Meet Our Team
qualified veterinary doctors
Your Bend Emergency Vet Team
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 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. 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.
Dr. Morgan Helfrich is an internship-trained emergency veterinarian who is passionate about providing compassionate veterinary care to your beloved animals. Dr. Helfrich received her Bachelor's Degree in Animal Sciences from University of Illinois in 2012 and completed her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine with them in 2017. After completing her doctorate, she stayed at U of I to complete a 13-month internship in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery with a focus on emergency medicine. After her internship, Dr. Helfrich moved west to join our team as a full-time emergency veterinarian and has stayed with us through our evolution into a private practice. Dr. Helfrich is particularly interested in soft tissue surgery, ultrasonography, critical care, and wound trauma.
When not working, Dr. Helfrich spends her time exploring the great outdoors with her dogs, skiing, camping, rock climbing, mountain biking, and backpacking in the wilderness.
Juan was born in Colombia, and grew up in Florida where her went to vet school at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. He completed his internship in Boise, Idaho, at Westvet. Juan loves to bike, hike, and camp in the great outdoors.
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.
Mariah has been in the vet industry for seven years, working her way up to CVT from Kennel Attendant. Her passion is in patient care and she takes pride in speaking up for those that don’t have a voice. Mariah is from Prineville, and currently resides in Redmond where she loves to spend time hiking and being outdoors with her fiance and their two dogs, Nova and Bella. Mariah plans on continuing her education to obtain her VTS specializing in Emergency and Critical Care.
Bailey became a licensed technician in 2018. Since earning her technician license she has worked in shelters, general practices and has now ventured into emergency medicine. Her heart lies in rescue work, neonatal care, and diagnostic imaging. Outside of work she enjoys running her neonatal rescue and adventuring all over the PNW with her three cats, her golden retriever and her French bulldog.
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.
Cale has been in the vet industry 20+ years, with a 7-year hiatus, and loves constantly learning new skills and techniques to advance himself as a tech. He currently resides in Salem, but commutes to work in Bend when he’s needed. He has 1 dog and 2 orange cats. One of his cats thinks that socks are fun to hunt. Outside of work Cale enjoys fishing, camping, snowboarding, and attending live music shows. He is currently learning how to sail and aspires to sail across the Pacific.
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 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.
Shayla has been working in animal emergency since September 2017. In 2008, she earned her B.S. from University of Maryland, in Environmental Science/Wildlife Conservation. Prior to entering veterinary medicine, she was living and working remotely with wildlife in the Nigerian rainforest. In her spare time, she is frolicking in the mountains or volunteering in the community.
Maggie earned a BS in Microbiology and a Master's in Public Health - Epidemiology from the University of Minnesota. As a trail runner, hiker, and lover of animals, she was always looking for ways to give back to and protect the environment and the people and animals that rely on it. She found the veterinary field and loves working with all the animals (and their people!). In her spare time, you can find her on the trails with her Aussie, Kona, and husband, Kyle.
Gina loves working in the veterinary field and helping clients understand their pets' health, along with being able to interact with the animals. She has lived in Bend most of her life and loves biking, all food that the area has to offer and remodeling her home. Gina has two dogs, Nyla, and a newly adopted dog named Missy. Gina looks forward to learning more about vet medicine and enjoying life with her three beautiful girls.
Jen grew up in Portland and eventually landed in Manoa, Hawaii, where she studied human anatomy at the University of Hawaii. She thrives in the vet industry. Jen has two dogs, Veto the husky mix, Max, the snuggliest pit bull, 1 cat, Neville. (She also has a lot of fish.) Outside of work Jen loves to read, eat, travel, referee water polo and spend time with her husband, son, and daughter.
Kat relocated from Massachusetts to Central Oregon in the summer of 2019. They have been in the veterinary field since 2020, and enjoy working in a fast paced emergency environment. Previously, they worked as a volunteer EMT in human medicine, but they have always preferred non-human patients. They currently live with their dog, Paige, who was adopted from Northwest Dog Project.
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.
Kelton is from Redmond, Oregon, and is new to the vet industry, but takes pride in having the ability to help others in emergency situations. When he’s not working he loves to hike and fish as well as adventure throughout the Central Oregon area with his fiance and their two dogs, Nova and Bella.
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.
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.
Dr. Patti Mayfield graduated from Oregon State University in 2005 with a doctorate in veterinary medicine. She completed a rotating internship in 2006, and has since been practicing primarily emergency medicine and critical care. In addition to her experience in the emergency department, Dr. Mayfield has expanded the scope of her practice by obtaining certifications in traditional Chinese veterinary herbal medicine and diagnostic sonography.
Dr. Mayfield is passionate about animal welfare and advocacy. Upon obtaining a human animal bond certification in 2019, she helped to co-found and serve as the Medical Director of the Companion Animal Medical Project (CAMP), a nonprofit organization (501c3) providing veterinary wellness services to the pets of people experiencing homelessness in Central Oregon. Additionally, Dr. Mayfield has traveled to underserved areas to provide veterinary care; most recently in Malawi, Africa. Dr. Mayfield has been involved in advocacy efforts throughout her career, including serving on the Oregon Veterinary Medical Examining Board and her current Chair position of the advocacy committee of the Veterinary Cannabis Society.
In her spare time, she is an avid adventurer and paraglider pilot. When she isn’t seeking thrills in the sky, she finds joy in the backcountry on hiking trails, or on her snowboard. She also enjoys white water by raft or SUP, and speedy singletrack on her mountain bike. She is often joined by her partner, Tim and her fuzzy canine companions, Pilot and Wheels. Floof, her marvelous feline, keeps the adventures closer to home.
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.
Alyssa is a CVT and 4 year veteran working in emergency medicine. She thrives in the fast-paced environment and enjoys all the surprises emergency medicine offers. Alyssa was born and raised in Oregon. She loves hiking with her dog, Hank, snuggling on the couch with her cat Chloe, painting and playing billiards in her free time.
Brooke has been a member of the veterinary community since 2005, first starting off as a kennel technician and veterinary assistant in her hometown in California. Realizing her desire to become an educated and licensed technician she moved to Colorado to attend the Bel-Rea Institute of Animal Technology, from which she graduated in 2008. Her experiences range from pocket pets, to exotics and wildlife as well as horses and other large animals.
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 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.
After graduating from Oregon State University in 2018, Larissa has been in the veterinary industry ever since. What she loves about her job is that it is not the same every day. I enjoy meeting different patients and their owners—being able to take care of each patient's specialized needs in a welcoming atmosphere. Larissa was born and raised in Bend, Oregon, and has three dogs, Trip, Tate, and Major, and a cat named Salem.
Jonna originally hails from South Dakota. She completed her undergrad in Minnesota/Alaska in Wildlife Biology. Jonna has been in the vet industry since 2021, but has been working with animals since 2017. You can find Jonna spending all of her free time adventuring with her dog, Sage. They love to hike, camp, kayak and go on road trips.
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