NEWS
Dr. Force will not be seeing patients in
February as she prepares for the dental specialty examination.
The service will be closed from February
15-19, 2010.
Alyssa Berry Dr. Milinda
Lommer Dr. Judy Force
Michelle Ensey, RVT
WHY ARE WE CALLED AGGIE ANIMAL
DENTAL SERVICE?
Although Dr. Lommer is
a graduate of the U.C. Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, home of the "Aggies,"
the Service is actually named in memory of her first cat. Aggie was a loving
companion for almost 20 years.
|
Milinda & Aggie, 1978
|
Aggie, 1998
|
BOARD CERTIFICATION
A board-certified
veterinary dentist is a graduate veterinarian who has completed several
years of residency training and has passed comprehensive written and practical
examinations to become certified by the American Veterinary Dental College
(AVDC). The AVDC is one of several specialty organizations recognized nationally
by the American Veterinary Medical Association.
DR. MILINDA J.
LOMMER, D.V.M., Dipl. AVDC
Milinda
graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Indiana University in 1991, with a B.S. in
Biology.
In 1995, she earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree with Phi Zeta honors
from U.C. Davis' School of Veterinary Medicine.
In 1996, having completed a
one-year internship in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery at the Sacramento
Animal Medical Group, Dr. Lommer returned to U.C. Davis, where she became the
first veterinarian to complete the three-year residency program in Dentistry &
Oral Surgery.
Following her residency, Dr. Lommer remained at
the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital as a clinical instructor in the
Dentistry & Oral Surgery Service, before relocating to the Bay Area and
opening Aggie Animal Dental Service
in late 2000. She returned to the faculty at U.C. Davis on a part-time basis in August 2006.
Dr. Lommer has
lectured nationally and internationally, and has published results of research projects on
feline odontoclastic resorption lesions,
radiographic signs of periodontitis in cats,
prevalence of herpesvirus and calicivirus in chronic feline stomatitis, and
vital pulp therapy in primates. Current clinical research projects include
the use of cyclosporine for treatment of refractory stomatitis
in cats and the use of repository minocycline for treatment of periodontitis
in dogs.
Dr.
Lommer received the 1999 Peter Emily Outstanding Candidate Award from the
American Veterinary Dental College, and is
a Diplomate of the AVDC.
She lives in San Rafael with her husband, Edward,
their
daughters Maggie and Ella, both of whom were born in China, and their "fur
kids" Sphinx, Aslan
and Kiefer (all tabby cats).
"Dr. Maggie" practices on Sphinx, October 2007
Milinda
is proud to serve as the North Bay Regional Coordinator for Families with Children from China -
Northern California, and is also a member of their Board of Directors.
She and Edward were part of a volunteer work crew on an orphanage improvement
project in Hubei in September 2007.
She enjoys spending free time hiking,
reading, and running.
After a 10K race in San Francisco,
August 2009.
DR. JUDY FORCE, D.V.M.
Following graduation
from the U.C. Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in 1986, Dr. Force moved to
New Zealand, where she worked in a mixed animal practice for a year. Upon
returning to California, Dr. Force focused on small animal medicine, residing
in Mendocino County and the Lake Tahoe area before settling in the Santa Cruz
area in 1995. An intensive course offered by the American Animal Hospital
Association spurred her interest in small animal dentistry, and she began
studying with Drs. Barry Staley, DDS (a human periodontist) and Michael Floyd,
DVM, a Fellow of the Academy of Veterinary Dentistry. Since that time, Dr.
Force has continued advanced training in Veterinary Dentistry with Dr. Brook
Niemiec, DVM, Dipl. AVDC, and has devoted her professional time exclusively to
the study and practice of veterinary dentistry since 2004.
Dr. Force received extensive training in
anesthesia as the 2006 Don Low Fellow in Small Animal Anesthesia at the
Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at U.C. Davis. She has also participated
in a post-graduate course in Comparative Dentistry at U.C. Davis, along with
Dr. Lommer. Dr. Force works a few days each month at
our Corte Madera location.
Dr. Force lives in Watsonville with
her two Dalmatians. An avid equestrienne, she performs dressage, and enjoys
working with her dogs in Dalmatian road trials (obedience trials directed
while on horseback). They also enjoy participating in agility and obedience
trials.
MICHELLE ENSEY
,
R.V.T.
A native of the East Bay, Michelle moved to Sausalito at the age of 10. During
her childhood, she developed a great passion for animals; her family never
turned away the numerous stray cats who snuck in to eat the family pets' food
and thereafter became permanent residents. She began working with animals as a
teenager, volunteering at the Marin Humane Society. Michelle has been a member
of the Aggie Animal Dental Service team since April 2005; she became a
Registered Veterinary Technician (R.V.T.) in 2009.
Michelle shares her Novato home with her boyfriend and their two cats: Fluffy, a black Persian mix, and
Buddy, an orange tabby.
ALYSSA BERRY, B.S.
Originally from Boise,
Idaho, Alyssa graduated from San
Francisco State University in 2008 with a B.S. in Biology (emphasis in Zoology).
Before joining the Aggie Animal Dental Service team, Alyssa worked for the
Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society, where she was able to rescue dogs from East
Bay Animal Control and bring them to the Humane Society Shelter to be
medically and behaviorally cared for. She also successfully completed a
selective internship program at the Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society Animal
Hospital. Alyssa is very enthusiastic about the health of our four-legged
friends and hopes to attend veterinary school in the near future.
Alyssa lives in the East Bay with her boyfriend and two
rescued Russian Blue kitties, Irma and Eli.
KYNDRA HOMUTH
,
B.A.
A native of Los Angeles, Kyndra graduated from Reed
College in 2004 with a B.A. in History. She has since worked in nonprofit
development and communications, which she continues to do for the
Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society as she pursues her passion for animals. In
addition to volunteering two mornings a week with Aggie Animal Dental Service,
Kyndra also volunteers for WildCare, a nonprofit wild animal rehabilitation
and educational center in San Rafael, and is currently working on completing
pre-requisite coursework as she hopes to apply to veterinary school in the
years to come.
Kyndra lives in San Rafael with her boyfriend and
their rescued Chihuahua/dachshund mix, Brando.
