motor Neuroscience from Texas A&M in 2012, then her Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Angelo State University in 2015.

She worked in the field of human physical therapy before completing her coursework as a Certified Canine Rehabilitation Therapist through the Canine Rehabilitation Institute in 2018. After moving to Colorado, she continued to work in human physical therapy in both home health and outpatient orthopedic and sports medicine care while also working as an animal physical therapist at a general practice beginning in 2019.

She joined the team at VCA Veterinary Specialists of Northern Colorado in January 2023 to work exclusively in animal physical therapy. When Hannah isn’t in the clinic, she enjoys spending time with her family and being outdoors as much as possible.

Jeanine Freeberg

PT, DPT, C/NDT

Jeanine received her Bachelor’s of Science in Physical Therapy in 1998 from Northern Illinois University and her Transitional Doctorate in Physical Therapy (DPT) from Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science in 2007. She is a pediatric certified neurodevelopmental therapist. Beginning in 1998, Jeanine worked as a pediatric physical therapist in a variety of settings.

Jeanine has worked in the veterinary rehabilitation field for over 20 years. Beginning in 2002, she worked in veterinary rehabilitation clinics in the Chicagoland area for 10 years. She realized that pets may benefit from the home health aspect, having seen the positive effects for her pediatric patients, and started Little Steps, Big Strides For Pets, specializing in mobile canine rehabilitation in the Chicagoland area.

Jeanine has co-presented at national and international conferences including the Illinois Physical Therapy Association, the International Association of Veterinary Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy, and the American Physical Therapy Association on the topics of canine rehabilitation and using neurodevelopmental techniques in the canine population.

Jeanine has been honored to treat K9 police officers and therapy dogs. She has co-developed and co-presented seminars on health, wellness, and injury prevention of the K9 to canine police officers in Illinois.

She has adopted three dachshunds with mobility impairments and this inspired her passion to help others learn how to care for animals with mobility impairments. Her ultimate goal is to see “Rosie’s Place”, a non-profit animal physical therapy center in honor of her dachshund, Rosie, become a reality.

Jenny Moe

PT, MS, DPT, CCRT

Dr. Moe has been a physical therapist for over 20 years, earning her Master’s and Doctorate degrees from Boston University. In 2009, Dr. Jenny left pediatrics to work in a busy specialty veterinary practice in the San Francisco Bay Area (SAGE Veterinary Centers), where she built up the rehab practice to two locations. She moved on to open a practice (Pawesome PT) in the South Lake Tahoe region in 2018 in Stateline, NV where she and Ron stayed until the pandemic led them back to San Francisco in 2020.

Dr. Jenny took the reins of Doggon' Wheels, an animal wheelchair and assistive devices company, in January 2021. Together with her husband, Ron, she continues Doggon's legacy to offer quality mobility solutions for pets of all sizes. She also sees clients focusing on myofascial release and fitness/wellness. Dr. Jenny now focuses on a mobile manual therapy practice and Doggon' Wheels back in the San Francisco area

Jenny is the current vice-president of the APTA animal physical therapy special interest group and acts as treasurer for the Animal Physical Therapy Coalition, helping to advance legislature in California for the collaboration of animal physical therapists and the veterinary community. She has lectured at the APTA combined sections meeting, been a guest speaker for universities and various groups, as well as at the STAAR conference.

When Dr. Jenny isn't seeing clients or working on the business, she and Ron train for triathlons, up to Ironman distances. Most of her free time is occupied by the furry family they share together, often at the beach. Miko (11 y.o. Australian Cattle Dog/Hound mix), Umi (5 y.o. Australian Cattle Dog), and Bondi (6 month-old Australian Cattle Dog) make up the canine crew, while Arwen and Galadriel/Gigi (8 y.o. orange tabbies), Karl the Fog (6 y.o. Russian Blue-type DSH), and Sweety (5 y.o. DSH) make up the feline crew. 

Kimberly Schmidt

RVT, VTS (Surgery)

Kimberly Schmidt received her certification as a Veterinary Technician from Bel-Rea Institute of Animal Technology located in Denver Colorado. After graduation and completion of her internship she accepted a job at Alameda East Veterinary Hospital in the surgery department. During her time at Alameda East she developed a passion for monitoring and administering anesthesia, participating in the operating room as a scrub nurse, and postoperative patient care.

Upon leaving Alameda East Veterinary Hospital, Kim decided to continue her passion for surgery and move to Northern Colorado to pursue a position at Flatiron Veterinary Specialists. Here she furthered her skills in the surgery department and became a part of the managerial team.

While at Flatiron Veterinary Hospital, Kim began teaching part time at Front Range Community College in Fort Collins Colorado in the Veterinary Technology Program. After teaching part time for one semester, she realized a new and exciting passion for teaching and joined their full time faculty. Currently, she is the program Director for the Veterinary Technology and Veterinary Assistant Programs at the Larimer campus. During this time she also was part of the organizing committee for the Veterinary Technician Specialty in Surgery and maintains her credentials with this organization.

Kimberly has decided to stay in Loveland, Colorado and pass on her passion for animals to her students and maintain a leadership role in the field of Veterinary Medicine. Being very active, she enjoys the abundant outdoor opportunities and caring for an array of animals with her husband and son.

Lisa Bedenbaugh

PT, CCRP

Lisa graduated with honors from Daemen College in 1988 with a B.S. in Physical Therapy. She has worked in multiple clinical settings, including orthopedics, neurology, home health and acute care. In 2003, she earned accreditation as a Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner (CCRP) from the University of Tennessee, and began practicing small animal physical rehabilitation. Since that time, she has transitioned from humans into companion animal therapy. She has helped to start and grow canine rehabilitation departments for four veterinary practices in Georgia, the most recent of which was for North Georgia Veterinary Specialists in Buford, Georgia, where she led a team of six rehabilitation professionals until February 2021.

She and her husband launched Canine Rehab Systems in 2011, a small business manufacturing and selling canine therapy equipment and supplies. Lisa also helped invent the K9 Hiplign, a therapeutic garment for hip dysplasia. Most recently, she launched Rising Star K9 Rehabilitation and Consulting, providing hands- on rehabilitation services and coaching/consulting services for other canine rehabilitation professionals. She co-authored an independent study course for the APTA entitled “Evaluation of the Canine Rehabilitation Patient”, published in 2014. Lisa has spoken both locally and internationally on topics related to canine rehabilitation, including at the Australian Physiotherapy Association’s conference in 2012, the International Association for Veterinary Rehab and Physical Therapy Symposium in 2014, and the American Physical Therapy Association’s annual conference in 2015 and 2022.

Lisa McHale

MPT, CCRT

Lisa McHale, MPT received her Master's in Physical Therapy from Washington University in St Louis, Missouri in 1994. She has worked for 25 years as a pediatric physical therapist in a myriad of settings: the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab, a children's teaching hospital, schools and the home health setting. Lisa has extensive knowledge in neurorehab, wound care, prosthetics and splint fabrication. In 2021. she began working in animal rehabilitation in the home health setting at Little Steps, Big Strides, For Pets, transferring all her experience form the pediatric world for the betterment of her canine clients.

Lisa became invested in working with dogs in 2016 when her beloved dog Gracie was diagnosed with AA luxation (AA luxation caused her to become paralyzed and incontinent.) Gracie's diagnosis led Lisa on a journey of exploring different avenues of canine rehabilitation to decrease pain and improve mobility and opened her eyes to how her knowledge of physical therapy was very beneficial in helping Gracie have as normal of life as possible. Lisa has 5 small dogs, fosters medically fragile dogs for Trio Animal Foundation, and is certified in canine rehabilitation from the Canine Rehabilitation Institute.

Lori Prantil

MPS, DVM, DACVIM (Nutrition)

Dr. Lori Prantil MPS, DVM, DACVIM (Nutrition) is a board-certified veterinary nutritionist. She graduated from Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine in the United States.

Following graduation she completed an internship in small animal medicine and surgery at an emergency and referral hospital and then returned to the Cummings School for a residency in clinical nutrition.

After completing her residency, Dr. Prantil worked at VCA South Shore (Weymouth) Animal Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts USA where she managed the VCA Nutrition Service until joining Royal Canin in Aimargues, France as a member of the global Research and Development (R&D) team.

Michael Green

DVM, DACVS

Dr. Mike Green is a Colorado native who enjoys all outdoor activities that the Rocky Mountain region has to offer. Following graduation from CSU Veterinary College in 2006, he did a rotating small animal internship at Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine. He followed this with a surgical internship at Sage Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Centers in Northern California where he subsequently remained for a three year surgical residency.

His special interest is orthopedics although he is adept in all disciplines of surgery. Mike compliments the mission of CanineIQ with an enthusiasm for the diagnosis and treatment of a variety of orthopedic ailments and has worked in collaboration with multiple physical therapists that have transitioned to the veterinary field. He understands the importance of a multimodal approach to the management of a variety of orthopedic and neurologic disease processes, and is excited to introduce new information, as well as reinforce the concepts and skills already possessed by those with physical therapy backgrounds as it pertains to veterinary patients.

Mike’s outside interests include fly-fishing, bird-watching, photography, hiking, and traveling the back roads of Colorado. His two beautiful daughters keep him busy with all of their activities as well.

Ria Acciani

MPT, CCRP

 Ria Acciani graduated with her MPT degree at The University of St. Augustine, FL, and trained directly with Stanley V. Paris, PT, PhD, FAPTA. Upon graduating she concentrated on outpatient orthopedics and Early Intervention/Pediatrics. She combined her love for animals, sports and PT to specialize in canine rehabilitation in 2000. Ria received her certification (CCRP) from the University of Tennessee. She is also certified in Dry Needling (IADN).

She currently owns and operates a private practice with her husband, David Acciani, PT, CCRP for the past 24 years. Advanced Canine Rehabilitation (ACR), is an orthopedic practice that focuses on rehabilitation of performance and sporting dogs and the canine companion in Warren, NJ.

Ria has travelled extensively to many regional, national, and international dog competitions, and works with top-level competitors. This led to her to be chosen to travel overseas, as the team Physical Therapist, with the IFCS US Agility Team, AKC World Team, and WAO World Team 2010-2017.

Ria has established the rehabilitation protocol for various shoulder, hip, and elbow conditions. She has developed her own Conditioning Program for sporting dogs along with other home study courses for both the sporting and companion dog. Her published work has been in JAVMA, Veterinary Surgery, Veterinary Clinics Small Animal Practice, Rehabilitation Therapy and Clean Run. Presentations include the International Rehabilitation Symposium in 2008 and 2010, Animal Rehabilitation SIG for the APTA, San Antonio at the APTA CSM for the ARSIG. She has also presented at the SCIVAC in Rimini, Italy in 2018 for Animal Rehabilitation Section and in CA for Atlas Rehabilitation for Canines. She is also an Instructor at the Symposium on Therapeutic Advances in Animal Rehabilitation (STAAR) for the last 12 years.
When not working with their clients, Ria spends time with her husband and their 3 children. They also love to be active with their 3 border collies who are learning agility, love to walk, hike and play.

Robert L. Gillette

DVM, MSE, DACVSMR

Dr. Rob Gillette received his Veterinary degree in 1988 from Kansas State University.  His interests in animal movement and performance inspired him to pursue a post-doctoral program whose major focus was on Kinesiology with a minor in Exercise Physiology.  This was through the Human Performance program at the University of Kansas and received his Masters of Science Education degree in 1998. He was Director of the Veterinary Sports Medicine program at Auburn University from 2000 to 2012. He was the Chairman of the Organizing Committee for and later first President of the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, becoming a Charter Diplomate in 2011.
 
Rob grew up with hunting dogs as pets in Central Kansas.  He was introduced to racing Greyhounds in 1985. His initial research focused on reducing racing injuries and race-related medical issues.  He expanded on this to develop methodologies to better understand optimizing performance and to use these methodologies on other athletic and working dogs.  When he went to Auburn University, he was exposed to many additional types of athletic dogs and to operational working dog kennels.  During this time, he developed and managed his athletic and working dog laboratory researching the biomechanical and physiological nuances of the elite canine.
 
Rob has over 30 years of practice experience, over 25 years’ experience with athletic and working dogs, numerous related scientific publications, and is a national and international lecturer on Athletic Dog Performance and Sports Medicine.  He has consulted and worked with many various Government and Military agencies to improve or enhance the abilities and management of working dogs.  He is currently the Director of Clinical Research at Nutramax Laboratories. 
 
Dr. Gillette’s greatest passion is his work for optimizing the performance environment and the abilities of athletic and working animals. He has vast experience in injury prevention, training methods, diet, conditioning and breeding programs.  For over 30 years he has devoted his life to research, teaching and treating the athletic animals he loves.

Laurie Edge-Hughes

BScPT, MAnimSt (Animal Physio.), CAFCI, CCRT, Cert.Sm.Anim.Acup/DryNeedling

Laurie is a physiotherapist from Calgary, Canada.  She began working with animals in the early 90’s (while studying physical therapy at the University of Alberta) and holds a Certification in Canine Rehab and a Master’s Degree in Animal Physiotherapy, as well as two certifications in medical acupuncture (human and small animal).

Laurie taught the first canine physiotherapy courses in Canada, the USA, and Australia. She is a sought-after lecturer and instructor in North America and abroad.  Her primary teaching platform is now FourLeg.com, an online educational website. Laurie co-owns and practices out of The Canine Fitness Centre in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.  She also owns and operates Two Hands Physiotherapy (a small clinic dedicated to physiotherapy needs of dog owners!)

In 2020, she was awarded the inaugural Veterinary Rehabilitation Therapist Award by the International Association of Veterinary Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy and in 2021 was awarded a Medal of Distinction by the Canadian Physiotherapy Association.  In her spare time she sits on the boards of the Animal Rehab Division of the Canadian Physiotherapy Association, the Ontario Animal Owners Association, the Alberta Animal Owners Association, and the Registry of Allied Animal Health Practitioners of Canada.  Additionally, she tends to a husband, kids, dogs, chickens, and cows.  Sleep and socializing are over-rated!

Michael R. Lappin

DVM, PhD, DACVIM  

Dr. Lappin graduated from Oklahoma State University and then completed an internship, internal medicine residency, and PhD program in Parasitology at the University of Georgia. Dr. Lappin is the Kenneth W. Smith Professor in Small Animal Clinical Veterinary Medicine at Colorado State University, is the director of the “Center for Companion Animal Studies” and he helps direct the shelter medicine program. He is the chair of the WSAVA One Health Committee. The Center is housed in the Translational Medicine Institute at CSU. His principal areas of interest are prevention of infectious diseases, the upper respiratory disease complex, infectious causes of fever, infectious causes of diarrhea, zoonoses, and nutritional management of internal medicine problems, including the use of probiotics. His research group has published over 350 primary papers or book chapters concerning small animal infectious diseases. Awards include the Norden Distinguished Teaching Award, NAVC Small Animal Speaker of the Year, the European Society of Feline Medicine International Award for Outstanding Contribution to Feline Medicine, the Winn Feline Research Award, the ACVIM Robert W. Kirk Award for Professional Excellence, the WSAVA Scientific Achievement Award, and the AVMA Clinical Research Award.

Krista Sirois

DVM, Residency Trained in Behavior  

Dr. Sirois has worked in veterinary clinics from the age of 16. She graduated in 2016 from Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine. While in school, she was very involved in the American Animal Hospital Association and in leadership of the Integrative Medicine Club. She also completed a 10-week fellowship in Clinical Pathology at Texas A&M. After graduating, she entered an internship program at VCA Veterinary Specialists of Northern Colorado. During that time, she received in-depth training in internal medicine, surgery, neurology, and emergency medicine.

Dr. Sirois completed her residency in 2020 under the mentorship of Dr. Lisa Radosta at Florida Veterinary Behavior Service and remained as an associate for an additional year. She has continued to practice behavior medicine at PAZ Veterinary in Austin, TXsince 2021. Her special interests include feline behavior, a holistic approach to medicine, the impact of other illnesses on behavior, and helping veterinary teams provide a low stress experience for their patients.

Steve Colburn

Sargeant, Loveland Police Department

Sargeant Steve Colburn has been in law enforcement for 22 years and has been a handler for 19 years. Steve is a PSP Teaching Judge, and Utah POST Instructor.  He has handled dogs for many years to include the disciplines of patrol, SWAT dog, SAR dog, and multiple detection disciplines including narcotics, explosives, and gun odors.  Steve currently runs two K9s and is also the team supervisor and lead trainer for the Loveland Police Department. 

Tara Raske, CVT

Tara Raske received her certification as a Veterinary Technician from Bel-Rea Institute of Animal Technology located in Denver Colorado in 1995 After graduation Tara started her first veterinary technician position at Harrison Memorial Animal Hospital.  

Upon leaving Harrison Memorial Animal Hospital, Tara decided to continue her passion for anesthesia and move to Northern Colorado to pursue a position at Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Here she furthered her skills in the anesthesia department not only running anesthesia but also teaching 3^rd and 4^th year veterinary students clinical skills involved in running anesthesia.  

While Tara was at CSU VTH she took the role as the internship coordinator the Front Range Community College veterinary technology students. This led to a full time teaching position at FRCC in the secondary programs for local high school students to obtain their veterinary assistant certificate. After 12 years teaching in the High School programs, Tara made a transition to the Veterinary Technology program where she has been teaching for 4 years.  

Tara has decided to stay in Loveland, Colorado and pass on her passion for animals to her students and maintain a leadership role in the field of Veterinary Medicine. Being very active, she enjoys the waterskiing and hiking, and caring for her dog, cat and husband.