A Friendly And Caring Veterinary Clinic in the St. John’s/Mount Pearl Area
At Topsail Road Veterinary Clinic, we provide comprehensive veterinary services with a personalized and friendly touch. We get to know all of our clients and their pets. We like to think of the people who entrust us with their pets’ health as part of an extended family.
Your pet’s health is our passion and our goal is to help your pet live a long, happy, and healthy life.
Our team has a great love for animals, and as pet owners, we understand the emotional attachment people develop with their pets. A pet is just like any family member - deserving just as much love, care, and health.
Our professional staff has years of experience providing high quality veterinary service. When you come to our clinic, you will find all that you need to ensure your pet’s health and longevity - along with the warm and personal touch which our clients appreciate so much, and have come to expect from us.
Our staff
KRISTA JACOBS
RECEPTIONIST
Krista is originally from Joe Batt’s Arm, Fogo Island. She graduated from the Veterinary Assistant/Receptionist program at Academy Canada in 2011 and has worked as a receptionist since. She joined the Topsail Road Veterinary Clinic team in May 2016. She enjoys spending time visiting her hometown on long weekends and spending time with family and friends. She currently resides in St. John’s with her cat “Missy” and her dog “Mia” who is normally found sleeping under Krista’s desk or out and about looking for belly rubs as she attends work daily with her mom!
TRACEY LAWRENCE
RECEPTIONIST
Tracey joined our team in May 2018. She completed her veterinary reception & assistant program at Lawrence College in 2002. She has since gone on to complete her Primary/Elementary teaching degree. However, her love for animals has kept her working as a part-time veterinary receptionist!
Tracey and her boyfriend enjoy a quiet life filled with the joy and amusement of their four cats and two beagles! In her free time, she also enjoys spending time with family and friends.
AMANDA CHIPMAN
RECEPTIONIST
Amanda graduated from the Veterinary Assistant program in 2019. She grew up in Random Island, where she discovered her love of animals and was the proud owner of three goats, chickens, and a rooster. Currently, she lives in St. John’s with her spoiled dog Maggie, aka Maggie May.
Her first working experience with animals was at the SPCA in Clarenville; there she decided to pursue a career in the animal industry. During her time off she enjoys reading, drawing, hiking, and spending time with her furry best friend.
MARTINA HYNES
VETERINARY ASSISTANT/RECEPTIONIST
Martina has been a pleasure to work with since joining us in 2012 after graduating with a diploma in the Veterinary Assistant/Receptionist program. She is from Bay Roberts, where she currently lives with her husband, daughter, demond cat Kevin, and big fur baby Maverick. During her free time, she loves to travel, read books, go on hikes with Maverick, and, most of all, spend time with her family.
TAYLOR BURSEY
ASSISTANT
Taylor is from Clarenville but grew up in various parts of Newfoundland. She was always surrounded by all kinds of animals but always had a fondness for cats. In 2016, she graduated from the Veterinary Assistant program and started working at Topsail Road Veterinary Clinic shortly afterward. She enjoys helping with dental procedures and taking radiographs. Her favourite hobbies include gardening, reading, karaoke and going for hikes with her beagle Charlotte. She enjoys going to the cabin on the weekend and loves spending time with her family. She lives at home with her partner Chad, Beagle Charlotte, and her four precious cats; Reese’s, Stripes, Ariel and Buck.
P.S She is hoping that one day her dream will come true and she will own her very own goat.
JEN CLARKE
ASSISTANT
Jen has been a veterinary assistant for over a decade. She was born and raised in St John’s and lives with her boyfriend Adam, her dogs Atlas and Nimbus, as well as her cats, Anton, Nomad and Silvey. In her free time, Jen enjoys drawing, hiking, training her dogs and spending time with family.
MICHELE SHEPPARD, RVT, BSC
TECHNICIAN
Michele graduated from the Animal Health Technology Program at Nova Scotia Agricultural College in 1995. She was married that year to Mark Sheppard, who served in the Navy, and they have two adult children. She started working at a small animal practice in Dartmouth upon graduating and worked there for 10 years before moving home in 2005. At that time, Michele started working at Topsail Road Veterinary Clinic part-time while she completed her BSc (Biology) at MUN and raised her family. After a brief two-year return to Dartmouth, Michele, Mark and their family moved home and now live in Paradise. Michele returned to Topsail Road Veterinary Clinic Team in 2007 and has been here ever since. Their family also includes Bella (English Setter mix), Jyn (DMH) and Beans (DSH). She enjoys the outdoors: camping, walking her dog, gardening or just curling up and reading a book.
DR. HILARY MCKEOWN
VETERINARIAN
Dr. McKeown graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College in 2001. Since graduation she had worked in 2 local clinics before coming to Topsail Road Veterinary Clinic to be a co-owner with Dr. Veitch and veterinary technician Michele Sheppard. She resides in St. Philips with her husband and their 2 children, 2 dogs (Sage and Zeppelin), and 2 cats (Milo and Lego). When not in the clinic, she loves to spend time with family and train with her dogs who love flyball, rally and even a little agility. Dr. McKeown loves treating both cats and dogs and has a special interest in dentistry, dermatology, and internal medicine. She has attended additional dental training and can now perform bonded sealants and composite restorations for certain tooth disorders, enabling the pet to be pain-free and not lose the tooth. She is currently enrolled in the International Veterinary Dentistry Institute to become a Veterinary Dental Practitioner.
DR. COURTNEY VEITCH, DVM
VETERINARIAN
Dr. Courtney Veitch completed her degree in Animal Science from the Nova Scotia Agricultural College in 2003 prior to attending the St Matthew’s University in Grand Cayman, where she graduated in 2009. After graduation Dr. Veitch returned home to Newfoundland to practice small animal medicine. She began practicing at Topsail Road Veterinary Clinic in November 2010. She has special interests in internal medicine, wildlife medicine, surgery, and pain management. When not at the clinic, Dr. Veitch spends her time hiking with her dogs, gardening and spending time with her family. She shares her life with two English Setters (Sylvan and She-Ra), a Yorkie (Suiki), and two cats (Calvin and Captain).
MICHELE BENOIT
ASSISTANT
Michele is one our our longest-running employees! She is originally from St. Alban’s on the south coast of Newfoundland but has been with us since 2009. She is very enthusiastic about her job and takes great care in anticipating the needs of patients to ensure their utmost comfort. She lives with her son Logan and her dog Suzie. In her spare time, she enjoys watching paranormal shows and playing games with her son.
TAYLOR ASPELL
ASSISTANT
Taylor is from the small Town of Cape Broyle located on the beautiful Southern Shore. Anyone who knows Taylor knows that she adores animals - especially her dogs! Taylor recently graduated from the Veterinary Assistant/Receptionist program and accepted a position here at Topsail Road Veterinary Clinic shortly after. One of her favourite aspects of her job is assisting with dental procedures. Taylor is excited about the opportunity to work with such a wide variety of animals and expand her knowledge about veterinary medicine!
TONYA LUTZ
TECHNICIAN
Tonya recently returned home to St. John’s after working as an Animal Health Technologist in Truro for the past 26 years. Tonya has two grown boys, Mason & Jessie, a black Labrador Retriever named Wavey, and two Lynx-Point Siamese cats named Hot Wheels and Sweety. In her spare time she enjoys being outdoors with Wavey, hiking, snowshoeing, and spending time with family.
MELISSA POWER
VETERINARIAN
Dr. Melissa Power was a graduate of the Atlantic Veterinary College in 2014. She currently lives in Mount Pearl with her husband, young son, and her dog Tiny Tim. While she is our newest doctor at the clinic, she is a familiar face. Melissa was a volunteer at Topsail Road Vet Clinic back when she was just a teenager, she also studied closely with both Dr. Veitch and Dr. McKeown while she was in veterinary school. Dr. Power has special interests in ultrasonography (especially echocardiogram), cardiology and ophthalmology. She believes strongly in building trusting relationships with her clients, and is very passionate about patient care as well as client communication and education (she was actually a high school teacher before she was a veterinarian!).
Trupanion
We try to make your visit to our clinic as easy and uncomplicated as possible, so we are happy to offer Trupanion direct billing.
If you’d like to make an appointment at our clinic, please get in touch with us directly.