Our Doctors
Dr. Justene Tedder
South African born and Canadian trained, Justene is happy to practise veterinary medicine in beautiful Salt Spring Island after spending time in Alberta.
Justene and her husband Christo and their cat Nala moved to the west coast when they bought the clinic in 2012.
Justene is passionate about giving her patients and clients personalized care and comfort.
She is also training in Veterinary Chinese Medicine including Herbal Medicine and is soon to be certified in Veterinary Acupuncture. Dentistry is another passion for Justene as she knows that she makes such a difference to the quality of life for her patients.
Dr. Caroline Matyas
Retired from full time work but you’ll see her occasionally at the clinic as a locum veterinarian.
Our Support Staff
Kim – Registered Veterinary Technician and Director of Public Contact
Kim grew up on Salt Spring Island and through numerous career paths and life experiences she has found her passion in veterinary medicine. She started working for us in 2012 as a part-time assistant and is now a Registered Veterinary Technician. She is a Certified Level 3 Fear Free Professional with additional Fear Free certification in horses, birds, and even humans! She loves her job and truly appreciates that all of the skills she has acquired over her lifetime are put to use in her position at the clinic. She loves giving clients and their pets personalized care and attention. Her special interests at work are animal behaviour, nutrition, and client education.
She loves to go backcountry camping with her mare, Tara, and her little dog, Teddy, usually accompanies them! She also has a cheeky miniature horse, Buddy, and a small flock of chickens that she loves. Her most favourite place is on the back of her horse in the wilderness with the sun on her back. She can often be heard to make up her own words and own menus in restaurants!
Gabi – Registered Veterinary Technician and Director of Medical Services
Gabi is a Registered Veterinary Technician who graduated in 2021. She moved to Canada from Brazil in 2017, started volunteering at the SPCA, then started working for us in 2019 as a Veterinary Assistant. She has helped and cared for many stray animals in Brazil, and decided to change careers and dive deep into Veterinary Medicine after moving to Canada. She is a Fear Free Certified Level 3 Professional and has 100’s of hours of Continuing Education – she is passionate about education and is always studying something!
Her favourite part of her job is anesthesia and clinical laboratory diagnostics. In her free time, she enjoys playing with her 3 dogs – Potto, Tasha and Joshi. They all look very similar but came from 3 different countries and backgrounds. Her Mom is still in Brazil and she helps her to take care of 9 cats. She is an accomplished guitarist and plays in a band, likes tattooing and is artistically inclined in general!
Cara – Registered Veterinary Technician
Bio coming soon
Alex – Veterinary Technician in training
Alex has worked in the veterinary field for 9 years and just recently joined our amazing team in January 2024.
She has six cats! Bruno, Pixel, Rusty, Daisy, Odin, and Buddy. They range in age from 2-15 years old. Some were given to her and some had a couple litters. Amazing story – Buddy went for a walk about 10 years ago and was just recently reunited with her, thanks to his microchip!
Her 10-year plan starts with working towards becoming a Registered Veterinary Technician and she is looking forward to better understanding using Fear Free initiatives to add to her skills.
She is always striving to help animals with as much compassion as she can and is looking forward to all the opportunities that are ahead of her.
She has also started her own Grooming business and works hard to provide her grooming services during the weekends and help pamper everyone’s furry friends.
Outside of working, she enjoys drawing, writing, and reading but currently most of her free time is taken up with school. However, she does try to take some time to relax.
Fiona – Veterinary Assistant
Fiona’s interest in the veterinary field started by volunteering at her local clinic on Mayne Island. She went to Douglas College and received her Diploma as a Vet Assistant in 2020. She came to work with us after graduating and is a dedicated caregiver to all of our patients. Fiona is also a Fear Free Certified Level 1 Professional.
She has five pets under her “umbrella of care” including Luna, who is an older lady cat with thyroid disease, who is doing great with medical management of her condition. She also loves to bake and often brings us yummy treats to keep us going during the day.
Isabel – Veterinary Assistant
Isabel started working for us as a cleaner and is currently attending University. If you are lucky enough you may meet her during her school breaks when she returns to be a part of the team.
Juliana – Veterinary Assistant
Juliana moved to Salt Spring Island in 2023 to join our team and has been working with us since January of 2023. In Brazil, she was a Veterinarian and worked with investigating mistreatment and rescuing animals in poor conditions for 8 years. She moved to Canada a year ago with her 13-year old cat, Liz, who was also rescued from poor conditions and now she is a Queen!
She also has a Postgraduate degree in Veterinary Acupuncture in 2021, Portugal and Reiki 3A.
She is very proud to have moved to this amazing island to start this journey with her cat by her side!
She is enjoying the Island lifestyle and loves to hike, go to the beach, enjoy coffee shops, and spend time with her sweet little cat:)))
Valerie – Client Care Representative
Val has an 11-year old rescue dog named Maya. She is very energetic for her age and very smart – sometimes a little too smart. She gives the best cuddles and LOVES swimming.
She is an amazing baker and often brings us goodies. Outside of work she likes to travel, enjoys entertaining friends and family by sharing meals, camping and walking with Maya (when she behaves!)
Nayani
Nayani is a high-school senior who has been working as a part-time cleaner and assistant since Spring 2023. She helps to set up and clean for surgery, cares for your lovely pets in and out of the exam room, and works to keep the clinic clean and sanitized. After graduation, Nayani plans to study veterinary Medicine.
In her spare time, she loves to work with her 4 year old horse, Suki and come home to cuddle her 5 year old cat, Ripple. Her household also consists of her sister’s car, Marlow and horse, Summer.
Nayani’s passions and hobbies include dance, snowboarding, coaching gymnastics, working with horses and other animals, and going on outdoor adventures with friends.
A fun fact is that Nayani spent all her money on a horse instead of buying a car!
Miki – Office Administrator
Miki is our office queen. She keeps our paperwork in line and our inventory updated so we can help our patients best. She is also in charge of our online pharmacy and food store.
Miki is originally from Japan but has lived in Canada for many years. She now lives in Seattle with Neeko the chatty cat, Bella the cuddle dog plus her human husband, and enjoys exploring the beautiful Pacific Northwest with them.
Christo