News From and About Veterinary Dentistry Specialists

Alexander Adrian, DVM, DAVDC earned his veterinary degree from the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Following a brief stint as an associate veterinarian at a general practice in Minnesota, he completed his residency at Arizona Veterinary Dental Specialists, where he stayed for many years, and ultimately became the Medical Director. During that time, he earned Diplomate status from the American Veterinary Dental College, becoming a Board-Certified Veterinary Dentist^TM.

His special interests include endodontics and restorative dentistry, feline dentistry, maxillofacial trauma repair, and interceptive orthodontics.

When not at work, he enjoys spending time outdoors, cooking, home remodeling projects, and general tinkering. Dr. Adrian and his wife, who is a general practice veterinarian, have two cats and a dog.

Erin Wendt-Hornickle, DVM, DACVAA, earned her veterinary degree from the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine. Her post-graduate training included a Small Animal Rotating Internship at Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine and a Residency in Anesthesia and Analgesia at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine. She then earned Diplomate status from the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia & Analgesia.

In addition to her clinic locum work, including at VDS in Katy, TX, and VDS in Madison, NJ, Dr. Wendt-Hornickle has spent over a decade in academia, serving as a Clinical Instructor at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine, and an Assistant and Associate Professor and the University of Minnesota, Veterinary Clinical Science.

Her clinical interests include individualized patient care, patient safety, and pain management. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling to national parks with her family and gardening with native species to support biodiversity.

Dr. Ellen Scherer earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science at the University of Rhode Island. She then completed the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Program at The Ohio State University. Post graduation, she pursued a rotating internship at Fifth Avenue Veterinary Specialists in New York City. Her training continued with a three-year residency at the University of Wisconsin, School of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Scherer then completed her board certification to become a Diplomate of the American Veterinary Dental College. Prior to joining VDS Madison, she practiced for 5.5 years at a multi-specialty hospital in northern New Jersey.

Dr. Scherer’s special interests include periodontal treatments, endodontics, and mandibular and maxillofacial trauma treatment. Her primary goal is to work with her patients to optimize their oral health and quality of life while working with clients to plan for long-term management and success.

Outside of work, she loves spending time with her husband and two children, especially outdoors, watching football, baking, and keeping her rescue cat out of trouble.

The founder of Veterinary Dentistry Specialists, Dr. Rice is a board-certified veterinary dental specialist and Diplomate of the American Veterinary Dental College (AVDC), with a strong track record of both academic and professional achievement.

He completed an internship in dentistry and oral surgery at Florida-based All Pets Dental Clinic under the mentorship of renowned veterinary dentist Dr. Jan Bellows, former president of the AVDC. He then completed and academic residency at the University of Wisconsin under the mentorship of Dr. William Gengler, also a former president of the AVDC. Dr. Rice then became the attending clinician of the dentistry and oral surgery service at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Rice has authored several research publications, lectures nationally and internationally on topics relating to the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the mouth and face of dogs and cats.

Dr. Rice serves on the Board of Directors for the Southern New Jersey Veterinary Medical Association (SNJVMA). His term as Secretary runs throughout 2021-22.

In his free time, he is an avid cyclist and follows competitive cycling feverishly. He is an avid outdoorsman who also enjoys following the English Premier League and racquet sports including racquets and squash.

She earned her veterinary degree from the University of Pennsylvania, School of Veterinary Medicine. After graduation, she completed a one-year rotating internship at Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital in New York City, then worked as an emergency veterinarian in Manhattan before starting her residency in Dentistry & Oral Surgery at Red Bank Veterinary Hospital in NJ. She completed her program at the Hospital for Dentistry and Oral Surgery in North Carolina. For the past few years, she has worked at a private specialty practice.

Her dentistry interests include maxillofacial fracture repair, endodontics, and oral surgical oncology. Outside of work, Dr. Mendelsohn enjoys spending time with her family, watching football, playing with her rescued Shih Tzu, Mega and riding her horses Zeke and Holden.

A NJ native, she is excited to join the team at VDS and looks forward to working closely with pet parents and referring veterinarians.

As an Assistant Professor, Dr. Eroshin built a successful clinical Dentistry and Oral Surgery Service at both the University of Tennessee and North Carolina State University, where he also developed a dentistry and oral surgery course. Passionate about teaching, he has presented numerous lectures locally and internationally. He continues to teach dentistry and oral surgery at Lincoln Memorial University College of Veterinary Medicine in Tennessee.

The areas of Dr. Eroshin’s clinical expertise include advanced oral surgery with a special interest in endodontics, maxillofacial trauma, oral cancer and exotic mammal dentistry.

Dr. Eroshin is an active animal welfare advocate. He spent extensive time in South Pacific volunteering for the Animal Protection Society of Samoa. Other notable volunteer projects include working with rescued large felids as a member of the Peter Emily International Veterinary Foundation, and the San Francisco SPCA.

Dr. Eroshin and his wife, also a veterinarian, have two children, three dogs, a cat and a horse. When he is not practicing veterinary medicine, Dr. Eroshin can be found exploring local trails with his children and planning his next family backpacking expedition. Dr. Eroshin is a unicyclist and a former competitive judo player. Dr. Eroshin is most proud of when his 3-year old son first learned to ride a bicycle.

Dr. Eroshin is excited to be back to the city where he first stepped onto American land.

Dr. Lewis graduated from University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine in 1997 and spent five years in general practice prior to returning for a residency in dentistry and oral surgery. He became a Fellow of the Academy of Veterinary Dentistry (AVD) in 2004 and a Diplomate (specialist) of the American Veterinary Dental College (AVDC) in 2005. Dr. Lewis is past-president of the American Veterinary Dental Society and was editor of the Journal of Veterinary Dentistry from 2016-2021. He is also a founding fellow of the AVDC Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Fellowship program.

At the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Lewis served as associate professor of Dentistry and Oral Surgery, associate director of the Mari Lowe Center for Comparative Oncology, and Chief of Surgery.

Dr. Lewis’ clinical interests include endodontics, feline tooth resorption, feline stomatitis, oral surgical oncology, jaw fracture repair, and lasers in oral surgery and dentistry. When not treating patients or teaching veterinary dentistry and oral surgery, he enjoys spending time with his wife, six sons, two dogs, and two cats, and two guinea pigs.

Dr. Elizabeth Goudie graduated from Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine and completed a three-year comparative anesthesiology residency at the University of Minnesota, during which time she researched local blocks and hyperalgesia as it relates to beta-3 cells and brown adipose tissue.

As a board-certified veterinary anesthesiologist, Dr. Goudie oversees the care of anesthetic patients before, during and after their anesthetic procedures. She also helps create a plan for postoperative pain relief after any painful dental or oral surgery procedures.

Dr. Goudie’s clinical interests include pain management of orofacial trauma and anesthetic management of high risk patients including those with cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, liver, and endocrine diseases. When not at work, Dr. Goudie enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter, dog, cat, and hens. She enjoys being outside as much as possible whether it is running, hiking, or gardening.

She completed an equine internship at University Of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital, followed by a residency in anesthesia at The Ohio State University. It was at OSU that she developed a strong interest in teaching and was awarded the Hospital Service Award for Resident Recognition. During her residency, she discovered a keen interest in managing patients with cardiac disease or life-threatening systemic illness. She also enjoyed locoregional analgesic techniques and understanding the science of pharmacokinetics.

Dr. Dooley became Board-certified by the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia in 2017. She remained at The Ohio State University as a clinical instructor before moving back to New Jersey. Prior to joining VDS, she worked as a locum anesthesiologist for private practices and academia, traveling across the United States and even making her way to Canada for a few weeks.

She enjoys anything to do with horses, learning about cars, completing home improvement projects, and of course spending as much time as possible with her two adopted, silly Cockapoos, Ozzie and Emma.

Dr. Caniglia completed her veterinary degree and a three-year residency in Anesthesia and Analgesia at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. She became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia in 2012. Prior to joining Veterinary Dentistry Specialists she spent seven years working at a private veterinary specialty practice in Pennsylvania.

Outside of the clinic Dr. Caniglia enjoys time with her husband, daughters, and dogs, a Portuguese Water Dog and a Wire Fox Terrier. The whole family loves to travel, especially to Italy! Food, wine, cooking and entertaining take up her remaining free time.

Melanie Hunt, DVM, DAVDC, earned her veterinary degree at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in Ithaca, New York. She then completed an internship at Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts, and returned to her home state of New Jersey and worked as a general practitioner and medical director for many years. This was when she discovered her love for veterinary dentistry.

Time and again, Dr. Hunt witnessed firsthand how treating a pet for oral disease and alleviating oral discomfort could dramatically improve their health and quality of life. She never tired of hearing comments like “My dog is acting years younger since his dental procedure!” or “My cat is eating much better now after her dental procedure!” In addition, she benefitted from the unique opportunity to work alongside board-certified veterinary dentists throughout her career. These experiences led her to pursue advanced training in veterinary dentistry. She completed her veterinary dentistry and oral surgery residency at Veterinary Dentistry Specialists (VDS) and became board certified in 2024. Dr. Hunt has also been a Fear Free® certified practitioner for several years and is excited to see how Fear Free techniques have been integrated into daily practice at VDS.

She enjoys traveling outside of work, spending time with her family, including a rescue cat and labradoodle, and walking the NJ shore boardwalks.

Dr. Chanda Miles earned her bachelor’s degree from Fort Lewis College in Durango, CO, in 1999. In 2006, she graduated from St. George’s University School of Veterinary Medicine and completed her fourth clinical year at Kansas State University. She then practiced as a general practitioner in Salt Lake City, for three years. During this time, she developed a strong interest in dentistry, which lead her to pursue further training in it. Her residency and surgical fellowship were completed in 2012 at the University of Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, and she became a diplomate of the American Veterinary Dental College in 2013. She worked for many years leading the dentistry and oral surgery service at Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists in Houston.

She is a member of the American Veterinary Dental College, the American Veterinary Dental Society, the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Texas Veterinary Medical Association, and the Harris County Veterinary Medical Association.

Dr. Miles is originally from Austin, TX. When she is not at work, she enjoys spending her time with her husband, two children, black Lab, and Sphynx cat.

Dr. Simon received his DVM and MSc degrees from Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine in 2007 and 2016, respectively. Dr. Simon became a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia in 2014 and joined the small animal clinical sciences department at Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2015. He continued at Texas A&M where he received tenure in 2022 and was the proud supervisor of Texas A&M’s anesthesia residency program from 2018-2022 and the chief of anesthesiology from 2021-2022. In 2018, Dr. Simon also received the prestigious small animal clinical service award. He is a national and international lecturer, has published 35 peer-reviewed journal articles, and has co-authored four book chapters on small animal anesthesia and pain management.

Dr. Simon is originally from New York and when not at work, he enjoys spending time coaching the Texas A&M University Ice Hockey and Texas Outlaws Hockey teams. He lives an active outdoor lifestyle with his wife and three kids and loves spending time with them snowboarding and surfing.

Dr. Feuer earned her undergraduate degree in Neuroscience from Muhlenberg College. She served as a volunteer emergency medical technician for her college and her hometown of Princeton, NJ for many years.

She earned her veterinary degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine in 2021. While there, Dr. Feuer was the President of the Behavior Club. She also conducted ovarian cancer research at the PennVet Working Dog Center in Philadelphia.

After graduation, she completed a one-year small animal rotating internship at Iowa State University Veterinary Hospital. In 2022, she joined the VDS team for a residency in Dentistry and Oral Surgery.

She has extensive experience in animal behavior, dog training, and is Fear Free certified. She values the importance of low-stress handling in the hospital setting.

In her free time, Dr. Feuer enjoys horseback riding, rock climbing, weight lifting, hiking, and trying new restaurants with her partner Paul.

Dr. Berman discovered her love of veterinary medicine, and dentistry in particular, while volunteering with a board-certified veterinary dentist back in high school. She earned her veterinary degree at Western University of Health Sciences College of Veterinary Medicine in Pomona, CA. She continued her training by completing an internship at Long Island Veterinary Specialists in Plainview, NY. Dr. Berman then worked as an emergency veterinarian for five years, caring for pets with all types of illnesses and injuries. She was accepted into a dentistry residency program at a private practice in Northern California, which she completed in 2020.

Her family includes a Pit Bull mix named Tater Tot, her husband, Mike, and twin sons, Tyson and Saxon. Tyson is named after her 17-year-old Yorkie, who followed her from high school through her residency. Being by the water, traveling, and spending time with her family is what she enjoys most.

Dr. Megan King earned her veterinary degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. She completed a rotating medical and surgical internship, followed by a two-year residency in cardiology at Red Bank Veterinary Hospital. She then earned Diplomate status by becoming board certified in veterinary cardiology by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.

Before joining VDS, she was the head of cardiology at Blue Pearl (CARES) in Langhorne, PA. Dr. King also has a mobile veterinary cardiology service, TriVet Cardiology.

Professionally, she has a special interest in the comprehensive diagnosis and treatment of congenital and acquired heart disease, congestive heart failure, pericardial effusion, and pleural space disease.

Dr. King enjoys helping veterinary cardiac patients diagnosed with heart disease gain a better quality of life through monitoring, medications, and lifestyle adjustments. She also considers it part of her job to provide equal care for their pet owners, who often need help understanding and managing their pet’s heart problems. Her overall treatment goal is to give pets and their families more quality time together.

She lives in the Philadelphia area with her husband, two sons, and two German Shorthair Pointers, Raymond and Valee. In her spare time, you’ll find her enjoying life outdoors, including hiking, biking, skiing, being on the beach, and in the mountains.

Dr. Herrmann grew up in Bucks County, PA where he graduated from Delaware Valley College. He earned his DVM in 2016 at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. Following a rotating internship at the Veterinary Specialty Center of Delaware, he continued his education with a residency in Dentistry and Oral Surgery in
Gaithersburg, MD under the guidance of Dr. Mark Smith and Dr. Kendall Taney. In 2022, he became a Diplomate (board-certified specialist) of the American Veterinary Dental College.

His clinical interests include periodontal surgery, endodontics, feline stomatitis, interceptive orthodontics, and oral surgical oncology. Outside of the office, Dr. Herrmann enjoys spending time with his dog, Yams, in the outdoors and his large extended family.

Dr. Bronko graduated with her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from the Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine in 2013, where she was a member of the Phi Zeta Veterinary Honors Society. She worked in Vermont for eight years as a small animal general practitioner, followed by two years working in a general practice (limited to dentistry), before joining the VDS team. 

While in a primary care setting, Dr. Bronko noticed the resounding difference that treatment of dental disease made in her patients’ overall health and happiness, and the great improvement in quality of life that they experienced. She believes that she has found the best job in the world, helping relieve pets from dental pain every day, and educating pet owners and other veterinarians about the importance of preventative and therapeutic dental care. Dr. Bronko is also passionate about making your pet’s clinic experience as calm and stress-free as possible – she is a certified Cat-Friendly Veterinarian and has been Fear Free Certified for both dogs and cats. 

She lives in Philadelphia with her husband, Ben, and their two tabby cats. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, cooking and baking for her family, and gardening.