Veterinary TeamRancho San Carlos Pet Clinic
Your pet is more than just an animal that resides in your home. They are an integral part of the family.
Meet Our Veterinary Team
Meet Our Doctors
Meet Our Staff
Tina
Hospital Director
Tina comes from Orange County and spent many years in the California Desert before finding comfort in Hawaii and settling in San Diego. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Animal Health Science, reflecting her dedication to caring for animals. This commitment expands with a Master’s degree in business.
Tina has had a career in the animal field for over 23 years. She has been an animal control officer at a California shelter and an Animal Care Manager for the Humane Society in Hawaii. Tina’s journey shows a deep dedication to making life better for all kinds of creatures. Throughout her journey, Tina has managed numerous veterinary hospitals, seamlessly blending her compassion for animals with astute and strategic thinking.
Tina’s happy place isn’t just her house; it’s the love she shares with her husband and her sweet Olde English Bulldogge. This loyal pup made the journey with her all the way from beautiful Hawaii. When she’s not busy with work, Tina enjoys keeping it simple—going to concerts and festivals, catching professional baseball games, and spending quality time with her furry friend.
Ashley
Hospital Manager/RVT (Veterinary Technician)
Ashley joins us after moving from Long Beach. She has been in the veterinary profession for over 5 years and can be found dancing in the treatment area while caring for your pet. She shares her home with Asha, a beautiful grey cat, but loves treating dogs and cats alike. Her favorite foods include mango and hot Cheetos.
Jocelyn
Client Service Representative & Veterinary Assistant
Jocelyn grew up in San Diego and loves to take in the town with a good hike. Veterinary medicine is her passion, and she is working toward becoming a veterinarian in the future. She is honored to work with you and your pet. Jocelyn also enjoys travel and a good movie when she is done with work and college homework.
Sam
Sam was born and raised in Michigan. She graduated in 1997 with a bachelor’s degree in Pre-Veterinary Medicine from the University of Findlay, then obtained a degree in Veterinary Technology from Michigan State University in 2002. Sam moved to San Diego in 2015 and has a special interest in feline health and well-being. As our resident “cat whisperer,” she ensures that our feline patients have as stress-free of an experience as possible.
Sam shares her home with her shy tabby cat, PorchCat (also known as Mimi). When she is not at work, Sam enjoys watching and reading Sci-Fi and Fantasy, as well as the occasional craft project.
Heather
Heather is from Washington, D.C. but grew up in San Diego since she was 8 years old. She graduated from Mesa College in 2011 from the RVT program. Heather enjoys video games, hiking, going to the playground with her son, and watching scary movies when her son goes to sleep. She has a 4-year-old black and white cat named Strawberry who she adopted 3 months ago.
Kelly
Kelly grew up in a suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana, and has always had a passion for animal care. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology with a minor in Animal Behavior from Indiana University and later completed the Veterinary Technology Program at Mesa College in San Diego. Before returning to California, Kelly worked in Virginia as a Licensed Veterinary Technician (LVT), gaining extensive hands-on experience in the field.
In her free time, Kelly enjoys reading, baking, doing puzzles, and spending time at the beach. She and her husband share their home with their son and two littermate cats, Luke and Leia.
Elayna
RVT (Veterinary Technician)
Elayna grew up in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, graduated from the veterinary assistant program at PIMA Medical Institute, and completed her externships at La Costa Animal Hospital. After completing her externship, she worked at Oceanside Veterinary Hospital. She is currently in the veterinary technician program at PIMA to fulfill her childhood dream of helping animals.
Her parents live in Minnesota with her dog, Tucker, and her brother attends college in Fargo, North Dakota. She also has a 12-year-old shepherd mix named Ruffi. Elayna rehomed him when he was surrendered at her vet’s office.
In her free time, she enjoys reading, painting, drawing, playing guitar and ukulele, and going on picnics with Ruffi. She loves any type of coffee, especially vanilla lattes and caramel macchiatos. She likes to be shown appreciation with verbal affirmations and sweet treats.
Elayna grew up with a plethora of animals since her grandparents lived and worked on a farm. She began caring for animals before she could walk. Her family had cows, chickens, horses, goats, pigs, bunnies, dogs, and cats.
Vivian
Vivian was born and raised in San Diego, growing up in Bonita. She began her career in veterinary medicine in 2005 after completing the Veterinary Assistant program at PIMA Medical Institute. She later returned to PIMA to pursue her Registered Veterinary Technician education and earned her RVT license in 2012.
Outside of work, Vivian enjoys staying active through softball, going to the gym, and playing games including video games, pool, and bowling. She loves spending time with her two children, especially while practicing baseball together. While she does not currently have pets, Vivian has previously cared for a wide variety of animals including a bearded dragon, crested gecko, two red snappers, a cockatoo, four Chihuahuas, and a shepherd mix all at the same time.”
Debbie
RVT
Debbie grew up here in San Carlos, just a short distance from the clinic. She attended San Diego Mesa College, where she earned her Associate degree and became a Registered Veterinary Technician in 1980. After graduating, Debbie joined a local veterinary practice and remained there for 42 years, focusing primarily on dentistry while continually expanding her knowledge through continuing education.
Debbie has been married to her husband, Bruce, for 43 years. Bruce is a Level 2 sommelier and certified wine educator. They have a daughter, Katie, who works in research at the San Diego Zoo. In her free time, Debbie enjoys hiking and volunteering at the zoo as an ambassador for koalas, giraffes, rhinos, and reptiles. She also shares her home with Zackery, her orange-and-white longhaired cat, who holds a special place as her favorite of all the cats she has ever owned.
Andrea
Veterinary Assistant
Andrea is one of the Veterinary Assistants at Rancho San Carlos Pet Clinic. She grew up in San Diego and graduated from PIMA. Andrea became a Certified Veterinary Assistant in 2019 and hopes to become an RVT in the future.
In her free time, she enjoys going to Disneyland, but if she is staying local, she enjoys going to the San Diego zoo, museums (the Natural History Museum), walks along the beach to catch the sunsets and photography. Andrea is a big music fan, so she also really enjoys seeing her favorite artists perform at local venues. At home, she has 2 sisters, and they all grew up exploring San Diego with their wonderful mother and father. Andrea has 3 cats, an adorable and awkward 2-year-old orange cat named Mango, a sweet but sassy 9-year-old named Cleo, and a mischievous but sweet 9 month old named Tino. Her favorite snacks include acai bowls, potato chips, dark chocolate, veggie pizza, iced coffee with hazelnut, and almond/oat milk.
Evelyn
Veterinary Assistant
Evelyn grew up in Tijuana, Mexico and Baja, California. She graduated as a veterinarian in 2018 from UABC, Mexico, and has been working as a veterinary assistant in the USA for over 5 years. She loves to dance, sing, work out, play the piano, and go to the beach. She enjoys going for walks with her dogs. Evelyn has three dogs (a golden retriever named Nani, a lab mix named Dina, an English Bulldog named Pepito). All of Evelyn’s pets were adopted, and she loves them so much
Laura
Veterinary Assistant
Laura was born and rasied in San Diego. She was in retail management for 23 years but decided to go back to school to be in the veterinary field. Laura is currently married and has a teenage daughter. In her free time, she enjoys hiking and camping. Her pets at home include a dog, named Kippur, a long haired cat named George, and a grey tabby named Cosmo.
Maris
Lauren
Lauren grew up in the Chicago suburbs of Lemont, Illinois. She is excited to transition to this field from retail. In her free time, Lauren enjoys hiking, biking, running, her favorite snacks (anything gluten-free), going to the beach, and anything outside. She also enjoys discovering music, art, and restaurants. In her family, she is the youngest of three girls and her parents raised her to love and respect animals.
KiAnna
KiAnna grew up in Mississippi before moving to San Diego at the age of six. Her passion for animal care started early—she has been involved in various animal rescues, including cat, dog, and farm animal rescues, since she was 14 years old.
A self-proclaimed homebody, KiAnna enjoys traveling and taking daily trips when she gets the chance. She also loves hiking and exploring nature.
She has a small but close-knit family, all living in San Diego & LA. At home, she shares her life with a variety of beloved pets, including a German Shepherd mix named Sakari, an orange tabby named Cheddar, a black American Shorthair with 6 toes on front feet named Beans, leopard geckos named Stokely & Itachi, and a spunky bunny named Rocket.
Amy
Amy has been a veterinary assistant for 18 years and brings extensive hands-on experience to her role. In her free time, she enjoys going to the beach with her dogs, crafting, practicing yoga, and photography. Her pet family includes Blossom, a 13-year-old three-legged Chihuahua; Ozzy Man, a five-year-old distemper survivor with one eye; Lucy, the tuxedo cat; Sunny, a three-legged bearded dragon; and Tajin, her corn snake.
Zoe
Zoe grew up here in San Diego. She is currently studying Biology with a Zoology emphasis at San Diego State University and hopes to go on to vet school to become a veterinarian.
When she’s not at work, Zoe enjoys hiking, reading, and training at her Mixed Martial Arts studio. She has a Staffordshire terrier mix named Pebbles, who started out as a patient here at Rancho San Carlos Pet Clinic.
Emily
Emily grew up in Houston, Texas. After 12 years in the service industry, she decided she wanted a major career change and took the leap to pursue veterinary medicine. She has always loved animals and is excited to pursue becoming a veterinary technician.
Outside of work, Emily loves reading romance and fantasy novels, traveling, being outside, and hanging out with friends. She has two pets at home: Dory, a 12-year-old border collie mix who is a menace in public and an angel behind closed doors, and Sheldon, a 2-year-old cat who is a big boy but very sweet.
Tess
Tess grew up in rural Jamul, California. She spent her childhood participating in the local chapter of the 4-H Horse and Pony club, participating in shows and competitions all over San Diego county. She graduated from UC San Diego with a bachelor’s degree in Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution before entering the veterinary field in 2020. Although she didn’t start her career in veterinary medicine, her experience in the field has ignited a strong passion for educating the public about the medical aspects of pet ownership.
Outside of work, Tess spends most of her time-making art, hitting the gym, and hanging out with friends and family. She is the proud mother of a Baja rescue pup named Franny as well as a 5 ft long ball python named Kronk.
Meet Our Specialists Partners
Dr. Demner
Veterinarian
David Demner, DVM, Diplomate, ACVS (Board certified veterinary surgeon), graduated from the National University of Colombia in 2003. Upon graduation, he joined their soft tissue surgery department for advanced training in surgery for two years and then became an assistant professor. David moved to California, and after a rotating internship, he completed his residency in surgery at a private practice in Southern California. He passed the certifying examination and became Board Certified by the American College of Veterinary Surgeons, and after 5 years of working as a surgeon in private practice, he founded Veterinary Mobile Surgical Specialist – VMSS.
Dr. Demner’s vision is to offer excellent care to patients that need surgical care at a reasonable price. He enjoys all aspects of surgery, but his specific interests include orthopedic and soft tissue surgery.
Dr. Render
Veterinarian
Dr. Render grew up dreaming of becoming a zoo veterinarian at the San Diego Zoo. Cardiology pulled on his heartstrings after having the opportunity to work with great mentors, all of whom are cardiologists. The zoo and exotics veterinary field is still near and dear to his heart, as Dr. Render enjoys evaluating the hearts of all animals, big and small.
Dr. Render enjoys all aspects of small animal cardiology with particular interests in congenital defects and cardiac tumor evaluation. When not treating patients, Dr. Render enjoys watching sports and movies OR movies about sports, all things comedy, and cooking shows.
Dr. Frey
Veterinarian
Dr. Tracy Nicole Frey was born and raised in the Chicago suburbs and is a 2002 graduate of the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. She completed her surgical training in New York and New Jersey and has been practicing in Southern California since 2009 with an emphasis on soft tissue and emergency surgery. Dr. Frey is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons.
She is the sole traveling surgeon and founder of SoftSurg Incorporated and has also been a relief surgeon for a number of specialty practices throughout California. Dr. Frey enjoys all aspects of soft tissue surgery, particularly gastrointestinal and oncologic procedures. She has a special interest in pain management and critical care and will work closely with owners and referring veterinarians to provide the utmost compassionate care for her patients.
Dr. Frey’s little princess is a gorgeous Pomeranian named “Pouf!” whose favorite hobbies are spinning in circles, playing fetch, and barking at all the cars on neighborhood walks in her pretty pink buggy!