Our Veterinarians

As a young boy Dr. Mychajlonka knew that he wanted to become a veterinarian. This childhood dream of veterinary medicine led him from his home town of Nanty Glo, Pennsylvania, to Phoenix, Arizona, where he completed his undergraduate training at Northern Arizona University.

Dr. Mychajlonka has been a fixture at Craig Road Animal Hospital since it’s founding in 1996 and is fondly known by many of his clients as “Dr. Mych”. He serves as attending veterinarian to the Nevada Task Force search and rescue dogs. In the past he has also served as president of the Nevada Veterinary Medical Association. Dr. Mych earned his D.V.M. at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana in 1993. During his college years, he worked at a small animal emergency hospital and an equine surgical center, which fostered his interest in high quality, cutting edge veterinary care.

Dr. Mych’s veterinary interests include general and orthopedic surgery, advanced dental procedures and laparoscopic procedures. In his leisure time, he enjoys the outdoors, fishing, photography, and reading. Dr. Mych resides in Las Vegas with his wife Debbie, also a veterinarian, and two adopted children: Nikki, a beautiful Bouvier Des Flanders, and Boss, a Shih-poo-kie.

Read Dr Mych’s Posts Here

Dr. Cathleen Whitcraft has been at Craig Road Animal Hospital since 2004. Prior to becoming a veterinarian, her background included a degree in Business finance and a career with U.S. Treasury Department. After participating in a dolphin research vacation, she discovered her interest in animal medicine. Later, she went on to earn her biology degree and her D.V.M. from Colorado State University. Her special practice interests include internal medicine, endocrine disease, cardiology, and ophthalmology.

Dr. Whitcraft is active with community outreach and participating in Career Day talks at local schools, inspiring others to pursuing a veterinary career. Dr. Whitcraft has two birds, two cats and a batch of Bichon Frise and Poodles that consume much of her love. Besides her household of critters, she enjoys world travel including all over Europe, Australia, and the Caribbean. Her favorite leisure activities are scuba diving, biking, climbing trees and reading.

Read Dr Whitcraft’s Posts Here

Dr. Finder grew up in Maryland outside of Washington D.C. She attended the University of Maryland College Park where she received a bachelor’s degree in animal and avian science. Dr. Finder received her doctorate in veterinary medicine from Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine. Before graduating from vet school she worked in small animal practices in Nevada and in Maryland as a veterinary technician. Before vet school she also worked in a wildlife rehabilitation facility, where she cared for an array of animals including squirrels, snapping turtles, and rabbits.

Dr. Finder is interested in most areas of general practice and surgery. In her spare time, Dr. Finder enjoys playing sports, cooking, and traveling. She has visited several countries including Canada, Mexico, Israel, Spain, Costa Rica and India. She has had two opportunities to study abroad, in Costa Rica and India. Her adventurous spirit took her through a suspension bridge in Costa Rica, while studying sustainable ecosystems there, where she remembers the bridge cable snapping while she crossed it! In India she worked with stray animals, and gained a great deal of experience in infectious diseases and the importance of vaccination. The highlight of this experience was working with Indian elephants, which she fondly remembers as “Mostly playing with baby elephants.”

Dr. Finder has been a member of our staff since 2013. When she is not dedicating herself to her patients she is caring for her mischievous cat, which she adopted after becoming her foster pet. She has a very sweet tuxedo colored cat named Jane of the Jungle whom she describes as very “inquisitive, and gets into everything!”

Dr. Ukachi Ugorji has always had an interest in taking care of animals, from a young age she knew that she wanted to pursue a career in the medical field. In the spring of 2016, she graduated from the University of Georgia with a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine. However, this isn’t her first experience with Craig Road Animal Hospital, she was part of our extern program in 2015.

She says that because animals can’t necessarily speak up, owners should try to bring their pet in for professional care. “It’s important that people know the value of having a physician examine your pet on a regular basis,” she said. “Specifically preventative care as a focus. Detecting things before something happens and talking to a professional can save a lot of animals.”

At home, Dr. Ugorji has two standard poodles and a flame point Siamese cat that keep her company.

Read Dr. Ugorgi’s Posts Here

Emilee Larkin, D.V.M., is a graduate fromTexas A&M’s College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, where she also attended for her undergraduate studies.
Over the past few years Dr. Larkin had gained experience from her involvement in numerous externships, most notably her experiences in St. Kitts,

West Indies and Africa. Her main professional interests are large exotic animals, internal medicine, and diagnostics.
Dr. Larkin enjoys time with a few four-legged friends of her own, a Rottweiler named Riddick, a Bluetick Coonhound named River, and her cat Orion. When she isn’t caring for animals, Dr. Larkin enjoys weaving, reading, and hiking in her spare time.

Read Dr. Larkin’s Posts Here

Las Vegas native, Danielle Achiardi D.V.M, joins our team at Craig Road Animal Hospital. She attended The University of Notre Dame in Indiana for undergraduate studies in biology with a minor in chemistry. She then went on to receive her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from  Ohio State University in Columbus, OH.

Dr. Achiardi has wanted to become a veterinarian for as long as she can remember.” I’ve always loved science, especially biology and I’ve always loved working with animals.” She worked as a vet tech at the South Bend Zoo during her time at Notre Dame. Her interests include oncology, cardiology and internal medicine.

Dr. Achiardi is a French citizen, her father is French as well, and she still has many relatives who live in France. Dr. Achiardi’s Hobbies include reading, watching movies, watching sports, and spending time with her family. She also likes to travel and explore unfamiliar places. She has four pets, a cockapoo named Oliver, a Golden doodle named Ender and two domestic short hair cats, Moochie and Fleur-(which means flower in French).

Dr Galanti was raised in St Louis, IL. She attended Arizona State University for her Bachelors in Biological Science. She then attended University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine for her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine.

Dr. Galanti had a love for animals since the age of five. She would bring all types of wildlife home to her parents whenever she had the chance. The first profession she imagined making a career out of was a veterinarian and she solidified her decision at the age of nineteen. Dr. Galanti finds client education to be one of the most important aspects of being a veterinarian. She has witnessed a lot of animals not get the treatment they need.

Dr. Galanti wasn’t cut out for the cold weather of the Midwest. After attending college in Arizona, she fell in love with the Southwest. Craig Road Animal Hospital peaked her interest due to the size of the facility, and the number of doctors on staff. She intends to collaborate with the other doctors to pull their collective knowledge to help her patients. She also finds Craig Road Animal Hospitals emphasis on workplace culture to be very important. She looks forward to polishing her skills in surgery, preventative medicine, and ophthalmology.

When Dr. Galanti has spare time she enjoys hiking, CrossFit, baking, cooking, jigsaw puzzles, but she is not opposed to staying in and binge watching a show on Netflix. She is a mother to four big dogs: Goose, Ellie, Luna, and Mellow.

Dr. Lutz grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. She attended Purdue University and majored in Animal Science for her undergraduate degree. She stayed at Purdue University and attended the College of Veterinary Medicine for her doctorate.

Dr. Lutz spent most of her childhood terrified of animals. At the age of twelve her family adopted a dachshund puppy, she instantly formed a bond and became his caretaker. At sixteen, she applied for a kennel position at the local veterinary clinic across the street from her high school. She worked her way up to being a veterinary assistant, after three years of working in the field, she knew she wanted to become a veterinarian. “I truly enjoy getting to be a voice and advocate for my patients.”, says Dr. Lutz. “They can’t tell us what their problems are so it’s up to us to figure it out!”

Dr. Lutz is no stranger to Craig Road Animal Hospital. She completed our externship program at the beginning of 2018. “I like that Craig Road offers a nice mix of wellness and preventative care as well as surgery and emergency work.” she said. Prior to her externship, Dr. Lutz had never been this far west. Since she has been in the Midwest all her life, where it is mostly cold, she gained an appreciation for sunny Las Vegas. Dr. Lutz’s special interests include soft tissue surgery and emergency medicine. She looks forward to interactions with clients and patients and providing quality animal care.

When Dr. Lutz has spare time on her hands her hobbies include traveling, exercising, hiking, and spending time with friends and family. During her undergraduate study she frequented Central America, visiting Costa Rica, and Ecuador to study at a low-cost veterinary clinic. She has three pets at home. Brownie and Snickers (dachshunds) and a pit bull mix named Cindie.

Read Dr. Lutz’s posts here!

Dr. Efrain Vassallo was born and raised in Ponce, Puerto Rico, and is fluent in Spanish and English. He knew from a young age he wanted to become a veterinarian. Dr. Vassallo said the movie “Jurassic Park” was what first interested him in animals and science.

“I was amazed by the biology and science, so for the longest time I wanted to be a paleontologist,” Dr. Vassallo said. “But then I realized all those animals were dead, so I switched goals after that.”

Dr. Vassallo started his education at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez as a pre-Vet student before graduating from Lousiana State University in 2016 with a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine. During his time at university, Dr. Vassallo worked with an orthopedic surgeon in Puerto Rico, and at private practices in Las Vegas and Texas. Most of his externships were small animals, but he has some experience with farm animals.

“I really like interacting with clients and pet owners, so that’s why I prefer small animals,” Dr. Vassallo said.

During his externship in Las Vegas, Dr. Vassallo saw that there were better opportunities to learn more about animal medicine and decided to relocate to Nevada. He is interested in surgery, internal medicine, and working with “misunderstood patients.”

In his spare time, Dr. Vassallo enjoys exploring the Las Vegas area, trying different types of food, reading, working out, and traveling to places like Zion National Park and Phoenix. He and his girlfriend have a Greyhound named Callie, a three-legged cat named Squanchy, a Pitbull-mix named Groot, and a senior cat named Hagrid.

Dr. Aimee Trujillo was born and raised on a farm on Guadeloupe Island in the Caribbean but moved to Lafayette, Louisiana when she was 10-years-old. She said that growing up with cows, chicken, and pigs sparked her interest in veterinary medicine.

“I even rode horses,” Dr. Trujillo said. “I just loved all the animals.”

She started studying at the University of Louisiana in Layfette and volunteered at various shelters for two years, and shadowed an equine veterinarian before transferring to Louisiana State University, where she obtained her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine degree. Dr. Trujillo said she fell in love with exotics and small animals while studying at LSU.

“I really like exotics, but I also really like cats,” she said. “So, I’m more of a cat person than a dog person.”

Dr. Trujillo also had an externship in Raleigh, North Carolina that specialized in exotics. She said she saw squirrels, frogs, honey badgers, and everything in between.

In her spare time, Dr. Trujillo dabbles in acting and enjoys hiking and riding her horse, Galvea. She also owns a cat named Mimi-Siku, two guinea pigs named Bellatrix and Narcissa Malfoy after the “Harry Potter” series, and a fish named Bully.

Dr. Sierra Steger is a graduate of the University of Georgia and was a former extern at Craig Road Animal Hospital. She is originally from Daytona Beach, Florida. As soon as she could talk, Dr. Steger knew she wanted to be a veterinarian.

“There was never anything else I wanted to do,” she said. At the urging of her father, Dr. Steger volunteered at various humane societies throughout Florida and Georgia, as well as the Grand Cayman Islands. She said she’s been volunteering and working in animal hospitals since she was a teenager.

She received her Bachelor’s in Biology from the University of Florida in Tampa, and spent her first two-and-a-half years of veterinarian school at St. Mathews University in the Grand Cayman Islands. Dr. Steger obtained her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Georgia in January 2020.

Dr. Steger said she was eager to come back to Craig Road Animal Hospital after her externship in 2019 and is looking to one day open her own private practice. She said she’s looking forward to working in a clinical, professional environment now that she’s graduated.

In her spare time, Dr. Steger likes to stay healthy by going to the gym and playing with her dogs. She has a Doberman named Scarlet and a Shephard/Border Collie mix named Dori.

Dr. Tiffany Moore is a graduate of Ross University and a former extern of Craig Road Animal Hospital. She obtained her Associate’s in Veterinary Technology at SUNY Canton, and later graduated with a Bachelor’s in Animal Science at SUNY Cobleskill, both located in upstate New York.

Born in Fort Lauderdale, Dr. Moore grew up in Barbados and knew from a young age she wanted to be a veterinarian. Dr. Moore said she has always wanted to help animals and has been interested in the medical field, and science since she was a little girl. Growing up, she would volunteer at the RSPCA in Barbados and during her studies in New York, Dr. Moore volunteered at various shelters in the area. Exotics, pathology, and dentistry are some of the areas she’s interested in.

“When I had time to decide my life, I was like, ‘I’ll stay in sciences and I’ll do a technician degree first,'” Dr. Moore said.

In her downtime, Dr. Moore enjoys watching TV, sightseeing, reading, and listening to music. She has an energetic, 2-year-old black Lab-mix named Lily.

Dr. Aryn Bordman is a Las Vegas native and returned to her hometown to start her veterinary career. She attended Sierra Nevada College for her B.S. in Biology and went on to Colorado State University for her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine degree.

Like many of her colleagues, Dr. Bordman wanted to be a veterinarian since she was little. Dr. Bordman loved learning about animals, whether it through books or religiously watching the Animal Planet channel to garner whatever information she could. In high school, Dr. Bordman volunteered with a local cat rescue on weekends assisting with their adoption events.

During her undergraduate years, Dr. Bordman volunteered at a wildlife sanctuary and taught the public about the various animals that resided there. This experience sparked an interest in exotics and zoological animal medicine. This led Dr. Bordman to a three week “Vets in the Wild” experience in South Africa, learning about the treatment of exotic and wild animals by veterinarians. Since then, she’s had the opportunity to visit Israel and Japan and hopes to do more international traveling in the future.

Dr. Bordman enjoys going to Lake Mead and paddleboarding to stay active, especially during the warm Vegas summers. In her spare time, Dr. Bordman can be found sewing costumes for fun and for comic conventions, drawing, and relaxing at home with her two rescue cats, Apollo and Percy.

Dr. Goldfield is from Columbia, South Carolina, and knew from a young age that she wanted to be a veterinarian. She is also a former extern at Craig Road Animal Hospital.

“There is a video recording of me saying that I wanted to be a veterinarian and guaranteeing my aunt free vet care for life,” Dr. Goldfield said. “I was four, and it now seems like I might be living out that promise.”

She completed her Bachelor’s at the College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina, and took some time off after graduating. During that time, Dr. Goldfield’s interests led her to spa management with a staff of 50 employees. She also looked briefly into human medicine, and then decided to start working on a Master’s Degree in public health.

After a chance encounter with a veterinarian, Dr. Goldfield started working as a technician in an animal hospital and attended the Virginia Maryland School of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Goldfield is particularly interested in surgery, internal medicine, and imaging. She enjoys the diverse cases and fast-paced nature of Craig Road Animal Hospital.

“The variety of cases is incredible and I really like that there are always other doctors to talk to and get their opinions,” she said. “It’s amazing to see all the things that we hear about in school, but to come to a busy hospital like this and actually see them is something else.”

In her spare time, Dr. Goldfield enjoys photography, reading, and going to the movies. She has a 10-year-old chihuahua called Bink, and two cats named Ricky Bobby, who is a 2-year-old Bengal, and Frank, a 7-year-old domestic shorthair.