Meet the Veterinarians & Team of Oconomowoc Animal Hospital in Oconomowoc! We’re pleased to provide exceptional vet care for your pets! Please call us at (262) 567-2122 to speak to one of our caring veterinary staff members!
Dr. Katrin Witz was born and raised in Germany. She has always had a great interest in animal health. Growing up she gained experience by volunteering at shelters and veterinary clinics, as well as helping the elderly care for their pets. After moving to the US, she worked for many years as a Certified Veterinary Technician at a busy, well-equipped small animal clinic.
Dr. Katrin received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Degree at the University of Wisconsin, School of Veterinary Medicine. In August 2014 she purchased Oconomowoc Animal Hospital from Dr. Lauridsen. She looks forward to serving the community by providing compassionate veterinary attention to all patients. She values patient care, client education and strives to practice with integrity, treating each animal as her own. She treasures the human-animal bond and tries to guide the owner through all stages of their pet’s life by providing preventive care, medicine, dentistry services and surgery.
Dr. Katrin stays current with the ever-evolving field of Veterinary Medicine by attending continuing education meetings and being an active member of the WVMA (Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Association) and the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association).
When not at work, Dr. Katrin likes to spend time with her husband, 2 children, along with their menagerie of furry, feathered and scaly family members. Together they enjoy hiking, camping, kayaking and exploring the great outdoors.
Dr. Dawn Miksic grew up in the Lake Country area and is a 1997 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine. She joined the team at Oconomowoc Animal Hospital in 1998. She loves the challenges a busy veterinary practice provides and enjoys helping families care for their pets.
Dr. Miksic lives in Oconomowoc with her daughter. Her hobbies include reading and spending time in the North Woods of Wisconsin at her parent’s cottage canoeing, fishing and swimming.
Dr. Kirsten Zellmer is a 1995 graduate of the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine. She started her career by working in Sullivan for three years, followed by an 18 year stint at Bay East Animal Hospital, an AAHA accredited practice located in Green Bay, WI. The move back to this area in 2016 came after her husband was promoted and relocation was part of the the package deal She joined our practice in October of that year. Dr. Zellmer has a special interest in feline medicine and the effects of nutrition on health in general, and she also enjoys the detective work involved in figuring out a complicated case.
Dr. Zellmer has four grown children, three girls and a boy, one of which is married and the other three who are working their way through college and post-graduate study. “Empty nester” is not exactly an appropriate term–along with her husband, she shares the house with a nutty old English Springer Spaniel named Rosy, a mildly psychotic/brain damaged part squirrel grey cat named Ember (“Kit”) and a funny little Guina pig named Lily (“Pigget”).
Dr. Zellmer loves spending time in the oudoors, especially doing things like gardening, camping, hiking and traveling with her family. She is a strong believer that keeping the environment healthy is a good way to keep people and their animals healthy as well.
Stacey has been a Certified Veterinary Technician since 2003. She earned her Associate of Applied Science degree at the Medical Institute of Minnesota (now Argosy University) in 2002. She was employed as a CVT for over 11 years at a very busy small animal practice in SE Wisconsin before coming to Oconomowoc Animal Hospital in 2014. She is passionate about pain management, preventative care and nutrition. Her favorite things to do in the clinic are client education and mentoring staff members. She also runs the educational programming at the clinic. She loves talking to kids about the fascinating, fun, smelly and usually gross field of veterinary medicine.
Stacey is married to her high school sweetheart and together they have 2 children, Ayla and TJ. The family has 2 second-hand dogs–a crazy German Shorthaired Pointer named Lainey, a Lab/Beagle mix named Etta, and a blue tongue skink named Milton. In her free time she enjoys being a Girl Scout Leader, baking, reading, hiking, and playing with her dogs.
Stacey is very excited to be a team member at OAH and looks forward to providing excellent veterinary care through all the stages of your pet’s lives.
Eva began her career with pets as a dog walker/pet sitter on Milwaukee’s East Side in 2010 before starting as a Veterinary Assistant in Wauwatosa. She became a Certified Veterinary Techncian in 2020. She loves working with pets and hopes to make their visits as comfortable as possible. She strives to provide the best care possible for every patient that comes to Oconomowoc Animal Hospital. She loves dentistry and identifies as a “cat person” but enjoys working with all types of pets, including exotics.
Eva currently lives in Wauwatosa with her husband, daughter and their 2 mixed breed dogs, 2 cats, snake and a gecko. In her free time she enjoys crocheting and spending time with her family. Eva has been at OAH since 2014.
Amy got her start in veterinary medicine working as a kennel attendant and then as a veterinary technician at MADACC (Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission) in 2007. She then spent 9 years working as a technician at a busy small animal hospital before starting at OAH in October of 2017. She enjoys working with people and their pets through all of life’s stages–from puppy visits to senior wellness exams. She wants pet parents and their furry companions to be relaxed and comfortable while at the vet to help ensure their visits are as stress and worry-free as possible.
Amy grew up with a large array of animals including rabbits, lizards, birds & horses, which started her love for animals. Amy lives with her husband, Kris, their cattle dog mix, Lilly, their cats Willow and Boosty, a blue-tongued skink and 4 snakes. In her spare time she enjoys going to the race track, camping, fishing, hiking, reading and bonfires with friends. Amy has been part of our OAH family since 2017.
Sarah’s love and fascination for animals started when she was very young with her own family pets. Not only did she push her cat around in a baby carriage and train the family dogs, she bred hamsters and guppies for the local pet store. As a teenager she began rescuing birds and other local wildlife. She also had summer jobs at local horse stables and the Michigan City Zoo. Her interest didn’t wane as she continue into her college years where she obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology with an emphasis on Animal Behavior and a minor in Biology. Sarah also had some amazing experiences working for John Ball Zoo and volunteering at wildlife centers in Grand Rapids during the summers.
After college, Sarah moved to the Milwaukee area and worked at a pet store, ran her own pet-sitting business and volunteered for a local no-kill shelter. She gained valuable experience working at another large veterinary clinic for 13 years before coming to work at Oconomowoc Animal Hospital in 2014.
Sarah is married with 2 wonderful children and a house full of furry, feathered and scaled family members.
Erica has a degree in graphic communications but quickly realized her passion was for animals. Making the switch to veterinary medicine was a no-brainer! She has several years of experience in the veterinary field as a client service representative and volunteering her time at local shelters. She is currently studying to become a Certified Veterinary Technician and has become Fear Free certified. She loves getting to know each pet by showering them with treats and love! She believes in helping each pet owner stay educated on what’s best for their pet and keeping each visit as low stress as possible. Erica has a soft spot for geriatric pets, pugs and any animal with a smushed face.
In her spare time she enjoys snuggling her cat, Mittens, playing fetch with her rescue pup, Icicle, crafting with her daughter and attending music concerts with her husband.
Erica joined OAH in April, 2018, and we are thrilled to have her!
Lauren was born and raised in the Lake Country area and grew up with a variety of critters including dogs, cats, bunnies, a chinchilla, leopard gecko, fish and guinea pigs. She started her career with animals working at a local dairy farm where her favorite thing to do was taking care of the calves.
During her senior year of high school Lauren participated in a DEA program for Firefighters/EMTs. After the program she realized she really enjoyed working with animals, and she joined Oconomowoc Animal Hospital in 2021.
Lauren currently lives in Watertown with her boyfriend, their dog, River, and their cat, Bruno. Outside of work she enjoys spending time with her family, camping, gardening, hiking and walking her dog.
Elena joined us in spring of 2019 through an apprentice program at school. She has loved animals since she was a little girl and has volunteered at Oconomowoc’s WINC (Wildlife in Need Center) helping to feed and care for baby birds. She’s also active with PAWS (Prompting Animal Welfare through Service) at school to help support local animal shelters.
Elena lives with her 3 cats and 2 dogs and she’s enjoyed getting a “behind the scenes” experience at OAH. She feels lucky to work in an enviroment that shares her passion for helping animals.
Laurie has been working at the front desk of Oconomowoc Animal Hospital since September 2002. She loves animals and enjoys working with dogs and cat. She also enjoys seeing our new reptile friends. One of Laurie’s favorite things at OAH is interacting with pet owners. She has made many wonderful friendships over the years.
Outside of work Laurie enjoys spending time with her husband and their cats. In the warmer Wisconsin months she loves to garden and hang laundry out to dry. In the colder Wisconsin months she loves watching the Green Bay packers and movies with her husband.
Amanda graduated from UW-Milwaukee with a BA in psychology. She’s worked in the veterinary field for over 20 years and was employed at a very busy small animal practice in SE Wisconsin before coming to Oconomowoc Animal Hospital in 2019.
Amanda shares her home with her beautiful brown tabby rescue cat Fiona. In her free time Amanda enjoys spending time with her family and friends, gardening, baking, reading and crafting. She is very excited and happy to have joined the OAH family.
Debbie has been working in various veterinary clinics for nearly all of her adult life and has been at OAH since 2016. She enjoys critters of all shapes and sizes, and if she’s not at home with her 4 Golden Retrievers, 2 cats and 24 chickens, she’s enjoying her work at our veterinary hospital! She always has fun exchanging stories of life with pets with our wonderful clients.
Debbie’s golden boys keep her running, as they keep busy with agility trials, field and obedience competitions, and occasionally play “pretty dog” at conformation shows. When she gets some time to herself, Debbie enjoys gardening, which can be challenging when the dogs try to help her!
Tasha has always had two loves–animals and art. In 1995 she joined those two passions and became a professional pet groomer. She enjoyed making pets feel better and look great. Over the years, the physicality and strain of dog grooming took a toll on her. Tasha and her husband, Mike, decided to start a family, and she transitioned to the front office in veterinary service. She joined Oconomowoc Animal Hospital in summer of 2019.
Tasha’s priorities remain her family (both furry and non-furry), feline behavior and stretching her creative abilities when she finds time. She is happy to have found a home at OAH where the like-minded environment shares her love of helping people and animals.
Kristi moved to Oconomowoc in 2020. She has lived in five states over the past 20 years and finally settled in Wisconsin near her husband’s family. She has a MSW (Master of Social Work) from Nebraska and worked as a social worker before taking time off to be home with her two boys. Her sons are now in college and she wanted to do what she loves best, helping people and sharing their love of pets. She joined OAH in 2021.
Kristi and her husband have 2 dogs at home, Shih Tzus Lacey and Stella. When she’s not at Oconomowoc Animal Hospital she enjoys reading, gardening and traveling to see friends.
Heike joined Oconomowoc Animal Hospital in November, 2014. She was born in Germany and lived there until June of 2010. She has had different jobs throughout her life and most enjoyed a professional office environment. She is working on many office and administrative projects at OAH.
When Heike came to the United States she spoke very little English and has worked very hard to learn the language. Heike is lucky enough to see her grandchildren daily and when not at work she enjoys exloring her creative side creating art projects experimenting with different types of medias, reading, gardening and spending time with her husband, Ralf, and their cat, Pirate Annie.
Jack spent a few days with us when he developed his first urinary obstruction. While we do our best to control their pain and discomfort, it’s not always fun for them to be here. Once he was feeling better we sent him home. He re-obstructed within 24 hours and his family was at a crossroads.
We gladly took Jack back in and he’s been a part of our OAH family since June of 2017. He has 20+ women who fawn over him daily, feed him his special urinary food, rescue him from dogs, bend to his every whim and listen to him complain loudly when he thinks he’s dying because we’re not punctual enough with his dinner (his opinion).
He has several beds throughout the clinic and relishes spending some occasional supervised time upfront. He can only be in our reception area under very close supervision because he likes to go shopping. His favorite is the largest bag of Hills I/D dog food and he will chew his way into the bag in a matter of seconds!
You can frequently find Jack on our Facebook and Instagram pages because we just can’t stand how cute he is.
Clarence the bearded dragon joined our OAH family in June of 2019 after he was surrendered to a local pet store. We don’t know much of anything about him except that he is a super chill, friendly boy, unless we try to feed him kale (see more about that below).
His tank is in the office so he can watch some of the hustle and bustle of daily life in the clinic. He gets especially excited when kitties spend some time in the office. He loves when kids come to visit him and he likes to show off his bug-catching and eating skills for his visitors. He loves spicy veggies like mustard greens, cilantro and arugula along with the occasional blueberry, strawberry and peppers, but if we even try to slip a small piece of kale in with his hand-fed salad, he will go and pout in the corner.
