Meet the Team at Animal Hospital of Hinesburg

Led by renowned experts who love your pet like you do, our devoted team at Animal Hospital of Hinesburg in Hinesburg, VT is driven, compassionate, and accomplished, excelling at the top of our game. Because when the stakes are this high, we settle for no less.

GET TO KNOW US
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Your Trusted Veterinary Team in Hinesburg, VT

Veterinarians

Dr. Rich Armstrong

Veterinarian
About Dr. Armstrong
Dr. Armstrong has been with us at the Animal Hospital of Hinesburg since 2000 and became an owning partner in 2010. After graduating from the University of Georgia in 1995, he practiced in Virginia before moving with his wife Kristin, also a veterinarian, to Vermont – one of the best decisions they ever made. Rich has a special interest in laser surgery, wound therapy, and practice management. Rich and Kristin live in Hinesburg, where Rich enjoys activities like fishing and playing drums in a band. At home, 2 cats, 2 Golden Retrievers, and a former Bahamian street dog provide a constant reason (along with Rich’s cooking) to smile.

Dr. Patrick Leavey

Veterinarian
About Dr. Leavey

Dr. Leavey returned to Vermont in 2009 after veterinary school at Tufts University. Pat has enjoyed being with the team at Hinesburg since 2014 and became an owning partner in 2019. Pat loves working with dogs and cats, but he also has an interest in working with exotic species, including reptiles, small mammals, and poultry. Pat’s areas of focus are surgery, dentistry, and ultrasounds. He and his wife, Anna, live with their son and daughter. They also have three pets: Fred, their black Lab, Frankie, a chocolate lab, and Theodosia, their quirky cat. When not at the hospital, he is usually having fun with his family and friends or playing music.

Dr. Ellen Foster

Veterinarian
About Dr. Foster
Ellen Foster, DACVIM, has been our internal medicine specialist since 2004. She splits her time between seeing general practice patients and seeing dogs and cats referred from other veterinarians for endoscopy, ultrasound, or advice on a difficult case. She graduated from veterinary school at the Ohio State University in 1982. She then spent 3 years at the Animal Medical Center in New York City completing her specialty training in internal medicine and neurology, after which she (thankfully) moved to Vermont. When not at work, she is an avid gardener and Extension Master Gardener. She lives with her 2 dogs, an adult brittany, Finnigan, because he has red hair, and Matilda, a small terrier apparently crossed with a giraffe. She is named for the Ronald Dahl character because she is little, very smart, and a bit of a jerk. Ellen also has 2 rats. Harriet Ratter has a white lightning strike-like mark on her forehead. Her sister goes by Ginny Weaselish.Ellen has recently started making too many live edge wood tables, so there is no more room for additional pets.

Dr. Karen DeMoy

Veterinarian
About Dr. DeMoy

We welcomed Dr. DeMoy into our practice in 2016. She graduated from the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine in 1999. Dr. DeMoy practiced mixed animal medicine, focusing on small animals, for three years in central New York before moving back to Vermont in 2002. Karen lives in Orwell with her husband, Dave, a large animal veterinarian, and their three daughters. When not shuttling her children to their various activities, she also enjoys gardening, needlework, crochet, felting, and is an avid reader of all topics. At home, Karen’s extended family includes a border collie mix named Moxie, a Havanese named Dottie, a miniature poodle named Harre, and Melon the cat. They also have a leopard gecko, turtle, guinea pig, rat, and many chickens.

Dr. Kara Palac

Veterinarian
About Dr. Palac

Dr. Kara Palac grew up in New England and considers Vermont to be her favorite place in the world. She was thrilled to join The Animal Hospital of Hinesburg team and come home in 2020. She graduated from the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University in 2014. After graduation, she worked at a mixed-animal practice in central New York state for two years. She then spent over three years in New Jersey, focusing on practicing high-quality small animal medicine and performing routine surgeries. Her clients appreciate her candid approach towards taking care of their pets, as well as her dry sense of humor.

For fun, Dr. Palac enjoys running half marathons (she has a goal to run one in all 50 states), baking cookies, watching Netflix, and relaxing with her husky, Ginger, and her horse, Koko.

Dr. Jennifer Elliott

Veterinarian
About Dr. Elliott
Dr. Jennifer Elliott joined the Animal Hospital of Hinesburg in 2004. In 2016, she wanted to shake things up and started her own small animal mobile practice, driving the roads of Chittenden County and beyond for 6 years. In early 2020, Dr. Elliott closed her mobile practice to spend more time with her ailing mother and there was no other place she wanted to continue to work than back at AHH. We welcomed her back with open arms!

Dr. Garrett Levin

Veterinarian
About Dr. Levin
Originally from California, Dr. Levin earned his Bachelor of Science in Animal Science from the University of California at Davis in 1994 and received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Ross University, School of Veterinary Medicine in 1999. Dr. Levin completed a one-year small animal medicine and surgery internship in 2000 at The Animal Medical Center in New York. Following his internship, he completed a three-year comprehensive residency in small animal orthopedics, soft tissue, and neurosurgery in 2003.

Since his residency, Dr. Levin has served as Staff Surgeon at small animal referral and emergency hospitals in California and New Jersey, as well as Chief of Surgery in Massachusetts and Vermont. Dr. Levin has received board certification and is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons. His areas of special interest include orthopedic surgery and soft tissue surgery. Dr. Levin is trained in the Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy (TPLO) surgical procedure for the treatment of cranial cruciate ligament rupture and has performed thousands of these procedures in his career.

Leadership

Jessice Lorey

Practice Manager

About Jessica

Bio coming soon!

Rachel Manikian

Technician Supervisor & Hospital Coordinator
About Rachel
Rachel graduated from Vermont Technical College in 2005 with a degree in Veterinary Technology and joined the team at the Animal Hospital of Hinesburg as a technician shortly thereafter. Along with her regular technical duties, Rachel became the hospital’s Technician Supervisor/Assistant Manager in 2013. Rachel has a special interest and skills in emergency and critical patient care. When not on the clock, she can be found heading up a mountain with her lab-mix “Dexter”, taking a Zumba class, or just hanging out with her husband, daughter, cat, and flock of chickens.

Technicians

Brittney Osborne

Certified Veterinary Technician
About Brittney
Brittney has been with us since 2013 after graduating from the Vermont Technical College Veterinary Technician program. She chose this field after spending three semesters in the UVM pre-veterinary program where she decided she wanted something more “hands-on”. Brittney has previously spent most of her free time running, hiking, and enjoying the outdoors (mainly with borrowed dogs from friends). She loves running so much that she has gone on to complete several ultramarathons and several multi-day races (as a Vermont native, Brittney’s favorite post-race food is Ben & Jerry’s ice cream). However, nowadays you can find her “getting cozy” on the couch with her new baby Jolene (JOJO)! She is very excited to finally have a dog of her own. Though not to the same scale, Brittney still manages to get some “running” in chasing JOJO around as she is quite mischievous!

Kevin Williams

Certified Veterinary Technician
About Kevin
Kevin is originally from New York state. In 2015 he earned his bachelor’s degree in environmental science and then spent the next 3 years conducting a wildlife research project on Adirondack loons. He moved to Vermont in 2018 to attend Vermont Technical College for a degree in veterinary technology. He completed his externship for VTC with us in 2019 and then joined the team as a full-time technician in 2020. He lives in Winooski with his girlfriend Samantha, and their southern rescue dog, Ivy. When not working, he plays guitar and enjoys outdoor activities.

Meghan Forsyth

Veterinary Technician
About Meghan
Meg is a Vermont native who was eager to join our team! She started here at HVA in January of 2015 as a technician. She graduated from Johnson State College in 2010 with a B.S. in Biology. While earning her degree she took on an internship at Lamoille Valley Veterinary Service to explore her passion for working with animals. Meg lives in Shelburne and enjoys cuddling and playing with her golden retriever Henry as well as her two cats Snickelfritz and Mr. T. In addition to her love for animals, you will also find her kayaking in Lake Champlain, hiking with her dogs, dancing, playing tennis, and spending time with friends and family.

Sarah Lathrop

Veterinary Technician
About Sarah
Born in Arizona, Sarah moved to Vermont at the age of three. She moved to Maine after high school, where she worked at a doggy daycare for three years. Her interest in working with animals led her to become a veterinary technician, a career which she has greatly enjoyed for the past 13 years. She became part of our team in the summer of 2015. She and her wife Sommer reside in beautiful Lincoln, Vermont, with their three cats (Donny, Mio & Bean) and their big beautiful mastiff/boxer mix Malcom. In Sarah’s free time, she enjoys camping, fishing, kayaking, and hunting. In the summertime, you’re likely to find her floating in the New Haven River.

Client Service Representatives

Emily Haskins

Receptionist
About Emily
Emily has worked at the Animal Hospital of Hinesburg since October 2018. One of our full-time receptionists, she enjoys assisting clients and their pets each day. Emily has worked in the customer service field for over ten years and has been caring for animals since she was a child. She is a Vermont native, hailing from Huntington, where she still lives with her three dogs, three cats, and a rabbit. Emily is recognized as the office’s “crazy cat lady,” and enjoys getting to know each feline that comes in for an appointment. When not at work, she enjoys spending time outdoors, reading a book from her collection of over 1,500 volumes with a cat on her lap, or drinking tea with friends.

Moriah Pratt

Receptionist
About Moriah
Before becoming part of our team, Moriah had a career in grooming at PetSmart. She is a Vermont native that grew up all over the state from St. Johnsbury to Randolph to Bristol. She currently lives on a local Hinesburg dairy farm owned by her boyfriend’s family, with his son, their baby girl and their beagle Kiara and cat Magenta and a herd of cows! Moriah joined the Animal Hospital of Hinesburg team in early 2019. When she is not working, she can be found traipsing around farm fields with her family.

Marisha Lemoine

Receptionist

About Marisha

Bio coming soon!

Care Team

Camden Bean

About Camden

Camden grew up in Vermont and attended school at Castleton University. She joined the team in 2022 looking to extend her knowledge for her passion.  She has been caring for animals since she was a child, always having animals in the home and fostering many litters of kittens. She now lives in Burlington with her boyfriend Peter and their two dogs Lilly and Charlie. The four of them enjoy hiking, going to the beach and sitting on the couch together.