Dr. Jaime Thurk
Veterinarian
Dr. Jaime Thurk was born in rural Wisconsin and grew up on a Dairy farm where her love of animals has grown into her life-long dream of becoming a Veterinarian. Dr. Thurk received her Bachelor of Science degree in Marine biology at Texas A&M University and her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Ross University in 2009. She completed her one year clinical rotation at Washington State University.
Dr. Thurk’s areas of interest are preventative medicine, natural nutrition and supplementation, avian/exotic medicine, surgery and dentistry. Her priority is to maintain the highest ethical and medical standards, while providing a friendly and relaxed environment for your pet. Her goal is to ensure her patients are treated as member of the family and that clients are well informed, involved and comfortable with the decisions made regarding their pet’s care. She will constantly apply the latest in veterinary medicine advancements to properly diagnose, treat and care for her patients so that your loved ones remain happy and healthy.
Dr. Thurk’s interests outside of the practice are spending time with her son, Fiance, 2 dogs (Echo, Hoss) and 2 cats (Mr. Bojangels, Fat Cat). She also enjoys hiking, camping and just spending time in the outdoors.
Dr. Rodney Toogood
Veterinarian
Rodney Toogood, DVM was born and raised in southern Minnesota. He attended Mankato State University for his undergraduate degree and received his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Minnesota. Dr. Toogood practiced for 25 years in the Minneapolis and St. Paul area, 20 years owning and operating his own small animal and exotics practice in suburban Minneapolis. His professional areas of interest include medicine and surgery, preventative care, and fostering the human animal bond. He enjoys seeing exotic animals, especially small mammals. He is committed to the highest standards of veterinary care with thorough client communication and education.
Dr. Toogood is an avid cyclist, both mountain and road biking and also enjoys skate skiing, standup paddle boarding, hiking, and generally being outdoors. He is a musician and a wine and food enthusiast. Dr. Toogood and his wife, Gretchen, who is also a veterinarian, have one dog and two cats.
Dr. Brooke Jacoby
Veterinarian
Brooke grew up in a small town in northeast California and always dreamed of becoming a veterinarian as she was surrounded by dogs, cats, horses and rabbits. She graduated from California Polytechnic University in 2003 with a B.S. in Animal Science and made her way to the Eugene area to pursue veterinary school. She completed her doctorate in veterinary medicine from Oregon State University in 2008 and worked for 4 years in a large multi-doctor small animal hospital. This is where she first met Dr. Thurk!
She then transitioned to a rapidly growing holistic practice and there she found excitement in the field of holistic medicine. She completed her acupuncture certification via the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society in 2012 and has also completed course work in homeopathy. She is currently obtaining her certification in Chinese Herbal Medicine through the Chi Institute. Dr. Jacoby is passionate about holistic medicine and creating a life-long health plan for her patients. She is especially interested in nutrition, internal medicine, senior care, pain management and hospice.
Away from the clinic she loves spending time outdoors with her two children, husband and dog. Brooke is excited to provide holistic and integrative veterinary care here at East Bend!
Dr. Holly Lemaire (O’Brien)
Veterinarian
Prior to becoming a veterinarian, Dr. Holly Lemaire worked as a MRI technologist in human medicine for 11 years in the Puget Sound area. Upon starting her veterinary education at Washington State University, she was hired in the instruction and assisting of resident veterinary specialists new to the field of MRI, at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Pullman, WA.
Although high tech applications for medicine are an area of long time expertise, the eventual decision to switch career pathways occurred earlier in the streets of Uttar Pradesh, India where she observed the plight of the street dogs. Since then, she has traveled to 6 continents and 36 countries where she has provided surgery, medicine, and standard preventative care to a variety of domestic animals. She has also spent time educating and training local veterinarians with fewer resources, meanwhile focusing on disease recognition, and transmission. The list of experiences is long, but patience, creativity, empathy, acceptance, emotional endurance, and knowing how to avoid a rabid dog all rank as the key to survival while working in such conditions. She brings to medicine an approach that draws from possibility and caring.
Dr. Lemaire’s den consists of her husband Michel, her two English Setters, Ellie and Olivia, and her 6 goats.
Becky Wendt
Practice Manager
Becky was born and raised in Idaho on a ranch (which is where her love for all animals developed). Becky spent some time traveling around the country and lived aboard for a year before she obtained her Bachelor’s degree from Eastern Oregon University. She is currently working towards becoming a Certified Veterinary Practice Manager. She has been working in the veterinary field since 2011.
In her spare time, Becky enjoys hiking, camping, trail running, and traveling. She has four dogs (three of which are foster failures) and two spoiled cats.
Nakia Twigg
Certified Veterinary Technician
Nakia grew up in beautiful Sisters, Oregon. Her passion for veterinary medicine started with her schools career program. Nakia earned her Veterinary Technician Certificate in 2006.
Nakia’s special interest are dentistry and behavior. She enjoys helping pets and their people have a long healthy and happy relationship. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her husband, horseback riding, camping. mountain bike riding and hanging out with her pets (horses, dogs, cat, chickens, goats)!
Caroline Read-Mullins
Certified Veterinary Technician
Caroline grew up in the Bay Area where she was heavily influenced by her time spent volunteering and working at the Lindsay Wildlife museum. After graduating from the University of Puget Sound she lived in Gig Harbor Washington were she ran a small farm and raised a family. After moving to Bend in 2014, she acquired her Veterinary technician certification through COCC in 2018. Caroline’s special interest is in wildlife rehabilitation and stewardship. Her free time is spent hiking with her five dogs, skiing, camping, listening to music, and playing with her two children. Her goal in life is to teach the public how to treat and respect animals.
Ellisa Randles
Veterinary Assistant
Ellisa recently moved here with her husband from Salem, Oregon. She has been working with animals for over 9 years. She loves the coast and loves to hike. They don't currently have any pets, but hope to get a dog in the future.
Amber Delema
Veterinary Assistant
Amber was born and raised in Southern California. She moved to Central Oregon in April of 2018. Prior to joining East Bend Animal Hospital, Amber volunteered at a humane society and worked for three years at a boarding facility. During this time, she developed an interest in canine behavior and grooming.
In her spare time, Amber enjoys hiking, photography, listening to music, and playing with her dog Roxy Mae, a Mastiff Mix.
Jessica Jameson
Veterinary Assistant
We will have a bio up for Jessica soon. Please check back!
Brittany Landucci
Veterinary Assistant
Born and raised in the Bay Area, Brittany has always had a love of cats (especially!) and all other animals since a very young age. Brittany has a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications and Business and has worked with companies such as DreamWorks Animation, ABC Sports San Francisco / Bay Area and most recently, a fitness startup called Grow Fit. She is currently pursuing her Certification in Veterinary Technology with Penn Foster College and hopes to graduate in a few years. She and her husband Rick have lived in Bend for four years and reside with their two chihuahuas Oliver and Finnius Deschutes and their three black cats Hemi, Smudge and Twitch. In her free time, Brittany enjoys cooking, baking, spending time with friends, and traveling with her husband.
Alicia McCallum
Client Service Representative
After being raised in Eugene, and living in Portland for school/work for several years, Alicia finally made her way to Central Oregon in 2014. Her love for animals began in middle school, when her parents got her a Keeshond named Moses, and she realized the therapeutic benefits to having a pet. After pursuing journalism and psychology in college, she realized her love of taking care of others, worked as a nanny for several years, and then made her way into the veterinary field in the beginning of 2017.
Alicia joined the East Bend team in March. Her favorite part of the job is making connections with the families that see us, and learning about all of the exotic animals we treat. On her days off, she enjoys spending time with her chocolate lab, Jake, taking walks, photography, learning the guitar and reading.
