Meet the Team at Mission Valley Pet Clinic

At Mission Valley Pet Clinic in San Diego, CA, we prioritize delivering compassionate services and top-tier products to our patients. Through teamwork, client education, and innovation, we are dedicated to partnering with you—our valued client—to provide your pet with the highest standard of care, complete with a focus on preventative veterinary medicine.

Meet Our Team Members

Get to Know Our San Diego, CA Veterinary Team

Veterinarians

Karen Klinger, DVM

Karen Klinger, DVM

Veterinarian

Dr. Klinger came to Mission Valley Pet Clinic in 2006. Dr. Klinger grew up in Ohio and attended Ohio University, where she obtained her Bachelor of Science in zoology in 1990. She went on to receive her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Ohio State University in 1994. After graduating, Dr. Klinger moved to Washington DC for six years, where she worked with two veterinary practices before moving to San Diego in 2000.

Dr. Klinger shares her home with her husband Michael and three cats. Wally is an orange tabby acquired from Mission Valley Pet Clinic, and Russell is a Norwegian Forest look-a-like who showed up in her front yard. After losing her beloved flame point Siamese, her newest addition is Nigel, the only seal point born in a litter of 5 black cats. Nigel’s now spayed mother belongs to one of our clients.

Dr. Klinger enjoys performing surgeries and loves the variety in her career- each day and each case is different. When she’s not working, Dr. Klinger enjoys hiking, kayaking, gardening, and reading.

Anne Herrera, DVM

Anne Herrera, DVM

Veterinarian

Dr. Herrera was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She grew up with dogs in the family and a love for animals. Dr. Herrera graduated with a degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of California, Los Angeles (Go Bruins!). She then went on to attend Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine and completed her clinical education at Colorado State University School of Veterinary Medicine. Since finishing veterinary school, she jumped straight into clinical practice working for a busy small animal clinic in Monrovia, California.

Dr. Herrera recently moved down to sunny San Diego after getting married to her college sweetheart, and they are in the process of adding four paws to their family! When Dr. Herrera isn’t taking care of her patients, her hobbies include visiting new restaurants, hiking, and traveling all around the world.

Mike Casemier, DVM

Mike Casemier, DVM

Veterinarian

Dr. Casemier was born and raised in Grand Rapids, MI, but now calls San Diego home.

He earned his undergraduate degree from Grand Valley State University after an honorable discharge from the U.S Navy. He then went on to earn his veterinary degree from Michigan State University.

He worked with horses early in his career but has since focused on companion cats and dogs. Dr. Casemier is grateful for long-term relationships he develops with his clients.

When he isn’t taking care of his patients, Dr. Casemier enjoys spending time with his nine-year-old chocolate lab named Dexter and his five-year-old, aptly named cat, Lilith.

Leadership

Melanie, RVT

Practice Manager

About Melanie

Melanie is a native San Diegan. She has been part of the Mission Valley Pet Clinic family since 1998.

She graduated from the University of California San Diego with a Bachelor of Science degree in animal physiology and neuroscience. Melanie has been the Head Registered Veterinary Technician for many years and is also the manager of MVPC. Melanie attends continuing education meetings regularly, and her knowledge of veterinary medicine has enhanced the lives and treatment of many patients. She has expertise in many areas, including dentistry, cytology, medicine, nutrition, and behavior.

Melanie discovered her love of animals at a young age and brought home every stray animal that she could find. She has a three-toed box turtle named Catrina (poof-poof), a flame point called Josie, and Millie, an Australian Shepherd mix, both of which she adopted from MVPC. Melanie enjoys working where she can put her love for animals to good use. In her free time, Melanie enjoys hiking, traveling, and spending time at the beach.

Technicians

Melissa, RVT

 Lead Technician

About Melissa

Melissa was born in Juneau, Alaska, and grew up in Topeka, Kansas. She moved to San Diego in 2015 and started working at MVPC in March 2017. She has a 15-year-old orange tabby named Cole (left at the clinic) and a 2-year-old black and white kitty named Holly.

Melissa is attending Mesa College and will be graduating from the Veterinary Technician program in May 2021. She has been involved with animals since she was a little girl. Her family pets include dogs, cats, ferrets, rats, and rabbits.

Previously Melissa was one of our kennel technicians and enjoyed caring for our boarding guests. Melissa enjoys playing soccer every week, running, hiking, traveling to visit family, and watching a good Netflix show.

Rosa, RVT

Veterinary Technician
About Rosa

Rosa was born in Barranquilla, Colombia. She has been living in the United States since 2008. Rosa grew up in a family that was always involved in animal welfare. Her father is a veterinarian, and Rosa followed in his footsteps, staying in the veterinary field and becoming a registered veterinary technician. She graduated from the Registered Veterinary Technician program at Mesa College in 2012. Rosa has also worked as an instructor in the RVT program teaching dentistry, radiology, and anatomy. She enjoys working with dogs and cats, and her favorite fields are dentistry, surgery, and critical care. Rosa is a very caring individual, and our patients enjoy her kind nature in addition to her technical expertise. She and her husband have two daughters and three dogs.

Amber

Veterinary Technician

About Amber
Amber grew up in San Diego and joined Mission Valley Pet Clinic in February 2020. She enjoys caring for all the pets at the hospital. Amber graduated from San Diego State University in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology with an emphasis in Zoology. She plans to attend veterinary school in the fall of 2022. Amber has always known that she wanted to work in the veterinary field. She has two cats, Boots and Sparkle, who were hanging upside down in their cage at the Humane Society, and she knew that she needed to bring them home. She also has two dogs, Nelly, a bloodhound who loves to howl, and Peanut, a lab mix who loves walks and belly rubs. Outside of work, Amber loves. Crocheting and spending time with her family and fur babies.

Sarah

Veterinary Technician

About Sarah

Sarah joined Mission Valley Pet Clinic in 2003 as a receptionist. She took a brief absence in 2006 to travel but couldn’t stay away long. Sarah had planned to study writing and language but has since fallen in love with the veterinary field and decided to become a veterinary technician in 2010. She is now a Certified Veterinary Assistant.

Sarah and her husband have a large furry family consisting of a Lab named Benson, rescued from Labrador Rescuers. They also have four cats, Masen (born to MVPC’s Addie, when she added to the population with eight kittens), Henry, Zelda, and Emmy.

Sarah is a native San Diegan who enjoys cooking, working on her home, traveling, and spending time with her family and friends.
Sarah enjoys educating clients, learning, and teaching about geriatric/preventative pet care and nutrition.

Diana

Veterinary Technician

About Diana
Diana Gonzalez is a student at San Diego Mesa Community College majoring in Biology. She is planning to attend Mesa’s Registered Veterinary Technician program. From a young age, Diana showed a great interest in working with animals. She has volunteered at several animal shelters and animal sanctuaries to gain experience. Diana joined the MVPC team in November 2019 as a kennel technician. When Diana isn’t working with animals, she enjoys dancing Ballet Folklorico and watching crime documentaries.

Client Service Representatives

Josie

Erica

Lead CSR

About Erica

Bio coming soon!

Jennifer

Client Service Representative
About Jennifer

A San Diego native, Jennifer grew up with over 30 rescued cats. Her parents were always saving abandoned, feral and stray animals in their neighborhood.

In college, Jennifer studied philosophy, music, and cosmetology. In 2005, she took classes as a veterinary assistant, and Jennifer has stayed in the veterinary field ever since.

On her days off, she enjoys spending time with her family. They like to go camping, take road trips, go to amusement parks, and roller-skating rinks. Jennifer has a rescued Doberman named Klaus von Count and three cats named Felix, Baron von Shush, and Rx von Fuzzy Butt. Jennifer joined MVPC in April 2018. From day one, she knew this was the animal clinic that was meant for her.

Josie

Josie

Customer Service Representative
About Josie

Bio coming soon!

Josie

Natalie

Customer Service Representative

About Natalie

Bio coming soon!

Kennel Staff

Rylie

Kennel Technician

About Rylie

Bio coming soon!

Kristi

Kennel Technician

About Kristi

Bio coming soon!

Karli

Kennel Technician

About Karli

Bio coming soon!

Office Staff

Kathy

Office Staff
About Kathy

Kathy has worked with Dr. Green for many years and came with her to Mission Valley Pet Clinic in 2002.

She was born in Ohio and graduated from Green Mountain College. Kathy then studied at the University of California Berkeley before obtaining her teaching credential from San Diego State University. In 1982 she received her Registered Veterinary Technician License from Mesa College.

In addition to helping care for the animals, Kathy functions as the inventory manager at MVPC. She has two cats named OB and Max and a chihuahua mix named PD. In her free time, she enjoys jogging, yoga, tai chi, kayaking, traveling, and visiting her children and grandchildren.