Our Team
Our Veterinary Team Abel Pet Clinic in Elk Grove
Meet the Abel Pet Clinic Veterinarians and Team! We are delighted to provide exceptional veterinary care for your pets!
Veterinary Team at Abel Pet Clinic
Dr. Byam and her team are proud to provide high-quality care to pets and pet owners in the Elk Grove community.
Abel Pet Clinic is also associated with many veterinary specialists in the Elk Grove area. This allows us to offer additional diagnostic and surgical services to our clients. These specialists include Radiologists, Ultrasonographers, Orthopedic & Soft-Tissue Surgeons, and Cardiologists, all of whom are board-certified. These specialists are traveling veterinarians who come into our Pet Clinic and work as a part of our team to serve your pet.
Take a moment to read below to get to know the team that is waiting to meet you and your pet!
Abel Pet Clinic Team
Dr. Kelly Byam, DVM
She/Her/Hers
Dr. Byam is a UC Davis graduate. She was awarded the first annual “humane-itarian” award from the Sacramento SPCA, and is also actively involved with many rescue groups. She is a former President of the Sacramento Valley Veterinary Medical Association (SVVMA), serves as President of its charitable foundation and she served on the Small Animal External Advisory Board for UC Davis’ Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital and has served on its admissions committee, where she helped choose the nation’s future veterinarians. Additionally, she serves the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) on the Accreditation Committee for Veterinary Technician schools and is a former delegate to the California Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) and a current member of their Legislative Committee.
She is a Rotarian and practices Rotary’s motto, which is “Service Above Self.” She recently completed a Don Low Fellowship at UC Davis Veterinary Hospital, where she had advanced training in small animal abdominal ultrasound. She enjoys spending time with her family, RVing, traveling, and reading. She has a Pug, a Dachshund, a Poodle mix, a cat, and a rescued desert Tortoise. Her advocacy on behalf of homeless animals in Elk Grove led her to make several appearances before the city council and on local news media, including the Bee and Capitol Public Radio, where she urged grassroots support for building our own animal shelter in Elk Grove. After nearly 2 years of community activism, the efforts were successful, and the City Council voted to approve building our own Animal Shelter here in Elk Grove. The site is expected to open in 2019.
Dr. Samantha O’Neil, MPH, DVM
She/Her/Hers
Dr. O’Neil is a Midwesterner, born and raised in northeastern Minnesota. She graduated at the University of Minnesota – Duluth in 2015 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. She then attended Iowa State College of Veterinary Medicine to pursue her veterinary degree. She concurrently completed her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Iowa State University and Master of Public Health degree from the University of Iowa in 2020. Upon graduation, she moved to Elk Grove, California with her husband and their sweet orange tabby cat, Nelly. They recently adopted an Australian Cattle Dog mix puppy, Josie.
Dr. O’Neil has interests in surgery, dentistry, and particularly exotic and wildlife medicine, as she has had experience in wildlife conservation and medicine in South Africa and at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota. She is also Fear-Free Certified. In her spare time, she likes to spend time with her family and friends, hiking, reading, running, yoga, traveling, and skiing. She looks forward to serving the Elk Grove community!
Dr. Michelle Tieu, DVM
She/Her/Hers
Originally from Sacramento, CA, Dr. Michelle Tieu graduated from the University of California, San Diego in 2011 with a major in general biology and minor in biologic anthropology. She worked at a small animal/exotics practice in La Jolla, CA just before starting her studies at Western University of Health Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine. She received her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine with Phi Zeta honors in 2016.
Dr. Tieu then completed a year-long intensive small animal specialty internship at the Veterinary Specialty Hospital, San Marcos prior to moving to the Pasadena area where she previously practiced for 5 years. She has now moved back to her hometown of Sacramento and is excited to be providing veterinary care to the Elk Grove community.
She takes pleasure in being detail oriented, in communicating driven, and enjoys building trust and close bonds with her patients and their owners.
Her professional interests include internal medicine, cardiology, wellness, and geriatric medicine. She is a proud member of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), Sacramento Valley Veterinary Medical Association (SVVMA), and California Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA).
Outside of the office, Dr. Tieu enjoys going on adventures, trying new restaurants, painting, and movies and being a homebody with her husband, one-year-old son, dog Quorra and two Savannah cats Kiara and Saphira. When she retires she plans to become a Disney Animator!
Jennifer, Hospital Manager
She/Her/Hers
Jennifer graduated from Western Career College (now Carrington College) in 1993 as an Animal Health
Technician (AHT). After bouncing around to a few different veterinary hospitals over the years, she
found her forever home with Abel in 2016 and was promoted to Hospital Manager in 2020. Jennifer lives here in Elk Grove with her
husband Jon, son Robert, dogs (Aulani & Missy), cats (Leia, Wicket
and Kylo), and gecko family (Stitch, Toothless and Lil’ Lilo). When not at work, you can usually find Jennifer at one of the local soccer fields, cheering on Robert while he plays soccer for Elk Grove FC and planning her next family get away to Disneyland.
Shelly, RVT
She/Her/Hers
Shelly graduated from tech school in 2012 with an AS degree and shortly after had gotten her RVT license. She had the privilege to spend almost 8 years at a feline-only practice learning that special kitty whispering magic that takes the right kind of person to truly master with many low-stress handling techniques. Shelly takes pride in being Fear Free Certified so that she may help lower stress for owners and their pets. She has had the honor to find her new home and family at Abel Pet Clinic in Sept 2020. She has had quite the zoo at home, sharing it with her wife Shonna, 3 spoiled rotten pittie mixes (Ehko, Sugar & Buddy), 5 wonderful cats (Baby Girl, Bug, Klied, Skye, & Gizmo), and her childhood 20+ year old ball python, Nos.
Shelly enjoys reading, horror movies, TV, music, and being around trees and water. She strives to take care of animals and be the voice they do not have. She loves building lasting bonds with clients and their fur (or scale/feather/etc.) babies. She is so happy and grateful to be a part of Abel and looks forward to caring for your pets as if they were her own.
Charlie, RVT
They/Them/Theirs
Charlie, a graduate of a registered veterinary technician program first came to us for a clinical rotation. We liked them so much; we offered them a job. They will be taking their RVT exam soon, and we wish them the best of luck!
Two fun facts about Charlie; they have a background in the performing arts and have also become quite the coloring artist. One by one, they have given almost all of our employees technicolor hair! The second fun fact is that they are three inches shorter than Danny Devito! At 4 feet nine inches; they’re not short; they’re fun size!
Hilda, Veterinary Assistant
She/Her/Hers
Hilda is a 4th-year student majoring in animal science at UC Davis. She has goals of going to vet school and becoming a veterinarian. She volunteered at Sacramento SPCA for 4 years and completed some animal behavior internships at Davis. She worked at a small animal clinic in Rocklin for 2 years. She is excited to start her new journey at Abel Pet Clinic.
Outside of work, Hilda enjoys spending time with friends and family, going on hikes with her husky, trying new things, watercoloring, and watching the latest marvel shows/movies.
Haley, Veterinary Assistant
She/Her/Hers
Haley was raised on a dairy farm here in Elk Grove and had the privilege of growing up around both small and large animals. After starting out as a ranch hand on her family’s farm, she branched out to work as a veterinary assistant at another local hospital before coming to Abel. Haley is currently attending Cosumnes River College in hopes of someday becoming a veterinarian.
In her free time, you can find her either with her family, friends, and fur babies or spending time outdoors!
Veterinary Specialist Team
Abigail Dimock, DVM
Dr. Abigail Dimock received her DVM degree in 2006 from the University of California, Davis, completed a one-year internship and, one year of general practice in Bend, Oregon. She then joined the faculty as a Resident from 2008-2012 and became a Diplomate of the ACVR in 2012. After completion of the board certification exam and residency, Dr. Dimock remained at UC Davis as a part-time staff radiologist, primarily tasked with clinical duties and training of residents and senior students. Dr Dimock also helped advance Dr. Byam’s skills in radiology and ultrasound when Dr. Byam was awarded a Don Low Fellowship at UC Davis in 2012-2013. Dr. Dimock’s areas of special interest include advanced imaging (CT and MRI), abdominal ultrasound, and equine imaging. Her interests outside of veterinary medicine include hiking with her dog, horseback riding, caring for her small goat herd, and traveling. She has been working with Abel Pet Clinic since 2013.
Bethany Jackson, DVM
Dr. Bethany Jackson is a board-certified veterinary cardiologist. She received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine. She completed a rotating internship at The Animal Medical Center in New York City, followed by a cardiology internship and residency at MedVet Medical and Cancer Centers for Pets in Worthington, OH. She is board certified by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine in the sub-specialty of Cardiology. Dr. Jackson’s interest in cardiology stemmed from her experience with her own dog being under the care of a veterinary cardiologist. She saw first hand how access to specialty consultation can help to further patient care. Her goal is to provide timely, accurate, and detailed cardiology consultations to allow accurate diagnosis and treatment of cardiac disease in pets so they can live long, fulfilling lives. She has been working with Abel Pet Clinic since 2015.
Brian MacKie, DVM
Dr. Brian MacKie received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Washington State University in 2005. Following graduation, he completed a one-year rotating internship in small animal medicine and surgery at VCA Sacramento Animal Medical Group in Sacramento, California. After his internship, he moved to the University of Wisconsin-Madison to complete his residency training in Cardiology from 2006-2009. During his time there, Dr. MacKie helped implement the use of the Amplatz Canine Ductal Occluder for the non-invasive treatment of congenital heart disease, authored a paper on the use of an implantable ECG monitor for the evaluation of fainting in dogs, and assisted in prospective research on pulmonary hypertension and cardiac biomarkers. His clinical interests include, but are not limited to clinical cardiology such as echocardiography and electrocardiography (ECG), pulmonary hypertension in dogs, syncope (fainting) associated with heart disease and arrhythmias, congenital heart disease, arrhythmias, and congestive heart failure (CHF). His goal in therapy for your pets is to maintain an exceptional quality of life for his patients with heart disease. He began working with Abel Pet Clinic in 2013.
Britany Lindl Bylicki, DVM
Dr. Britany Lindl Bylicki is originally from Livermore, CA where her family currently resides. She received a BS from UC Santa Barbara and graduated with high honors in Biopsychology in 2005. She returned to Northern California to attend The School of Veterinary Medicine at UC Davis and graduated in 2010. After that, it was back to Southern California for a rotating small animal internship at the Veterinary Medical and Surgical Group in Ventura, CA. After a year at VMSG, she returned to UC Davis for a four-year residency in diagnostic imaging. Britany became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Radiologists in 2014. She is an author of several publications in the areas of carotid body tumors, the canine dorsal tracheal membrane, and chondro-osseous respiratory epithelial adenomatoid hamartomas. She serves as a peer reviewer for the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. She currently lives in Sacramento with her husband. They enjoy hiking and backpacking, snowboarding, and finding a new beer to try. Britany is an active member of the River City Rowing Club’s Open Women’s team. She has been working with Abel Pet Clinic since 2015.
Craig Long, DVM
Eric Herrgesell, DVM
Dr. Eric Herrgesell is a second-generation veterinarian who completed his doctor of veterinary medicine and radiology training at the University of California, Davis. He completed his training in Veterinary Radiology in 1997 with the completion of the board certification exam and began as a member of the staff as a lecturer and clinical radiologist for 8 years at the University of California Davis in the teaching hospital. While at the university Dr. Herrgesell was involved in the development of ultrasound as an elective course for second and third-year students in addition to clinical duty. Since 2005 he has been in private practice in the greater Sacramento area providing radiology and ultrasound support for the area veterinarians. He is well known on the national continuing education circuit for radiology and ultrasound training, and in 2005, he was awarded the Norden Distinguished Teaching Award at UC Davis. The Norden Teaching award is the most prestigious teaching award in Veterinary Medicine. His favorite pastimes are hiking and fly fishing. He has been working with Abel Pet Clinic since 2006.
Linda Mellema, DVM
After graduation from UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Mellema completed an internship in small animal medicine and surgery at Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts. Following a year in small animal private practice, she completed four-year residency in radiology at UC Davis and became board certified in veterinary radiology in 2000. She spent seven years as a staff radiologist at Angell AMC in Boston. She currently lives in Davis with her husband and two sons. She has been working with Abel Pet Clinic since 2016
Michele Laurenson, DVM
Dr. Justin Uhl DVM, MS, DACVS-SA
He/His/Him
Dr. Uhl graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree from UC Davis in 2002. He went on to complete a Master’s Degree in comparative pathology with an emphasis on bone biomechanics in 2008 and completed his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Degree in 2010.
After graduating from veterinary school, Dr. Uhl pursued a rotating internship followed by a surgery residency at the University of Minnesota. During his residency, he served for two years as Chief Resident and sat on the Medical Review Board at the hospital. He finished his residency in July 2014 and worked in private practice in Sacramento before Summit Veterinary Surgery Service in April of 2018. Dr. Uhl is trained in orthopedic, neurologic, soft tissue, and minimally invasive procedures and has a special interest in surgical oncology.
Dr. Uhl enjoys spending time with his wife and 2 daughters. He has a large collection of animals at home, including 3 dogs, 3 cats, chickens, ducks, goats, horses, donkeys, and angus cattle. Dr. Uhl enjoys participating in triathlons in his free time and recently completed the Ironman World Championship in Saint George.
Dr. Shannon Kerrigan, DVM
She/Her/Hers
Dr. Shannon Kerrigan attended the University of Pennsylvania Veterinary School. She completed her rotating internship at the Matthew J. Ryan Veterinary Teach Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania before moving to California for her surgical residency at UC Davis. She has publications in the field of bone biomechanics and bone healing and has a special interest in oncological surgery and orthopedics.
While not working, she loves spending time with her husband and their small farm of rescued animals.