Veterinarians
Dr. Jeff Dand - Owner
Jeff graduated from the Atlantic Veterinary College in 1997 and then continued on to Florida to complete a veterinary internship. While in Florida, Jeff focused on canine behavior and dermatology as he had a special interest in these areas which he still does to this day. Jeff is an experienced veterinarian dedicated to helping animal lovers and their pets strengthen their relationship, health, and quality of life together. A vision fueled by his love for his three rescue pets, Rocco, a Lab mix, Coco a Great Pyrenees mix, and Bandit, a domestic longhair cat with 2 different colored eyes.
Throughout his career, Jeff observed key principles in animal care and discovered a passion for business that led to him building his own vet clinics and pet resorts. It’s Jeff’s sense of humor, contagious energy, and aptitude for business and behavior that has been key in the success of his clinics. Jeff is at the heart of helping each of our teams practice gold standard medicine and be a trusted cornerstone in our community!
Throughout his career, Jeff observed key principles in animal care and discovered a passion for business that led to him building his own vet clinics and pet resorts. It’s Jeff’s sense of humor, contagious energy, and aptitude for business and behavior that has been key in the success of his clinics. Jeff is at the heart of helping each of our teams practice gold standard medicine and be a trusted cornerstone in our community!
Dr. Elspeth Yates
Dr. Elspeth Yates grew up in Calgary and completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Kingston, Ontario. She found she missed the mountains too much and moved back to Alberta, graduating from the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in 2021.
When she is not working, you can find Elspeth out hiking, skiing, or curled up with a good fantasy book alongside her cat, Merlin, and her rescue dog, Molly. She is excited to be a part of the West Springs Veterinary Hospital team!
When she is not working, you can find Elspeth out hiking, skiing, or curled up with a good fantasy book alongside her cat, Merlin, and her rescue dog, Molly. She is excited to be a part of the West Springs Veterinary Hospital team!
Dr. Caitlyn Krolik
Dr. Caitlyn Krolik grew up in Montreal, and from a young age she developed a strong love for animals. Her passion developed through caring for her two golden retrievers, volunteering at the SPCA, riding horses and working on a dairy farm. After studying Animal Health and Disease at McGill University, Caitlyn moved to Ireland to study veterinary medicine at University College Dublin, where she graduated in 2019. After completing her studies, she moved back to Montreal where she worked in a local veterinary clinic treating cats and dogs. During her time there, she aspired to provide the highest quality care to her patients while treating them and their families with kindness and compassion.
Caitlyn has decided to live out a dream of moving to Western Canada with her husband and mini goldendoodle, Maple, so that they can enjoy hiking, paddleboarding and skiing in the beautiful Canadian Rockies.
Caitlyn has decided to live out a dream of moving to Western Canada with her husband and mini goldendoodle, Maple, so that they can enjoy hiking, paddleboarding and skiing in the beautiful Canadian Rockies.
Management Team
Nicole Gigian - Director of Operations
Originally from Manitoba, Nicole moved to Alberta several years ago. She grew up loving all animals but had a special passion for horses. Following her passion, she received her diploma in the Animal Health Technology program in 2008. As a new RVT, she worked in a variety of different areas in the veterinary world including small animal, equine, emergency care, and bovine embryo transfer. Working in these different areas allowed her to gain vast knowledge and experience.
After moving to Alberta, she was hired on with Dand Veterinary Clinics as an RVT and helped Dr. Dand to bring Springbank Pet Hospital from the ground up. Over the years she has helped with the opening of several clinics including a few on Vancouver Island and soon realized her passion for management as well as the business side of veterinary clinics. She now manages and operates the four Dand clinics in Calgary and is enjoying every moment of it. She currently has two pets, Nim, a little black cat and Phoebe, a rescue white shepherd mix.
After moving to Alberta, she was hired on with Dand Veterinary Clinics as an RVT and helped Dr. Dand to bring Springbank Pet Hospital from the ground up. Over the years she has helped with the opening of several clinics including a few on Vancouver Island and soon realized her passion for management as well as the business side of veterinary clinics. She now manages and operates the four Dand clinics in Calgary and is enjoying every moment of it. She currently has two pets, Nim, a little black cat and Phoebe, a rescue white shepherd mix.
Valerie Hall - Director of Business Development
Valerie was born and raised on a large farm in central Alberta where she learned the value of a tenacious work ethic, honesty, ingenuity, and loyalty. Her home was the birthplace of her love and passion for animal care.
Valerie has been leading teams and managing patient success in the orthodontic profession for over 15 years. She is new to the vet industry and is excited to make a difference in Airdrie’s community, one pet’s life at a time. Valerie is at the heart of helping our team practice gold standard medicine so that we're a trusted cornerstone of our community!
Valerie, along with her husband and two daughters have a Cavalier King Charles puppy named Rocket that they all adore and is the love of their life. Valerie believes in people and dedicates a large portion of her time to 4-H, a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering youth.
Valerie has been leading teams and managing patient success in the orthodontic profession for over 15 years. She is new to the vet industry and is excited to make a difference in Airdrie’s community, one pet’s life at a time. Valerie is at the heart of helping our team practice gold standard medicine so that we're a trusted cornerstone of our community!
Valerie, along with her husband and two daughters have a Cavalier King Charles puppy named Rocket that they all adore and is the love of their life. Valerie believes in people and dedicates a large portion of her time to 4-H, a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering youth.
Rati Sehgal - Hospital Manager
Rati grew up in New York and moved to Calgary 16 years ago. She graduated from SUNY Buffalo with her bachelor’s in business management and communications. She has a professional background as a General Manager managing several big box retail stores and
a deep passion for the customer service industry. Rati prides herself in building genuine relationships with her customers and her teams. She believes in being available for her
people and her door is always open whenever you may need to talk or if you need help in your professional development.
Growing up she has always had a love for animals and been surrounded by pets ranging
from fish and hamsters to dogs and in recent years, horses. Rati likes to decompress by
hiking trails, running by Chestermere lake, spending time with her two daughters, or curling up watching a good movie. She has a love for people, animals, and good conversation. She
is new to the veterinary industry and is very excited to make West Springs Veterinary Hospital her new home.
a deep passion for the customer service industry. Rati prides herself in building genuine relationships with her customers and her teams. She believes in being available for her
people and her door is always open whenever you may need to talk or if you need help in your professional development.
Growing up she has always had a love for animals and been surrounded by pets ranging
from fish and hamsters to dogs and in recent years, horses. Rati likes to decompress by
hiking trails, running by Chestermere lake, spending time with her two daughters, or curling up watching a good movie. She has a love for people, animals, and good conversation. She
is new to the veterinary industry and is very excited to make West Springs Veterinary Hospital her new home.
Holly Robinson - Accounting Manager
Holly was born and raised in Calgary, and grew up surrounded by animals, having everything from cats and dogs, to frogs, turtles, hamsters and bearded dragons. She has always had a love for all creatures, furry, slimy or scaly, and decided to pursue a career in the veterinary field, graduating from Bow Valley College's Veterinary assistant program in 2012. Holly started with the Airdrie Animal Clinic in March 2012 as a client care specialist, and spent a number of years leading the reception team. Holly decided to further her education, and in 2021 graduated with honors from the Business Administration program at SAIT.
Upon graduation Holly began assisting with the bookkeeping, as well as managing the Airdrie team. She has now turned her focus back to the financial operations of the business, and manages the accounting for all 6 Dand clinics. Holly resides in Airdrie with her husband, a ginger kitty named Simba and a golden retriever named Griswold.
Upon graduation Holly began assisting with the bookkeeping, as well as managing the Airdrie team. She has now turned her focus back to the financial operations of the business, and manages the accounting for all 6 Dand clinics. Holly resides in Airdrie with her husband, a ginger kitty named Simba and a golden retriever named Griswold.
Registered Veterinary Technologists
Raelene
Raelene grew up in Calgary and has had a strong love for animals ever since she was a little girl. Raelene’s love for animals while growing up is what pushed her to pursue a career in veterinary medicine. She graduated from the Olds College Registered Veterinary Technologist program in 2019 and headed right into general practice. Wanting to expand her skills and knowledge, Raelene spent the last two years of her career in emergency medicine acquiring advanced skills and a passion for urgent care. However, Raelene felt like she was missing the long-term connection with her patients which she could only develop in general practice. She decided to leave emergency medicine to build these lifelong bonds, and looks forward to meeting you and your pets!
Nicole
Nicole is originally from Ontario and graduated from St. Laurence College in 2008 from the veterinary technician program. Nicole then moved to Prince George, BC with her now husband right after graduation and worked at a busy small animal clinic. She then moved to Calgary in 2015 with our two cats and one dog. Nicole has experience working in emergency clinics as well as with an orthopaedic surgeon for the past 8 years. Nicole now lives in Airdrie with her husband and son, where they enjoy camping, hunting, fishing, going for bike rides and watching movies.
Tamara
Tamara is originally from Saskatchewan and grew up surrounded by animals, having everything from hamsters, turtles, a chinchilla and even a millipede named Q.
She completed the Veterinary Technician Program in 2001 where she then started working in General Practice in Calgary and then moved to Lethbridge. When Tamara moved back to Calgary in 2004 she found a love for Emergency medicine where she stayed for the next 19 years. She started missing the connection between clients and their pets and chose to move back into general practice in 2024, where she ended up learning all about preventative medicine.
Tamara resides in Cochrane with her husband, 2 boys, her mom, 2 Irish Wolfhounds and her cat. When she is not at work, you can find her spending time with 2 sons and her doggos either out enjoying the day or curled up on the couch watching TV or even fostering chicks and ducklings!
Tamara is super excited to join the West Springs team and can’t wait to meet everyone!
She completed the Veterinary Technician Program in 2001 where she then started working in General Practice in Calgary and then moved to Lethbridge. When Tamara moved back to Calgary in 2004 she found a love for Emergency medicine where she stayed for the next 19 years. She started missing the connection between clients and their pets and chose to move back into general practice in 2024, where she ended up learning all about preventative medicine.
Tamara resides in Cochrane with her husband, 2 boys, her mom, 2 Irish Wolfhounds and her cat. When she is not at work, you can find her spending time with 2 sons and her doggos either out enjoying the day or curled up on the couch watching TV or even fostering chicks and ducklings!
Tamara is super excited to join the West Springs team and can’t wait to meet everyone!
Veterinary Assistants and Client Care Specialists
Michela
Michela was born and raised in beautiful Vancouver, B.C. and moved to Airdrie with her fiancé in the summer of 2022. She grew up always having multiple pets in her household, with her very big Italian family.
She started working in the veterinary industry in 2020 where her passion for animals grew, and she jumped into working in an emergency based hospital to expand her knowledge. She truly does love interacting with not only the patients, but the clients as well.
In her free time she mainly spends her days with her puppy Beau, going on hikes and just being in the outdoors.
She started working in the veterinary industry in 2020 where her passion for animals grew, and she jumped into working in an emergency based hospital to expand her knowledge. She truly does love interacting with not only the patients, but the clients as well.
In her free time she mainly spends her days with her puppy Beau, going on hikes and just being in the outdoors.
Kristina
Kristina’s love for animals started at a very young age. When she was just six years old, she convinced her mom to adopt a kitten from a friend’s farm. Shortly after, Kristina’s family welcomed a hamster and adopted a dachshund puppy into the family. While growing up Kristina spent summers with her grandparents, who always had several pets due to her grandmother’s love and compassion for stray animals who needed help. This sparked an early interest in animal welfare. Kristina grew up to love spending most of her time outside meeting critters or at home reading about them. Her current interests are focused in behavior and nutrition; while continuously seeking further education in these fields for domestic and wild animals.
When Kristina is not at the clinic, she can usually be found painting, reading, bird watching, or spending time with my Green Cheek Conure, named Mushu, and Blue Fronted Amazon, named Lulu.
When Kristina is not at the clinic, she can usually be found painting, reading, bird watching, or spending time with my Green Cheek Conure, named Mushu, and Blue Fronted Amazon, named Lulu.
Megane
Megane grew up in Quebec and moved to Calgary in 2014 with her mother, father, and brother. She has always had a deep love for little animals and grew up with several pets around her. Her grandparents had multiple dog litters of cocker spaniels, and she began helping out with the puppies at a young age. Megane currently has five animals, including two dogs, Oakley, an aussiedoodle, as shown in the photo, and Cooper, a cockapoo. She also has three cats: Lily, Bella, and Jasper, who is practically a dog and loves to play fetch and bringing back the ball! Megane recently gained a passion for travel after visiting London, Mexico, Dominican Republic and experiencing different cultures. She enjoys playing sports such as basketball and soccer, just as she did throughout her childhood and high school.
Megane knew she wanted to be involved in something with animals from a very young age. She began working in the veterinary industry in 2022, while pursuing her VTA certificate at Olds College. She is currently completing her second year of Animal Health Technology at Lakeland College. Her ambitions are to complete school, become a fully licensed technologist, and specialize in the industry.
Megane knew she wanted to be involved in something with animals from a very young age. She began working in the veterinary industry in 2022, while pursuing her VTA certificate at Olds College. She is currently completing her second year of Animal Health Technology at Lakeland College. Her ambitions are to complete school, become a fully licensed technologist, and specialize in the industry.
Alessia
Alessia graduated in Veterinary Medicine at the University of Sassari, a beautiful city in a small Italian island in the middle of Mediterranean Sea. In 2018 she decided to work in Sitges, a coastal little town in Spain. There she has grown professionally and personally, but decided she wanted to go a little bit further. She chose to cross the ocean with her partner and her super sweet dog Dobby, a little rescue Jack Russell mix, and come to Canada for another adventure.
Her curiosity has always led her towards the animal world since she was a child, when watching in adoration TV documentaries. Her travels led her to discover new places and new species, thus she developed a deep passion in veterinary medicine. That’s why she is currently working hard on becoming a fully licensed Veterinarian in our country.
Her curiosity has always led her towards the animal world since she was a child, when watching in adoration TV documentaries. Her travels led her to discover new places and new species, thus she developed a deep passion in veterinary medicine. That’s why she is currently working hard on becoming a fully licensed Veterinarian in our country.