meet our amazing team
Care-Pets Animal Hospital Veterinary Team
Learn more about the amazing veterinary team behind your pet’s care, here.
meet our amazing team!
Care-Pets Animal Hospital Veterinary Team
Learn more about the amazing veterinary team behind your pet’s care, here.
Our veterinary team can’t wait to meet you!
Our entire veterinary staff loves and cares for every single patient that comes in through our doors. We hope that you’ll take a second to learn more about the team behind your pet’s care!
Dr. MEREDITH HOPE
Medical Director and Managing Veterinarian
Dr. Hope started her career in veterinary medicine 30 years ago as a kennel attendant and worked her way up to Veterinary Assistant before attending vet school. She knew at a very young age she had a special connection with animals.
She graduated from Auburn College of Veterinary Medicine in 2001. She completed her under graduate studies at Western Kentucky University for Animal Science. Dr. Hope’s professional interests include soft tissue surgery, especially foreign body surgery, and dermatology.
Outside of work she enjoys spending time with her husband and their two children and water sports. During the colder months she likes to ride 4- wheelers, go shooting, or you might find her enjoying a film from her favorite director, John Hughes.
Dr. Matthew Gilene
Veterinarian
Dr. Matthew Gilene graduated from Mississippi State University in 2019. Wanting to further his education, he has done several internships. In 2020, he completed a small animal rotating internship at Auburn University. To advance his surgery skills, he started a surgical internship at Miami Veterinary Specialists in Miami, Florida, which he completed in 2021. Exotics being his passion, Dr. Gilene then completed an avian and exotics internship at Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists in Houston, Texas.
Dr. Gilene is very passionate about all species and wants to ensure all animals get the care and respect they deserve, no matter what species. He is very excited to join Care-Pets Animal Hospital and start seeing exotic animals. He enjoys seeing most exotics species but especially enjoys seeing birds. He hopes to one day start working with a wildlife sanctuary or zoo.
Away from the clinic, Matthew spends time swimming, going to the zoo, watching the Bengals or Reds, and taking walks with his Black Lab Jenny (you may see her begging for treats at the front desk). He also takes care of his family’s West Highland White Terrier, Max, from time to time.
Dr. Chriselle Tan
Veterinarian
Dr. Chriselle Tan was born and raised in Singapore. She left at age 18 for Veterinary School at the University of Glascow, Scotland and has traveled extensively. After graduating Vet School, Dr. Tan worked for a year in Jacksonville, FL before moving to Chester County, PA in 2014 where she worked in a Mixed Small/Large Animal Practice in Amish country. Her veterinary interests include but are not limited to surgery and complex medical cases.
Dr. Tan and her family moved to Southern Indiana in 2023. She and her husband have one human baby, two cats and 22 chickens. Her hobbies are skiing, watching musicals, and tending to her pets. She is very friendly and loves interesting stories. Come to Care-Pets today to tell her your interesting stories.
Todd
Practice Manager
Todd grew up in Southern Indiana. He graduated from Silver Creek High School. He has always had a love for animals. He started working at CPAH in October 1988.
After graduation, Todd joined the United States Army and trained as an Animal Care Specialist. Todd has worked in veterinary practices on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., and in Western Massachusetts in the intervening years. He returned to Southern Indiana and Care-Pets in December 2003.
He and his husband, Peter, have 3 dogs, Asa, Shortie, and Smidge and one cat, Truely. Todd enjoys reading, British television, and being of service to his community.
Terri
Veterinary Assistant and Inventory Specialist
Terri prides herself in making sure that every patient has a stress-free and comfortable visit when they come to Care=Pets Animal Hospital. She wants their clients to feel that they are part of our family. She enjoys reading, seeing movies, and spending time with her husband, family, and furbabies in her free time! She has two cats, Goodnight and Sombrisa.
angel
Registered Veterinary Technician, Certified Pet Nutrition Coach and Telehealth Specialist, Certified Pet Therapeutic Nutrition Coach
Angel was born and bred in Virginia. She has been surrounded by and passionate about animals her entire life. As a child, her mother had show cats and her father had hunting dogs. Even though she is now a Hoosier, she’s still a Virginia girl at heart.
Angel started her journey in veterinary medicine at 15, working at Gloucester Veterinary Hospital, She graduated from Bel-Rea Institute of Animal Technology in Denver, Colorado, in December 1993. She received her first veterinary technician license as an LVT in Virginia in 1994. Since then, she has been certified in Colorado (CVT) and registered in West Virginia and Indiana (RVT). She has served on the state vet tech boards in Virginia and Indiana. Angel started at CPAH in a temporary capacity when another employee was out for health reasons. She was offered a full-time position in May 2007. Her interests in veterinary medicine include dentistry, nutrition, and client education.
Angel currently serves as the Secretary on the Indiana Veterinary Technicians Association Executive Board.
In her downtime, Angel enjoys crafting, baking, photography, and reading. She is owned by three frisky felines, Ren, Tyko and Sinatra.
Deanna
Registered Veterinary Technician, Certified Canine Fitness Trainer
Deanna was born and raised in southern Indiana and has always wanted to work in veterinary medicine. She started as a veterinary assistant in 2000 and joined the CPAH team in 2005. She graduated from the Purdue University Veterinary Technology Distance Learning program and received her RVT in 2010. Deanna left CPAH at the end of 2014 to take time to raise her children. She furthered her education by becoming a Certified Canine Fitness Trainer from the University of Tennessee in 2018. She is currently enrolled in the Certified Companion Animal Rehabilitation Therapist program at North Carolina State University and has rejoined the CPAH team to develop a rehabilitation program.
In her spare time Deanna loves to spend time on their farm with her husband and 2 daughters. Their household also includes 4 cats – Remi, Violet, Flower and Ivan and 1 dog – Ranger.
Mitsie
Customer Service Representative
Mitsie is our other customer service representative at Care-Pets. She has been practicing for 41 years now. Her career started after graduating from Biscayne Paramedical Institute and now prides herself in being able to help solve problems that owners come in with for their pets. In her free time, she enjoys training and showing her dogs. She also loves swimming and training one of her dogs in Dock diving!
Chasity
Customer Service Representative
Chasity is our CSR at Care-Pets Animal Hospital. She went to Silver Creek High School and upon graduating started her career as a customer service representative. She prides herself in making the pets and owners feel happy and at ease with their care. In her free time she enjoys reading, shopping, walking with her dogs, and 2 cats (BamBam and Wonderboy) as well as watching old sitcoms like The Nanny or The Golden Girls.
Bryce
Kennel Tech
Bryce Kunard has been coming to Care-Pets since before he was born. His family has been bringing their pets here since 2001. Bryce is currently enrolled at Indiana University Southeast where he is a sophomore pursuing a major in Biology with the intention of becoming a Veterinarian. He has been around animals his entire life and has always felt a special connection with them. He always feels hurt whenever he sees an animal in pain and would love to be able to help them get better in the future. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with family, animals, and playing video games.
Shelby
Shelby graduated from Salem High School with the goal of working in veterinary medicine one day, always wanting a career where she could help people and their pets. Shelby’s freshman year of high school, she started volunteering at her local animal shelter, taking every chance she could to get her foot in the door. She says, “Care-Pets really opened that door for me. I love being able to help the owners and their pets to feel assured and comfortable whenever they’re in our care.” Outside of work, Shelby loves to try her hand at training friends and family’s pets, reading, snuggling with her cat, Azula, and watching movies with family.
Leigh
Leigh was raised in Louisville, KY. She started her career in Veterinary Medicine in 2018 working at Metropolitan . She went to the historic Central High School in Louisville. There, she was accepted into the Veterinary Assisting Magnet Program and graduated in 2018 as an Approved Veterinary Assistant. After graduation, Leigh went to Murray State University, majoring in Veterinary Technology for 2.5 years. She has recently enrolled in Ashworth College’s online Veterinary Technician program, where she can further her education while working daily in her chosen field. Leigh will reach her goal of becoming a Registered Veterinary Technician by 2024.
Leigh has two dogs. Cash, a 4 yo German Shepherd/Golden Retriever mix and Ayla, a crazy and beautiful German Shepherd who is 2. In her free time, she likes reading, taking her dogs hiking and swimming, and furthering her education in vet med.
Leigh’s interests in vet med include cardiology and canine food products/canine nutrition. She hopes to stay at Care–Pets for a while and then see where life takes her!
Shawna
Shawna grew up in Greenwood, IN, and has worked in the Veterinary field for 5 years. She attended and graduated from International Business College in May 2019, where she earned a degree in Veterinary Technology. She then went on to pass her state boards becoming a Registered Veterinary Technician in late 2019. After growing up in Greenwood, she and her long-time boyfriend, Preston, decided to make a change in scenery moving further south. Here, she is hoping to one day further her education, specializing in Veterinary Diagnostic imaging.
Shawna currently has 2 dogs, an 11-year-old Pitbull named “Mr. Bambino” and a 9-year-old English Bulldog named “Tug”. She recently lost her beloved Rottweiler, “Whinnie” early this year. Who will forever hold a special place in her heart. <3