Meet the Veterinarians & Team of Tavistock Veterinarians – Dairy Division in Tavistock, On! We’re pleased to provide exceptional care and service to you farm!
Please call us at (519) 655-2421 to speak to one of our caring veterinary staff members!
Kalie joined the Tavistock team after graduating from the Ontario Veterinary College in 2017. She was welcomed into the partnership in 2021.
Kalie’s main interests are in dairy herd health, reproduction, and proactive management such as cow and calf barn ventilation. She is on the board of directors for the Ontario Association of Bovine Practitioners, and a member of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners. When she is not at the clinic, Kalie enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband and son.
Dr. Amanda Topp grew up on a dairy farm outside of Embro, where she cultivated her love of cattle. It is that love
of cattle which lead her to complete her BSc Agr in Animal Science in 2009, followed by her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 2013. Amanda enjoys all aspects of food animal veterinary medicine but her passion is helping producers realize their farming goals by providing ideas, knowledge and expertise. In her spare time, Amanda enjoys spending time with her two kids and her husband Matt, playing soccer, vegetable gardening, and visiting her cows scattered around the countryside.
Dr. Wayne Shewfelt received his DVM from the Ontario Veterinary College, Guelph in 1977. His professional activities focus on the provision of dairy health management services, including nutritional consultation, herd monitoring, reproductive management, cow comfort, vaccination and udder health services; as well as traditional medicine and surgery. Wayne takes a proactive approach in the herds he works with by monitoring herd production and productivity. Wayne and his wife Carol have three children and two grandchildren. Hobbies include gardening, family activities, community service, and curling.
Allister developed an interest in dairy when he worked on a dairy farm as part of his BSc in Agr. After graduating from OVC in 1986 he practiced in P.E.I. for 2 years. In 1988, he joined John and Wayne in Tavistock. After being a vet student in the area, he always wanted to practice in the Oxford/Perth area. Allister became a partner in 1990. After 34 years he retired as a partner at the end of 2022, Allister continues to work part time at Tavistock.
Raised in Acton, Ontario, Clark has had an interest in animals and agriculture from a very early age. It began at his grandparents’ farm as a child and progressed from there. Cattle were always his main interest. His interest in agriculture and cattle led him to the Ontario Agricultural College where he received his Bachelor of Science in Agriculture degree in 2010. After completing his undergraduate degree, he wanted to pursue a career where he could work in the dairy industry at an on-farm level and make a difference for producers. He was fortunate enough to be selected into OVC and he graduated in 2015 with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree. His main interests are dairy production medicine and health management as well as general medicine and surgery. He also dabbles in beef cattle work. Clark is a family man whose other interests include sports, gardening and fishing.
Kristen earned her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from The Ontario Veterinary College in 2014. Upon graduation, she joined the Perry Veterinary Clinic, a large dairy practice in western New York. Wanting to be closer to family, Kristen returned to Ontario to practice dairy production medicine and joined Tavistock in 2016. Now working part-time for Tavistock, she is concurrently pursuing a Ph.D. from the University of Guelph in calf health.
Her professional interests include dairy nutrition, calf health, and reproduction. Kristen has developed a calf health program for Tavistock Veterinarians focused on data collection and reporting with actionable recommendations to maximize gains, reduce morbidity and mortality, and optimize lifetime output.
Dr. Burello grew up in the suburbs of Vaughan and her passion for agriculture stems from her family who farmed a variety of crops and animals back in Italy. Her aspirations to become a veterinarian and work with farm animals was evident from a young age. She completed her undergraduate degree in Animal Biology and Master’s degree in Swine Nutrition and Gastrointestinal Physiology at the University of Guelph. Nicole attended veterinary school in Europe at the University College Dublin to expand her perspective on dairy production, with the goal of incorporating unique and advanced European practices in her work. Her interests include lameness in dairy cattle, surgery, beef cattle and small ruminants. Outside of work, Nicole enjoys hiking with her husband, Connor, and dog, Chip, riding horses and going to the gym. She is very excited to be a part of the Tavistock team and helping farmers feed the world!
Dr. Paige Gamester hails from beautiful Prince Edward Island and is a 2018 Atlantic Veterinary College graduate.
She has practiced as a large animal ambulatory veterinarian since graduation, spending the majority of her time on dairy and poultry (mainly broiler and breeder) farms. She has a particular passion for dairy herd health management and bovine surgeries.
Paige loves working at Tavistock Vets and is excited to get to know the staff and clients. She and her partner Lucas have settled in Stratford and are enjoying exploring the town. She is an avid outdoors, yoga, and food (especially seafood!) lover.
Originally from Clinton ON, Alana moved to this area for her job at Tavistock Veterinarians in April 2003. She graduated as a Vet Tech in 2002 from St. Clair College, Windsor ON.
Alana is currently our Large Animal Technician who goes on-farm to administer and track producer’s dehorning and vaccination programs. She also offers the ultrasounding of calf lungs and participates in data gathering for research projects for the clinic. She does all the data input for Dairy Comp 305 in clinic.
When not at work she enjoys working out and playing baseball. Alana has 2 girls and a Great Dane, Gus. Gus also serves as the clinic mascot.
Racheal grew up on a small farm consisting of cows, chickens, rabbits and horses in a small town just outside of London, ON. She attended University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus in 2019 and started working at Tavistock Veterinarians as an RVT right after graduation. Racheal travels on-farm for dehorning and when not on the road she works full time at our Dorchester Small Animal location. Racheal looks forward to expanding her large animal knowledge and skills while caring for the livestock of our large animal clients. Outside of work she enjoys reading, going to the gym, hiking, and a variety of outdoor activities.
Lois grew up on a dairy farm in Bruce County, and moved to this area after graduating from Centralia College as an Animal Health Technician. She joined Tavistock Veterinarians in 2006 as the Inventory Manager. Her job duties keep her mainly at her desk, but she also helps out in the front office. When Lois is not at work, she enjoys many hobbies, including reading, putting together jigsaw puzzles, and square-dancing. Lois is married to Doug and they have 2 daughters. *Lois will be retiring in early 2024; we are so grateful for her contribution to our practice and dairy community at large.
Sarah graduated from the Veterinary Assistant Program at Eastern College in Fredericton, New Brunswick in 2020. She joined the Tavistock Veterinarians team in the spring of 2022 as a large animal receptionist. She lives in Oxford County with her husband Hendrik and their assortment of dogs, cats, chickens and rabbits. When not working, you can find Sarah spending time with family, reading a good book, canning, camping, and going to the beach.
Originally from the Ottawa valley, Stephanie graduated from the Veterinary Technologist program in 2015 from St. Lawrence College. She joined our team in September 2023 as our Inventory Manager and Large Animal Technician. Stephanie lives in Tavistock with her partner Luke and their dog, rabbit and cats. Outside of work she enjoys traveling, hiking, basketball and spending time with her friends and family.
