Meet Our Veterinarians

Dr. Josh Jackson is a board-certified, Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons. Having grown up on a ranch in Northern New Mexico, he developed an early love for all animals. His father’s influence as a General Surgeon for people led to an early interest in surgery. Dr. Jackson went to veterinary school at Colorado State University where he graduated a member of the Phi Zeta honor society. He went on to perform a rotating internship at the Veterinary Specialty Hospital of San Diego and a residency in surgery at the University of California, Davis. Dr. Jackson returned to San Diego and founded the surgery service at the Veterinary Specialty Hospital. Under his directorship, the service has grown to seven surgeons performing thousands of surgeries every year. As an active mentor to over 140 interns and residents, Dr. Jackson has helped many young surgeons achieve diplomate status. Dr. Jackson has broad clinical interests in surgery, ranging from total hip replacements to advanced soft tissue and reconstructive techniques. He has lectured nationally and internationally on cruciate ligament disease, total hip replacement and orthopedic implants and published numerous scientific articles on a variety of soft tissue and orthopedic topics. Dr. Jackson was founder of the Veterinary Specialty Hospital of Hong Kong, the first specialty referral-only hospital in Asia. He was also founder of FACE, a non-profit organization that has saved thousands of pets in the San Diego region from euthanasia for economic reasons.

Dr. Jackson is now happy to bring his years of experience to the pets and people of Montana. He is excited to bring 24-hr, specialty care to the region and looks forward to expanding the services currently available in the area. His free time is spent exploring the rivers, trails and slopes of Montana with his family and his two black labs, Django and Madison.

Dr. Jason Wheeler was born and raised in Ft. Myers on Florida’s gulf coast. Dr. Wheeler returned to the University of Florida for a combined master’s degree and residency in small animal surgery. During his residency he won several awards for excellence in clinical research from the University of Florida, the American College of Veterinary Surgeons, and the Veterinary Orthopedic. He has been involved in multiple research studies and has authored or coauthored over 20 peer reviewed scientific publications. Dr. Wheeler has since worked at a large referral center in Denver and co-founded a multispecialty clinic in Virginia. Dr. Wheeler and his wife Marion have 3 wonderful daughters who all enjoy the sense of community and love of the outdoors found in Bozeman.

Dr. Wheeler has a broad interest in veterinary surgery including wound management, cranial cruciate ligament instability, joint replacement, elbow dysplasia, fracture repair and oncologic surgery. In his free time, Dr. Wheeler and his wife Marion stay busy with their girls who enjoy camping, hiking and their corgi, Meatball.

Dr. Annie Wright grew up in Quebec, Canada. She earned her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Montreal in 2000. She is a Board Certified Criticalist and has been a member of the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care since 2006. Her professional interests include the treatment of shock, acute renal failure, electrolyte disturbances, critically ill cats and diagnostic ultrasound. She is published in the Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care and has written chapters in several small animal textbooks. Throughout her career she has been involved in the medical care of military and police working dogs and the training of K9 handlers and medics who work with them. She is a founder and board member of the National Association of Veterinary Medical Services. Dr. Wright lives in Missoula with her husband and two children. They have one dog, Angie; 2 cats, Blueberry and Don Williams and 2 beta fish. She loves exploring the outdoors, running, riding her bike and photography.

Dr. Brittney Byer began working in the veterinary medical field when she was in high school outside of Houston, TX and always knew she wanted to pursue a degree in veterinary medicine. She was always drawn to the mountains so she moved to Colorado where she completed her undergraduate degree, master’s degree, and doctorate of Veterinary Medicine at Colorado State University. Following veterinary school, she completed a one-year medicine and surgery internship at the University of Wisconsin in Madison followed by a surgical residency at the University of Missouri. She knew she had to get back to mountain living so she and her husband decided to make the move to Montana and join the team at Sentinel Veterinary Specialists. She enjoys all aspects of small animal surgery but has a specific interest in orthopedics and fracture repair, minimally invasive procedures, and thoracic surgery. In her spare time, she enjoys snowboarding, kayaking, cycling and hiking with her husband and two dogs.

Dr. Melanie McMahon became interested in the human-animal bond during her undergraduate work at University of Texas at Austin where she received her BA in Psychology. Dr. McMahon attended veterinary school at the University of California, Davis. She went on to complete an internship at Colorado State University and her medical oncology residency at The Ohio State University.

Dr. McMahon practiced oncology in Portland, Oregon for 12 years during which time she started a successful oncology service at a busy surgical hospital. For the two years prior to joining Bridger Veterinary Specialists in Bozeman and Sentinel Veterinary Specialists in Missoula, Dr. McMahon worked as a locum tenens filling in for veterinary oncologists in hospitals all over the United States.

Dr. McMahon received her board certification in medical oncology through the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) and has been practicing since 2009. Her special interests include lymphoma/leukemia, mast cell tumors, and feline oncology.

Her main goal as an oncologist is to ensure that each pet has an excellent quality of life. Dr. McMahon is excited to call Montana home. In her free time, she enjoys all human-powered means of exploring the outdoors including climbing, running, and skiing.

Dr. Deandra Owen is a native of Boston, Massachusetts and knew from an early age that she wanted to spend her life helping animals. While studying Animal Science at the University of Vermont, she fell in love with the mountains. Dr. Owen was accepted early to Tufts University where she received her veterinary degree in 2012. It was during this time that she was drawn to the field of surgery and was awarded the Faculty Award for Excellence in Small Animal Surgery. Dr. Owen remained in Boston to complete a small animal rotating internship at Angell Animal Medical Center, one of the busiest veterinary specialty hospitals in the world. She then traveled to Texas where she trained as a surgical intern under world renowned veterinary surgeons at Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists. Dr. Owen returned to Angell for a surgical residency. During this time, she received the Mark S. Bloomberg Memorial Resident Research Award from the Veterinary Orthopedic Society for her publication on TPLO. Upon completing her residency, Dr. Owen moved to Phoenix, where she worked at a busy private specialty hospital and helped to develop an orthopedic surgery service. But the mountains were calling, and Dr. Owen knew the state-of-the-art facilities at Bridger Veterinary Specialists and Sentinel Veterinary Specialists, with their highly skilled team members, was where she wanted to be.

Dr. Owen has lectured at the American College of Veterinary Surgeons Symposium and has been an instructor for courses on TPLO and fracture repair. Her professional interests include fracture repair, TPLO, hip dysplasia, and total hip replacement, as well as reconstructive soft tissue surgery. She has obtained certifications in Biomedtrix Total Hip Replacement, Interlocking Nail (I-Loc) fracture repair, and IMEX External Skeletal Fixation.

In her spare time, Dr. Owen enjoys snowboarding, hiking, CrossFit, and live music. She also holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. She enjoys spending time with her husband Chris, Labrador Retriever, and two cats.

Dr. Cassidy Briggs is a Montana native, hailing from Grass Range. She holds a BA in Biology from Johns Hopkins University, earned her DVM and Certificate in Global Animal Health from Washington State University, and is certified in veterinary acupuncture through IVAS. After working for several years in Broadway theatrical management, she returned home to pursue a career as a veterinarian and has never looked back! Along with her partner, Travis, son Gage, and her Australian Shepherd, Jackson, she enjoys hiking, skiing, yoga, knitting, and all the other adventures Missoula has to offer.

Dr. Heather Fumia grew up in rural western New York, in a very small town between Rochester and Buffalo. She obtained degrees in Forensic Science Technology and Biology from Alfred State College and her DVM degree from Purdue University. She has practiced shelter medicine and emergency medicine in Missoula since graduation. She is passionate about emergency medicine and surgery and enjoys being involved with local animal shelters. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, biking, skiing, camping (basically any outdoor activity), traveling, and attending concerts with loved ones, and her two dogs, Nala and Waffles.

Dr. Rebecca Kerscher was born and raised in Red Lodge, Montana. She studied wildlife biology in Missoula and graduated as a veterinarian from Colorado State University in 2007. She began work with horses and then moved to Billings where she focused on small animal medicine, surgery, and urgent care at a busy 24-hour care facility. Dr. Kerscher loves providing urgent and emergent medicine when your pet requires it and keeps raising the bar for patient care. She spends her personal time chasing after her two children, baking, hiking, running, and hopes to someday complete her kid’s baby books despite the fact that they are no longer babies!

Dr. Shannon Ankney was raised in in southwestern PA. She got her Bachelors degree in Biology from Clarion University. She received her DVM from the University of Missouri. After graduating she moved to the Bitterroot Valley and worked as a mixed animal veterinarian. She wanted to continue advancing her skills and became a relief veterinarian for us at SVSE. After several months, she joined our staff full time and has fell in love with emergency medicine. In her spare time, Dr. Ankney and her husband enjoy snowboarding, hiking and floating the river with their two dogs Apollo and Koda.