Licensed Veterinary Technician
Melinda
Melinda is what many would call a true animal lover.
Born and raised in Las Vegas, Melinda has been surrounded by animals all her life, a characteristic that has clearly stuck with her into adulthood. She initially got her start at Craig Road Animal Hospital as an exam room assistant but fell in love with treating the patients and decide to go to school for her Veterinary Technician license. Melinda also enjoys having a job that is different every day. She said she enjoys wound care and bandaging.
She has several animals, including cats, dogs, snakes, lizards, and tortoises; Melinda is a lover of the misfit animals. Her Maltese mix, Dexter, has a neurologic condition that’s left him mostly blind. His sister DeeDee, the chihuahua mix, is “just crazy.” Both are named after Dexter’s Laboratory due to Melinda’s love of cartoons. She also has a dog named Ragamuffin, a wild-haired Yorkie.
Smudge, her cat, was a bottle-fed baby when he was found alone with his umbilical cord still attached. Smudge has Margo, Reeses, and Coal as his feline friends. When she was 11-years-old, she had her first corn snake named Mouser. Melinda has also grown up with bearded dragons and tortoises.
“I prefer the night shift because it’s not the routine scheduled surgeries and vaccines, it’s more emergencies,” she said. “You never know what to expect when you clock in, it’s always exciting. Neonatal care is my absolute favorite. I just got a pediatric stethoscope for Christmas for my neonatal patients.”
While working with animals has always been her dream, Melinda is also a talented artist. Her artwork can be seen hanging on our walls in the waiting room and the giant mural painted in the cat suites. Like others at Craig Road Animal Hospital, Melinda believes it is very important for clients to understand how the love we have for animals extends into the care we give.
“I’ve helped puppies and kittens take first breaths, held them while they got vaccines, ran anesthesia during spaying/neutering, watched them grow up, treated them when they were sick, and held them at the end,” she said. “You get attached to the patients.”