Nice to meet you

WE PUT THE ‘CARE’ IN CARE TEAM!

Your pet’s emotional and physical well-being is prioritized with every visit. We put the patients first!

Melanie

Veterinary Technician

Melanie believes that everyone is born with a special gift. Hers happens to be communicating and empathizing with animals. She’s always wanted to do everything in her power to connect with the earth’s creatures, especially those in need, and let them know that they have a friend. What better way to do that, she thought, than by becoming a veterinary professional? Melanie is proud to serve as Compassionate Care Veterinary Hospital’s Head Veterinary Technician!

Melanie hails from Dripping Springs and was just 16 years old when she signed on as a Kennel Technician at a local animal hospital, and it wasn’t long before she was working as a front-desk receptionist. In 2014, she joined the team at another veterinary clinic, where her career took off—she trained to become a Veterinary Technician there, and she hasn’t looked back since. Melanie had worked with Dr. Metzger at another clinic ever since 2016, and she jumped at the chance to continue helping pets alongside him when he purchased Compassionate Care Veterinary Hospital. She’s been the Head Tech since February of 2019.

Around the clinic, Melanie enjoys seeing pets go home happy and healthy every single day, and she loves working around a team of skilled and determined pet-lovers just like herself. Her favorite part of the job, though, is getting to know the area’s pet owners and forming bonds over time.

When she’s not at work, Melanie likes working out, hiking in the great outdoors, and spending quality time with her own menagerie of pets at home. She has two dogs—Rio the Yellow Lab who loves to play fetch, and a rescued dog named Witten who is constantly by Melanie’s side—as well as three cats: Momma Maples and her daughter, Chunk, as well as a foster-fail named Bravo. Melanie also has a ball python named Martian who loves to escape his enclosure and scare Melanie around the house, and a turtle, Nigel, whose favorite pastime is sunbathing on his floating log.

Request an Appointment

Ivette

Veterinary Technician

Yvette owns pets herself, and she knows just how much they mean to the families of the area. For her, being able to give something back as a member of the veterinary profession is a dream come true! She’s a proud member of Compassionate Care Veterinary Hospital’s Veterinary Technician and front-desk teams.

Yvette grew up in Johnson City, Texas and first began her veterinary career at a local clinic in August of 2015. In the fall of the following year, she started working at another hospital, where she would remain for three years. Yvette joined the Compassionate Care Veterinary Hospital team in December of 2019 and hasn’t looked back since! She’s especially fond of internal medicine and surgeries, and she also likes the challenge of critical care cases. Most of all, Yvette enjoys interacting one-on-one with the area’s pet owners and getting to meet their loveable companions.

When she’s not at the clinic or completing her coursework—she’s currently studying to become a funeral director!—Yvette likes playing softball in a local adult softball league and spending quality time with her family and pets. Along with her boyfriend and their young daughter, she shares her home with five dogs: Kol, Pup, Lil Pup, Oliver, and Ding-a-Ding.

Request an Appointment

Janna

Veterinary Technician

Biology has always been a passion of Janna’s, and after a childhood spent outdoors, surrounded by animals large and small, she decided to go to school and study biology so she could learn more about how living systems function. What better way to apply that passion and knowledge than by working with animals as a Veterinary Technician?

After graduating high school, Janna attended college at Texas A&M Corpus Christi (TAMUCC), where she earned her Bachelors of Science in Organismal Biology. She worked for various companies along the way while in school before ending up at a horse barn, where she assisted the vet with medical care. It was this experience that helped shape Janna’s career path and lead her toward veterinary medicine.

Professionally, Janna loves many of the things most people would find unconventional. The sights, the smells, and all the interesting cases – nothing phases her. In fact, it’s what she enjoys most about the job. Well, that and the puppies and kittens. Who doesn’t love puppies and kittens?!?

Janna’s own fur family consists of four dogs: Diesel, Molly, Macy and Tito; and a cat named Cadbury (a.k.a. Baby). Tito, a Chihuahua, is Janna’s sidekick and knows a variety of tricks. Janna’s hobbies include training and riding horses, scuba diving, and camping.

Request an Appointment

Kayla

Receptionist & Veterinary Technician

Kayla has always believed that helping animals means helping the people who love them, too. While she has loved animals for as long as she can remember, she wanted to do more than simply be around them. She wanted to play a role in helping them heal, supporting their families, and making a difference during some of life’s most important moments. Seeing a patient recover and knowing she helped along the way continues to make every day rewarding.

One patient has remained especially memorable throughout Kayla’s career. A shelter puppy named Zeus arrived needing medical care but was fearful and aggressive around people. Rather than giving up, Kayla took the time to earn his trust through patience and understanding. As Zeus became more comfortable, he was able to receive the care he needed, recover, and eventually become social enough to be adopted into a loving home. Watching his transformation reminded Kayla how compassion and trust can change an animal’s future.

Kayla began her veterinary career at just 16 years old through her high school’s work program. Starting as a kennel technician, she gained experience in grooming, barn work, and hands-on patient care while learning directly from experienced veterinary professionals. Over the years, those opportunities allowed her to grow into a Veterinary Technician. She has worked alongside Dr. Metzger since 2013 and has been a valued member of the Compassionate Care Veterinary Hospital team through multiple chapters of her career.

Kayla enjoys the fast-paced nature of veterinary medicine because every day brings new patients, new challenges, and new opportunities to learn. She has also had the unique opportunity to work with a variety of exotic animals, including giraffes, camels, lemurs, kangaroos, monkeys, snakes, and chameleons.

Outside the clinic, Kayla enjoys spending time with her fiancé, Chris, and their two sons, Riley and Landyn. Whether relaxing by the water, enjoying a great cup of coffee, or cooking outdoors with family, she values making memories together in the home they recently purchased in Fredericksburg.

Request an Appointment

Alisu

Kennel Technician, Receptionist & Veterinary Assistant

For Alisu, veterinary medicine has always been about giving animals the help they need when they can’t ask for it themselves. Although she has loved animals from a young age, one experience with an injured kitten made her realize she wanted the knowledge and skills to care for animals during their most vulnerable moments. Combined with years of admiring Steve Irwin’s passion for wildlife, that experience inspired her to pursue a career dedicated to helping pets and the families who love them.

Alisu first entered the veterinary field in 2017, where she had the opportunity to work alongside Dr. Metzger. In 2020, she stepped away to explore another passion by training dogs in obedience and later caring for dogs on a private ranch while helping maintain the property. Although she enjoyed those experiences, she realized how much she missed veterinary medicine. Remembering the positive experience she had working with Dr. Metzger, she knew Compassionate Care Veterinary Hospital was where she wanted to continue her career and joined the team in October 2025.

Today, Alisu enjoys serving in several different roles throughout the clinic, including Receptionist, Kennel Technician, and Veterinary Assistant. She appreciates the variety each day brings and enjoys supporting patients, clients, and the medical team wherever she is needed. One of the most rewarding parts of her job is seeing pets leave healthier and happier than when they arrived, knowing she played a role in their recovery. She also values being part of a team that supports one another, celebrates successes together, and provides compassionate care during life’s more difficult moments.

Outside the clinic, Alisu enjoys relaxing at home with a good romance novel or binge-watching a favorite television series. Her home is shared with two memorable companions: Felipe, a leash-trained Chihuahua with endless energy for toys, and Frida, a German Shepherd who somehow believes she’s as small as Felipe and never misses an opportunity to steal a hot dog if no one is watching.

Request an Appointment

Ava

Veterinary Assistant

Ava didn’t take the straight path to veterinary medicine—she welded her way there.

After earning her welding degree and stepping into the fast-paced world of fabrication, Ava discovered something unexpected: while she admired the craftsmanship of welding, her heart wasn’t in it. She missed the energy, emotion, and purpose she’d felt years earlier during her first job at a veterinary clinic—cleaning kennels, bottle-feeding tiny patients, and quietly falling in love with the profession.

It wasn’t just about animals for Ava—it was about connection. Each pet that walks through the doors of Compassionate Care comes with a story, a personality, a family. And for Ava, there’s nothing more fulfilling than being a small but vital part of their healing journey.

She joined Compassionate Care Veterinary Hospital in January 2025, bringing not only a practical skillset from her hands-on background but a heart that’s all-in. Whether she’s comforting a nervous pup, assisting in the exam room, or learning a new medical technique, Ava is always looking for ways to grow and give more to the animals in her care.

Every day brings something new, and that’s exactly how Ava likes it.

Request an Appointment

Justin

Kennel Technician

Sometimes the best career paths are the ones we never expect. After spending more than 20 years working in hospitality, electrical, and carpentry, Justin found himself searching for something that felt more meaningful. He wanted a career that combined his love for animals with his desire to help others, even though he had no previous experience in veterinary medicine. Taking a leap of faith, he submitted an application to Compassionate Care Veterinary Hospital, hoping for an opportunity but never expecting one. When he received an interview and later a job offer, he knew he had found exactly where he was meant to be.

Justin joined the Compassionate Care Veterinary Hospital team as a Kennel Technician on Jan. 27, 2026. Since then, he has embraced every opportunity to learn, asking questions, observing procedures, and expanding his knowledge of veterinary medicine each day. He especially enjoys learning about surgery, medications, and the science behind helping animals recover, knowing that even small contributions can make a meaningful difference for patients and their families.

One of Justin’s favorite responsibilities is preparing boarding patients for their stay. He takes pride in making sure each pet has everything they need, from organized medications and meals to comfortable bedding that helps them feel safe in their home away from home.

His compassion for animals began years earlier with a Boxer-Labrador mix named Tony. After Tony was diagnosed with parvovirus, Justin took responsibility for administering his daily intravenous fluids. Watching Tony recover and enjoy many healthy years afterward gave him a firsthand appreciation for the impact dedicated care can have on an animal’s life.

Outside the clinic, Justin enjoys spending time with family and friends, gathering at church, cooking, and relaxing by the pool. His home is shared with three dogs and Rambo, a one-eyed cat with special medical needs that he adopted after caring for him at the clinic. Rambo’s story reminds Justin every day why taking that leap of faith was one of the best decisions he has ever made.

Request an Appointment

!Top Bar

Call Us! Button

Header Logo

Request an Appointment Button

WE PUT THE ‘CARE’ IN CARE TEAM!