Bend Animal Emergency and Specialty Center
Who we are
Our Mission
Our mission is to operate a progressive veterinary hospital that provides exceptional emergency and specialty veterinary care while also providing and caring for the veterinary team. Bend Animal Emergency and Specialty Center is proud of our values-based culture, which promotes and celebrates teamwork and a commitment to employee growth. Our practice is successful because of the contributions of every employee. We celebrate and promote diversity, inclusiveness, transparent communication, trust, and a passion for the human-animal bond.
About Us
Bend Animal Emergency and Specialty Center, LLC was established Aug 2021 by doctors Naomi Kitagaki and Adam Stone. Emergency medicine is our passion and we want to provide high quality care to the pets and owners of Central Oregon and surrounding areas. This hospital was founded with the goal of treating clients, patients and staff with equal levels of compassion and empathy. We strive to be an invaluable resource for our community.
We work with your vet
All hospitalized animals are transferred to your veterinarian for continued care during their normal office hours. Any non-emergency condition found during our examination will be brought to your attention for treatment at your family veterinary hospital.
All your pet’s medical records from the Bend Animal Emergency and Specialty Center will be sent to your regular veterinary clinic. We want to do everything possible to partner with your family veterinarian towards the health of your pet!
Meet our team
Bend Animal Emergency and Specialty Center is staffed at all times by experienced emergency veterinarians and staff. A minimum of one doctor and one technician are onsite during all open hours. We monitor our critical patients continuously through the night or weekend ensuring the highest quality care for your pet during their time of need.
Dr. Naomi Kitagaki
She/Her
Dr. Naomi Kitagaki shares ownership of Bend Animal Emergency and Specialty Center with Dr Adam Stone. She grew up in the Pacific Northwest graduating from Portland State University. Dr Kitagaki attended Western University of Health Sciences graduating with high honors in 2017. She completed an Emergency and Critical Care internship at DoveLewis Emergency Animal Hospital in Portland, OR after veterinary school.
After completion of her internship, she moved to Bend, OR to join the former Bend Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Center.
Dr Kitagaki enjoys hanging out with her partner Dr. Stone, backpacking, snowboarding, climbing, mountain biking, and snuggling with their two dogs (Maple and Wyatt) and two cats (Maya and Princess Pancake).
Dr. Adam Stone
He/Him
Dr. Adam Stone has lived and breathed emergency medicine for his entire career. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine in 2015, and then went on to complete a rigorous 13-month internship in emergency and critical care medicine at DoveLewis Emergency Hospital in Portland, Oregon.
Upon completion of his internship training in 2016, Dr. Stone started a successful veterinary relief business, filling in for sick and overworked emergency veterinarians throughout Oregon and Washington. Through his business, Dr. Stone has been fortunate enough to work at over 10 different emergency hospitals during this time. Fortunately, Dr. Stone has decided to make Bend a more permanent home, both due to the abundant snow, sunshine and the excellent quality of care offered at Bend Animal Emergency and Specialty Center. Dr. Stone's special interests include pain management, soft tissue surgery, anesthesia and critical care.
Dr. Stone currently resides with his partner Dr. Naomi Kitagaki, their two dogs, Wyatt and Maple, and their two cats, Mya and Princess Pancake. When not actively practicing medicine, he enjoys snowboarding, camping, mountain biking, cooking, and eating all the delicious food that Bend has to offer.
Dr. Stone is committed to providing excellence in veterinary care. He is a firm believer in educating clients as much as possible about their pets, so that medical decisions can be made in confidence.
Dr. Gordon Bunting
He/Him
Dr. Bunting graduated from the Kansas State College of Veterinary Medicine in 2000. He moved to Bend in 2002, taking a job at the first small animal emergency hospital in town and enjoying the outdoors of Bend. The best paths in life aren’t straight so after getting a start on a family with 2 girls, he worked in all areas of veterinary medicine from small animal day practice to mobile equine services before returning to the Bend Animal Emergency and Specialty Center almost a decade ago.
His passions include traveling with his two high-speed kids and his feisty and beautiful wife Banni, multi-day river trips and anything with a propeller on it.
Karie
She/Her
Karie began working in veterinary medicine in her youth, doing volunteer work with spay and neuter campaigns in her hometown of Playas del Coco, Costa Rica. She moved to Oregon in 2012 and obtained her Associates of Science degree in Veterinary Technology in 2018. She enjoys the field so much that she is hoping to pursue her Veterinary Technician Specialty designation in Emergency and Critical Care in 2023.
Brittany Landucci
She/Her
Born and raised in the Bay Area, Brittany has always had a love of animals (especially cats!). This past summer she completed the veterinary technician program with Penn Foster College, sat for her licensing and became an official CVT! Brittany and her husband Rick have lived in Bend for 7 years and reside with their two sassy chihuahuas and their three black cats. In her free time, Brittany enjoys cooking, visiting the ocean, traveling with her husband, and bowling.
Megan
She/Her
Megan grew up raising sheep and rabbits through 4H and FFA where she found her passion working with animals. Already an experienced, knowledgeable veterinary assistant, Megan is taking her dedication a step further working through the Certified Veterinary Technician program. Her favorite aspects of veterinary medicine are surgery, nursing, and client education.
Jolene
She/Her
Jolene has been a vet assistant for 20 years and a real estate agent for 5 years. Jolene has worked on all types of animals from cats and dogs to tigers, and lemurs. She is originally from San Diego but moved to Bend from Eugene and currently has two dogs and one cat. Outside of work, Jolene fills her days with real estate or spending time with her daughter.
Jen
She/Her
Jen started working in vetmed in 2020. She has previous experience in human emergency services working in EMS and 9-1-1 but feels the animal ER is where she was meant to be. Being able to support owners while they are in the ER with their pets is very fulfilling for her. Jen's pack includes a husband, 2 kids, 3 dogs, a cat, and too many fish to count. Outside of work she referees water polo, watches junk reality tv, and hangs out with the pack.
Rachel
She/Her
Rachel earned her degree in Criminal Justice, but has been working in the vet field for two years. She loves the unpredictability of emergency veterinary medicine, and how fulfilling it is to have the ability to give so much compassion and love to pets and their owners. She has lived in Central Oregon since 2002. Rachel has two dogs, Hooter and Zeus.
Bryan Bottorff
He/Him
Dr. Bryan Bottorff received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Purdue University in 2008. He then completed a one-year rotating small animal internship at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, and began his Cardiology residency at Oregon State University in 2009. During his residency, Dr. Bottorff received extensive training in multiple facets of veterinary cardiology including advanced echocardiographic techniques, interventional cardiology, electrocardiography and arrhythmia disorders, and the diagnosis and management of congenital and acquired cardiac conditions. Dr. Bottorff completed his residency and obtained board certification by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine in 2012.
Since that time Dr. Bottorff has practiced high quality medical and interventional cardiology throughout the Pacific Northwest having worked at multiple emergency and specialty hospitals, and also served as hospital medical director. He also has extensive experience in telemedicine and remote cardiology, serving as a consultant cardiologist for various ultrasound and imaging groups since 2014.
Dr. Bottorff founded Cascade Veterinary Cardiology in 2020, and is excited to offer specialized veterinary cardiac care to beautiful Central Oregon. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his family, traveling, and outdoor adventures in the Pacific Northwest.
Jessica Dahlberg
She/Her
Dr. Dahlberg is a board-certified veterinary surgeon with over 15 years of veterinary surgery experience. She performs emergency and advanced elective small animal surgery at universities and referral centers in the US.
As a general surgeon, Dr. Dahlberg performs orthopedic, soft tissue, and neurosurgery. She is also a certified Canine Rehabilitation Therapist and enjoys diagnosing and treating challenging lameness cases.
While completing her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Dahlberg earned a concurrent Masters of Science focusing on biomechanics and osteoarthritis therapy in animals. She then completed a surgical internship and residency and practiced large animal surgery around the US. Thereafter, Dr. Dahlberg practiced general small animal medicine for 4 years and taught pre-veterinary college students at her alma mater. Finally, Dr. Dahlberg pursued Dual-Certification in small animal surgery and served as Chair of the ACVS Dual-Certification Committee.
When the work is done, you will find Dr. Dahlberg outside with her rescue pup, “Guy”. She loves trail running, mountain/gravel biking, camping, and snowboarding.
Alisha
She/Her
Alisha knew from a young age that she wanted to turn her passion for animals into a career. She became a licensed veterinary technician in 2004 and earned her B.S in Biology from the University of Colorado in 2006. She worked exclusively in emergency medicine for 15 years prior to transitioning to cardiology.
Tricia
She/Her
Tricia has had a love for animals since birth. Tricia received a degree in Medical Laboratory Technology and went to work in a local animal hospital. Upon moving to Bend in 2004, she was encouraged to challenge the Oregon State Veterinary Medical Examining Board and sit for her CVT credentials, which she passed with flying colors. She and her husband have two grown sons, a grandson, a flock of chickens and a Cane Corso named Buffy.
Tim
He/Him
Tim started working in veterinary medicine 15 years ago and joined the Bend Animal Emergency team in April 2022. Tim grew up in the Sacramento area before attending Linwood University where he studied history and worked for the college radio station. Tim has an Alaskan Malamute mix named Quinn and a brown tabby named Saul. Outside of work, Tim enjoys hiking with Quinn, collecting records, going to estate sales, reading and going to concerts.
Synthia
Synthia was born and raised in Bend Oregon before moving to La Pine as a freshman in high school. She has always had a love for animals of all shapes and sizes before she could walk or talk, telling her family at only 4 years old that she wanted to be in veterinary medicine. After a job shadow at a local clinic senior year, she knew without a doubt that veterinary medicine was the place for her and started in general practice right away, where she knew she would climb the ladder into emergency medicine. Synthia is a college student, actively working on her licensing to become a Certified Veterinary Technician. At home she has quite the pack with two rescue horses, Cipher and Sunny, two chi-pits, Chevy and Yuki, and a spicy orange kitty named Lucy. In her spare time Synthia enjoys spending time in the woods, reading, riding horses, singing, traveling, and spending time with her loved ones.
Erin
Erin is a born and raised Oregonian whose love for animals brought her into the veterinary world 6 years ago. After a 4-year break from ER med and trying out day practice where she was a practice manager, she ultimately decided she missed the craziness and unpredictably of the ER and came back in August 2023. In her free time, Erin can be found wandering in the forest, chasing waterfalls or forging for mushrooms with her best friend Major. She currently resides in Redmond, with her pit-bull rottweiler mix Major and her 20lb main coon kitty Azlynn.
Hayley
Hayley was born and raised here in Bend and absolutely loves being able to experience all four seasons that Bend has to offer. She joined the veterinary industry in 2021 and since then has loved working in the veterinary field and thrives in the fast paced environment. At home she has a golden retriever named Dexter and a fluffy (troublesome) orange/white cat named RIgby, together they're unstoppable. Outside of work she loves to snowboard, binge watch movies/shows with her fur babies, going on hikes and hanging out with friends.
Colbi
Meet Colbi, the versatile and dynamic inventory manager at Bend Animal Emergency & Specialty Center! With a background as a veterinary assistant spanning over a decade, she brings a wealth of experience from Emergency, Specialty, and General Practice settings.
Colbi seamlessly transitions from stethoscope to spreadsheet, having mastered various roles in the office setting. From rocking the frontlines of customer service to orchestrating the backend as an account manager, office manager, and administrative extraordinaire, she does it all with finesse.
An animal enthusiast with a penchant for organization, Colbi ensures that our inventory runs like a well-oiled machine, keeping supplies stocked and ready for our furry friends in need.
When not wrangling inventory lists, Colbi can be found exploring the great outdoors, being creative and artistic, or in the kitchen whipping up a tasty treat.
Dr. Katie Woodruff
Dr. Katie Woodruff was born and raised in Monterey, California and had an early exposure and passion for animals as her mom worked as a veterinary technician She graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 2018 with honors then went on to pursue her doctorate and graduated from Western University of Health Sciences in 2022 with high honors. Dr. Woodruff then spent time in Southern California as an emergency doctor at an Emergency and Critical Care Hospital before moving to Bend in October 2024.
Dr. Woodruff's professional interests are critical care, soft tissue surgery, animal behavior, and exotic animal medicine. She spent many years in dog training and has a passion for working dogs as well.
In her free time she enjoys spending time with her husband, Karl, two dogs and two cats. Dr. Woodruff's German Shepherd Nash can often be seen on the trails or in the water or on countless adventures with her. Moving to Oregon has been a long time dream and plan for Dr. Woodruff and her family and she is so excited to be here and to serve and help the people and animals of Central Oregon!
Get your animals the care they deserve
Whether an emergency or a specialty service, our team has you and your pet covered.