Meet Our
Veterinary Team

Rayana

Customer Service Representative 

Rayana Thompson is new in the industry. She graduated from Jefferson City Highschool Rayana prides herself in always wanting to learn about this industry and making sure both clients and patients have the best experience! In her free time, she does photography, reads, and writes. Rayana loves spending time with her pets and family. She is obsessed with arts of all kinds, music, and most importantly food! 

Dr. Schnobrich

Veterinarian

Dr. Schnobrich brings six years of valuable experience to the veterinary field. While completing her undergraduate studies at North Dakota State, she simultaneously served as a veterinary assistant. She graduated from the University of Missouri’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 2024. She holds a deep appreciation for all facets of veterinary medicine, with a special affinity for surgery, aiding pets on their road to recovery, and ensuring the well-being of senior pets in their homes. In her free time, she enjoys the company of her husband and their beloved pets, Sarge and Ralphie, as well as cherished moments shared with family and friends. She also enjoys hiking and cooking.

Dr. Lily Prado

Veterinarian

Lily Prado was born and raised in Orange County, California. She has been a part of the veterinary industry for nearly 20 years, working as a veterinary technician for 5 years while earning her bachelor’s in Animal and Veterinary Science from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Following her undergraduate studies, she worked for one year as a customer service representative at Antech Diagnostics, a veterinary diagnostic laboratory. She then started veterinary school at Ross University on the island of St. Kitts in the Caribbean and completed her clinical training at the University of Illinois.

After graduation, she began working as a small animal general practitioner in Las Vegas, where she met Dr. Allen and in 2020 moved with him back to his hometown of Jefferson City, Missouri. She then worked for a short time as a small animal general practitioner in Jefferson City before working at an animal emergency clinic in St. Louis. She is excited to be working in Jefferson City alongside Dr. Allen once again to help the people and animals of his hometown. In her free time, Dr. Prado loves spending time with her and Dr. Allen’s little ones, Maddox and Kaiya, scrapbooking, watching documentaries, and attempting to cook.

Dr. Matt Allen

Veterinarian

Matthew Allen was born and raised in Jefferson City, Missouri. He attended the University of Missouri for both his undergraduate and veterinary schooling, graduating from the MU College of Veterinary Medicine in 2017. Upon graduation, he moved to Las Vegas, where he remained for three years, working as a small animal general practitioner. In 2020, he moved back to Jefferson City to continue work as a general practitioner while concurrently working in an emergency animal clinic in St. Louis, where he developed a passion for emergency medicine. This prompted a career shift to work full-time at the University of Missouri Veterinary Health Center in the Emergency Department, which also allowed him to pursue his second passion ─ teaching. Since making the move to full-time ER, an opportunity was made available to come back to his hometown to serve his community. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with Dr. Prado, their kids Maddox and Kaiya, woodworking, and following MU athletics.

Elijah Pittman

Practice Manager

Elijah Pittman is a proud native of Jefferson City, Missouri, where he attended Jefferson City High school. After completing his education, Elijah started his journey in veterinary medicine, driven by a passion for animal welfare and care.

Joining the industry a little over a year ago, Elijah quickly found his footing, dedicating himself to his Jefferson City Animal Hospital role. Elijah prioritizes creating a positive and memorable experience for every patient.

Beyond his professional endeavors, Elijah leads an active lifestyle, prioritizing fitness and wellness in his daily routine. He has recently discovered the joy of traveling and plans to take more adventures in the future.

With a commitment to his community and a genuine love for his work, Elijah continues to make an impact in the veterinary field, embodying the spirit of service and dedication in all that he does.

Lauren Sanner

Veterinary Assistant

Lauren has been in the industry for around 6 years. She attended The University of Missouri for undergrad, currently in Ashworth for Veterinary technician. She begain working at the University of Missouri Veterinary Health Center in the small animal ICU. Lauren enjoys working in veterinary medicine and having the opportunity to learn something new everyday. This field is ever changing and she loves having the opportunity to teach owners about the changing field and how they can better care for their beloved pets. She likes taking cases that are more in depth, not by the book, emergency, because they give her the chance to learn more and expand her knowledge and find better ways to communicate with owners during those hard times.

Lauren prides herself in being a voice and an advocate for animals. Animals are not able to speak on what is wrong with them, or where it hurts. She prides herself on being able to speak up and address her concerns with her patients. She is able to quickly jump in when a serious problem arises and can quickly and calmly work things out with the doctor. She also prides herself in having experience in emergency medicine, that she can help calm and ease owners when they bring their pets in for something scary.

In her free time, she enjoys relaxing on her days off, hanging with friends, reading, cuddling with her new kitten.

Abigail Hall

Veterinary Assistant

Abigail is originally from a small town in South Dakota, called Highmore, where she grew up until she was 10. Then she moved to Indiana, where she went to middle school and some high school. In 2020, when Covid hit, she did online school and moved to Kansas City, Missouri. She graduated high school a year early and moved to Columbia, Missouri, to attend school at the University of Missouri in 2021. She started her degree in animal sciences and started working at the University of Missouri Veterinary Health Center in the small animal ICU in 2022. She fell in love with veterinary medicine, but more specifically veterinary technology, and has since started going to school through Penn Foster to obtain her associates of veterinary technology. I then also changed her degree at the University of Missouri to obtain her Bachelors of Veterinary Technology. She chose veterinary medicine so she could help be a voice for the ones that can’t speak. She specifically enjoys emergency and critical care cases as they aren’t routine/common cases, and there is so much opportunity to learn and discover new ways to communicate as well as educate owners on their pets.

Avery Samuel

Veterinary Assistant

Avery has been in the industry for 5 years. She started her career with research pigs at MU while in high school, then switched to equine medicine, surgery, ICU, and ER at the University of Missouri about a year and a half ago and will graduate in May 2025, achieving her registered technician license.

Avery prides herself on animal care and affection. Being able to assist with finding a diagnosis, treatments, and to be able to send home a happy, healthy pet. She also enjoys assisting in surgical procedures to get a patient back to full potential. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family to catch a break from school. Also keeping her red heeler, Sage, entertained.

Kaitlynn Patton

Veterinary Assistant

Kaitlynn Patton is currently enrolled at Columbia College and is working toward her bachelor’s degree in biology. She has been working in veterinary medicine for the past two years and loves having the opportunity to help so many patients while working with the clients to help educate and give them peace of mind when it comes to caring for their beloved pets.

When she isn’t working, Kaitlynn loves exploring the outdoors, fishing, reading, and spending time with friends and family.

Allison Dudenhoeffer

Veterinary Assistant

Allison Dudenhoeffer attending Blair Oaks High School and has been working in veterinary medicine for the past six years. She truly enjoys educating owners on their animals’ behavioral issues and how to solve them. She also love talking to owners about pet allergies. Since there are so many different components to allergies, Allison wants to help the patient enjoy their lives. Allison also enjoys educating clients on the benefits of their pets oral health.

In her free time, Allison enjoys the outdoors with her animals. Whether it’s walking down a creek with her heeler, Chloe, riding her horse, Jasper, fishing, or hunting, it’s safe to say she is enjoying the great outdoors!

Ashley Myers

Veterinary Assistant

Ashley Myers grew up in the small town of Vienna, MO, and moved to Jefferson City in 2017 while going to college. Ashley has worked in the veterinary field with small animals for 7+ years and is currently enrolled in Ashworth’s Online Veterinary Technician program to pursue her knowledge/skills in veterinary medicine. In her free time, you can find Ashley walking/hiking with her dogs (Gossi, Keely, and Dax), winding down and relaxing with a book, or catching up on sleep!

Ashely loves working one-on-one with patients and helping sick pets get back to feeling 100%.

Emma Sellers

Veterinary Assistant

Emma, originally from Jefferson City, attended Capital City High School. She’s currently studying Animal Sciences at the University of Missouri – Columbia, aiming for vet school. Passionate about learning, she finds veterinary medicine’s daily discoveries fascinating. Emma enjoys connecting with clients who share her love for animals and believe in their significant impact on our lives and health. Witnessing patients grow and heal is deeply rewarding for her. In her free time, you can find Emma at a coffee shop, curled up on the couch with her childhood dog Charlie, or spending time with friends and family.

Jessica Brightwell

Customer Service Representative

Jessica Brightwell is new to the industry after deciding to change courses from human medicine. Jessica brings a heart filled with compassion to help patients/clients through difficult situations and wants every patient to know how much they are loved.

Most of Jessica’s free time is spend with her two boys and their dog, Sparky. She enjoys cooking, gardening, and different crafts. If the weather is nice, you can find Jessica and her family making different wood crafts outside.

Kayli Rackers

Customer Service Representative

Kayli is currently enrolled in Penn Foster to obtain her Veterinary Technician License and has been working in the veterinary industry for 4 years. She takes pride in her ability to help patients feel comfortable in what can be a stressful environment. During her free time, she enjoys weightlifting and spending quality time with her family.

Chris Allen

Customer Service Representative

Christopher Allen attended Jefferson City High School and the University of Missouri. He has worked in the industry for two years and works hard to make a difference for the families and pets he serves.

Chris is a Mizzou athletics fanatic and loves spending time with his family, and grilling.