Associate Veterinarians
About Dr. Melinda Crowe, Veterinarian
For the past fifteen years, Dr. Melinda has worked in the Twin Cities metro area as a companion animal veterinarian. She lives with her husband and three children in the south metro. In her spare time, Melinda likes to sew, garden, and do crafts both with and without her kids. Melinda and her family share their home with Olive the cat, two cockatiels named Dixie and Rosie, and fish. Dr. Melinda received a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN. She then received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Minnesota.
About Dr. Heather Yuill, Veterinarian
Dr. Heather is a graduate of the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. After graduation she completed an emergency/surgery/medicine internship at the U of M. She then practiced as an emergency clinician in the North metro. Dr. Heather has a passion for providing the highest standard of care and making difficult situations less stressful for pet owners. Dr. Heather lives with her husband and their twin boys. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, traveling, camping, woodworking, maple syruping, dancing, and Highland Games. Heather and her family share their home with Sigmar, an adopted rescue kitty. They will always remember their first babies, Bumper, the Chow mix with no hips, and Reebok, the sweetest fuzzy old cat, as well as Rory, a Coonhound mix.
About Dr. Meredith Lum, Veterinarian
Dr. Meredith graduated from The University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. She then completed a one year internship specializing in Raptor/Avian Medicine and Surgery at The Raptor Center of the University of Minnesota. She has a passion for working with wildlife with an emphasis on wildlife rehabilitation and welfare. She lives in Minneapolis with her perfect three-legged pittie, Iggy Pup. In her free time, she enjoys going to concerts, collecting records, roasting coffee, and kayaking with Iggy.
About Dr. Karen Christopherson, Veterinarian
Dr. Karen graduated from the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine and subsequently worked in small animal general practice for 22 years before joining the MN Pets team. She has always been drawn to helping people navigate end of life care and decisions for their beloved pets and is also a certified veterinary acupuncturist. Karen and her husband live in South Minneapolis with three dogs (Squash, Aspen, and Maisy) and Gertie the cat. In her free time, Karen enjoys bikejoring and skijoring (depending on the season!), gardening, board games, and camping.
About Dr. Tali McNeil, Veterinarian
Dr. Tali (rhymes with “Holly”) grew up in San Francisco and graduated from the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. She has worked in general practice ever since, seeing all species of animals large and small. She loves the opportunity to meet so many loving owners and hear stories about their amazing pets. In her free time, Dr. Tali volunteers at The Raptor Center at the U of M, as well as hiking, gardening, and traveling around the country in a trusty converted sprinter van. She currently lives in St. Louis Park with her significant others, Matt (human) and Kitty Meow (cat).
About Dr. Rebecca Tollefson, Veterinarian
Dr. Rebecca earned her DVM from the University of MN in 2004. She worked in private practice in Northfield, MN before joining a high-volume spay/neuter practice. Dr. Rebecca currently works as a medical editor and relief veterinarian, filling in at different clinics when other vets need time off or extra help. She and her husband live in Northfield with a flighty young standard poodle and a sweet older cat. In her free time, Dr. Rebecca enjoys long walks on country roads, cooking, and playing with her 2-year-old grandson.
About Dr. Jeske Noordergraaf, Veterinarian
Dr. Jeske rejoined MN Pets after taking a short hiatus and working in a small animal practice. After graduating from the University of PA School of Veterinary Medicine and moving to Minnesota, she had founded an equine practice. She passed this on to her associate so she would finally have time to ride her own
horses. Missing the client interactions, she joined MN Pets on a part-time basis. In her free time, she enjoys horseback riding, walking her rescue dog Marvel and biking with her husband.
About Dr. Kelly Lessard, Veterinarian
Dr. Kelly grew up in the very northern part of the state, but has resided in the Twin Cities for many years. She received both her undergraduate and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degrees from the University of Minnesota; in fact, she worked around exotic animals before attending vet school. She is passionate about hospice and end-of-life care, and was drawn to working for MN Pets after they helped her say goodbye to her beloved senior cat and dog. In addition to working for MN Pets, she also practices medicine at a local small animal hospital. She shares her world with a variety of animals at home, and in her free time, enjoys searching for the very best cup of coffee, traveling to northern Minnesota and Canada, fostering animals (especially ones with special needs), watching Netflix, listening
to podcasts, being on the lookout for the fabulous wildlife around her including her illusive
hummingbirds, and traveling to see manatees.
About Dr. Mary Lambert, Veterinarian
Dr. Mary grew up in North Dakota and northern Minnesota, and graduated from the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. She has worked at both small animal and mixed animal veterinary practices, as well as owning a veterinary clinic by Northfield, MN for 15 years. Dr. Mary loves being able to reduce pet and pet owner stress by bringing veterinary care into the home. Mary shares her farm home with numerous cats, an awesome Aussie named Oscar, and 9 horses (4 of which she owns). For fun she enjoys the great sports of endurance and competitive trail riding with her horses – riding up to 100 miles in one day. She also enjoys reading, dancing, and distance running (can’t let those horses have ALL the fun!).
About Dr. Kara Fuchs, Veterinarian
Dr. Kara has been working as a companion animal veterinarian in the Twin Cities since graduating from the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine in 2015. Every pet deserves a loving and peaceful goodbye and she has dedicated her career to providing that while also focusing on the family’s comfort. In her spare time, Dr. Kara stays busy chasing after her 2 young sons and spending time with her beautiful cat, Doc.
About Dr. Mike O’Sullivan, Veterinarian
Dr. Mike grew up in Atlanta, GA, and graduated from the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine. His career started in equine medicine, but he quickly found his true passion was in helping people and their pets through the end-of-life process. He cherishes the opportunity to be able to provide pets a gentle and peaceful passing in the comfort of their home setting. In his free time, Dr. Mike enjoys live music, hiking, camping, biking, and golfing.
About Dr. Karen Borgert, Veterinarian
Dr. Karen is a lifelong Minnesotan, growing up in Roseville, and attending St. Olaf College and the University of MN for veterinary school. She then lived in Blaine with her husband and 3 children. After spending 20 years as a local general practitioner, and the loss of her 7-year-old chocolate lab, Zoe, she has chosen to devote herself to supporting owners as they say their final goodbyes to their beloved pets. She enjoys golfing, spending time with friends, walking her two chocolate labs, Sophie and Beemer, and enjoying her back patio with a good glass of wine.
About Dr. Erica Hartz, Veterinarian
Dr. Erica is a graduate of the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Following graduation, she worked as a general practitioner for 3 years in St. Paul. Originally from Pittsburgh, Dr. Hartz has called the Twin Cities home since 2013. She lives with her husband, Marty, along with their three dachshunds and two cats. Dr. Erica loves all areas of veterinary medicine, but she is especially passionate about end-of-life care and honoring the human-animal bond. In her free time, she enjoys rock climbing, running, learning foreign languages, reading, and cooking.
About Dr. Theresa Hunt, Veterinarian
Dr. Theresa grew up in east central Minnesota. She spent much of her childhood at the neighboring horse farm developing a great love for and appreciation of animals. She graduated from the College of St. Benedict with a degree in Natural Sciences and an emphasis on education. She received her doctorate from the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. She has enjoyed owning two veterinary hospitals and practiced for over thirty years. Her professional interests include dentistry, dermatology and behavioral medicine, and she enjoys counseling clients in end of life decisions. She has two adult children and shares her home with a deaf King Charles Cavalier, a playful Standard Poodle and a comical British Shorthair. Outside of work, Dr. Theresa loves spending time with family and friends as well as gardening, home improvement projects, seeing live music and hiking with her dogs.
About Dr. Diane Battjes, Veterinarian
Dr. Diane grew up in the Twin Cities and graduated from the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine in 2009. In addition to her commitment to compassionate end of life care, she also enjoys all aspects of preventative care. Dr. Diane lives in the east metro with her husband, two children and two silly (but cuddly) Australian Shepherds. In her spare time, she enjoys crocheting, hiking, reading and travel.
