Erica Hellestad

DVM, Practice Owner 

Dr. Erica Hellestad obtained both her undergraduate degree (BS Animal Sciences) and DVM at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (DVM 2011), but has been with Whole Pet since 2008. She is originally from Elkhart Lake, WI but has called Madison home since 2003. Erica has strong interests in nutrition, behavior and preventative medicine. She is also very interested in complementary medicine and has seen first hand the benefits of combining both Western and Eastern medicine in her own pets. She is a member of several veterinary associations including the AVMA and the WVMA.

Erica also supports animal rescue and has volunteered with numerous Spay Day events. Erica and the very tolerant Brendan share their home with 4 adopted dogs (Rigby, Murphy, Keela and Lena), 2 naughty cats (Wilson and Monkey) and last but not least, various fostered pets who find their way into their home for short or long stays. Brendan and Erica enjoy canoeing and camping with the dogs and recently braved a boundary waters trip with the dogs! They also enjoy attending Badger sporting events, listening to live music and exploring the beautiful Wisconsin outdoors.

Brenna Grych

DVM

Dr. Brenna Grych is thrilled to be back at Whole Pet as a Veterinarian after spending several years in the clinic as a Veterinary Assistant during her education at UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine. She also attended UW-Madison for her undergraduate education where she majored in both Animal Science and Spanish. 

Brenna has worked in the veterinary field from the ground up, from doggy daycare and grooming facilities to assisting Technicians and Veterinarians in the academically challenging environment of the UW-Veterinary Care Small-Animal Internal Medicine department. Her favorite past position was of course veterinary assisting at Whole Pet! Her time in the veterinary field has grown her passion for care and understanding of every individual animal and client. She has strong interests in preventative medicine, geriatric health, and nutrition. 

Outside of the clinic, Brenna enjoys cooking, spending time outdoors, and taking advantage of Madison’s delicious restaurants! Currently, she and her husband have a young, energetic Golden Retriever/Bernese Mountain Dog mix who they love dearly!

Donna Schilly

DVM

Dr. Donna Schilly is a Missouri native who earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Missouri in Columbia. She attended the UW Madison School of Veterinary Medicine and graduated from that fine institution in 1995. She has been practicing in the Madison area since 1998. She has a logical, and practical approach to veterinary medicine. Dr. Schilly strives to offer the best veterinary care while also working within your budget. She practices small animal medicine and has enjoyed the added experience of working in the local emergency veterinary clinics. If your dog eats something it shouldn’t have-she is your gal!

Dr. Schilly likes to spend her spare time with her 3 kids, traveling to visit her out of state family, keeping in shape and planning adventures. She has a Border Terrier named Dill and a cat named Scout. Little known facts about Dr. Schilly-she is a Master Gardener and once hit a “hole in one” at Pleasant View Golf course.

Haley Highdale

DVM

Fun fact - before becoming a veterinarian, Dr. Haley worked at a doggy daycare. She loves anything and everything dogs, especially puppies. Not only does she bring this experience of dog training with her, but also her attention to detail. Dr. Haley always goes the extra mile for her patients, being extremely thorough in covering all the bases for her patient, leaving no stone unturned in her pursuit of making sure they get the top notch care they deserve.

Dr. Haley is also a huge sports fanatic, and whether it’s the Packers, the Badgers or the Brewers, Dr. Haley loves to watch her hometown teams. She is an athlete at heart. In addition, she also loves boating and camping. But, when she’s here at Whole Pet Veterinary Clinic, she brings an easy going and fun energy to the team. Her humor is off the charts. Dr. Haley is a team player; a team that she is proud to be a part of. 

Katie Grawe

DVM

Dr. Katie Grawe is a Madison native and happy to be practicing in her home town once again. She graduated from the UW School of Veterinary Medicine in 2003. Since that time, she has practiced in Milwaukee, Black Earth, and Madison giving her a wide range of small animal experience. Dr. Grawe feels strongly about taking advantage of the many continuing education opportunities available keeping her up to date on the latest surgical and diagnostic techniques. She uses an integrative approach to her medical practice, focusing on nutrition and supplements in order to prevent and treat disease. She especially enjoys working with older pets and patients with multiple health conditions, with a goal to optimize quality of life. She will take the time to listen to your concerns and discuss options with you so that you can come up with a plan for care together.

Dr. Grawe is a member of the AVMA, WVMA and the American Academy of Veterinary Nutrition. When she's not at Whole Pet, you can find her hiking with her Goldendoodle and 3 kids. She also enjoys reading, yoga, travel, and anything outdoors.

Kristi Bernhardt

DVM

Dr. Kristi Bernhardt has been caring for pets in the Madison area since graduating from the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine in 1998. Originally from northern Wisconsin, she came to Madison for her undergraduate studies — and loved it so much, she never left! Over the years, Dr. Kristi has worked both in private practice and at the UW Veterinary School as a clinical instructor. She joined the Whole Pet team in May 2015 and brings special interests in behavior, surgery & dentistry, and internal medicine. Dr. Kristi especially enjoys working with pets at every life stage — from playful puppies and kittens to beloved senior companions.

Dr. Kristi lives in Madison with her husband, David, their two dogs, Waffle and Watson, and their cat, Kitton, who celebrates his 18th birthday in 2024! With her children and stepchildren grown, she treasures time spent with them whenever possible. Outside of work, Dr. Kristi loves to travel, read, bike, ski, hike, and, of course, cheer on the Badgers.

Megan Caldwell Brown

DVM

Dr. Megan Caldwell Brown has been practicing small animal and emergency medicine in Madison since 1999. A native of Madison, she attended the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine. In 2007 she and classmate Dr. Lisa Olson set out together to make their vision become reality by creating Whole Pet Veterinary Clinic, founded upon a goal of providing options for pets and their people that include the best of traditional and alternative medical care. Outside of this concept they knew that excellent customer service and attention to financial considerations with owners would be key to their business.

While her formal training is in Western Medicine, Megan has a strong interest in Eastern modalities, and offers a range of natural and holistic healing options for her dog and cat patients. These include nutritional support, nutraceutical supplementation, and options for acupuncture and spinal manipulation treatments; she has used complementary modalities successfully to treat conditions including chronic ear infections, arthritis, intervertebral disc disease, allergies, seizures, inflammatory bowel disease, and behavioral problems. Dr. Caldwell Brown aims to maintain the health of all body systems by placing the strongest initial focus on the GI tract. Special areas of veterinary interest include wellness care, dental care, internal medicine, geriatric health and soft tissue surgery.

Dr. Caldwell Brown is an active member of the Dane County Humane Society; she has volunteered with their community spay/neuter program, and has taught summer workshops for kids in DCHS's "Camp Paw Print". She is also a member of various veterinary medical associations including AVMA, WVMA, DCVMA, and volunteers her time for homeless animals from various breed rescues.

When Dr. Caldwell Brown is not gleefully busy at work, she likes to read, cook, be outdoors, and spend as much time as possible with her family. Her husband Bob and their 4 kids share their home with 5 fabulous cats and 3 cool canines.

Julie H.

Client Service Representative

Julie is a full time client services representative.  She has been working at Whole Pet Veterinary Clinic since February of 2016 and Julie says it is the most rewarding job she has ever had in so many ways.  She enjoys the amazing people she works with and seeing all of our wonderful dogs and cats, and interacting with our awesome clients.  Julie has had Shelties her entire life and right now she has a beautiful black cat named, Janny (named after Janet Jackson and her song "Black Cat".  Julie loves making our clients feel welcome and cared for and spending extra time with their dogs and cats that come in!  Julie has a strong interest in improving her Spanish-speaking skills so that she can communicate with all of our Spanish-speaking clients more!

Outside of work, Julie enjoys dancing, karaoke, going to concerts, watching TV & movies, and spending time with family and friends including all of the fur babies!

Katie P.

Client Service Representative

Katie joined Whole Pet in August of 2015 as a Client Services Representative. Prior to joining Whole Pet, Katie attended the University of WI-Madison, graduating in 2012 with degrees in Psychology and History. Although only part-time, Katie thoroughly enjoys interacting with the amazing clients and patients at Whole Pet. Her goal is to make every experience at Whole Pet the best one for every patient and client.

When she is not working, Katie enjoys adventuring with her husband, Eric, their two kiddos, Khloe & Jack, their dog, Vinny, and two kitties, Phoebe and Finn.  

Porsche B.

Client Service Representative

Porsche has been an animal lover since she was a little girl. She grew up in the country, outside the Wisconsin Dells and moved to the Madison area in 2013. Growing up she always was either on the farm helping family with milking, riding horses, playing with cats, taking care of dogs, bunnies and chickens. She has worked in every department of hospitality from managing hotels, running banquets, managing dog daycares, opening up her own dog training company in 2019 to working with exotic salt water fish at one time. 

With the pandemic challenges she moved to the Veterinary Medicine world. She started with work in Emergency and found her home here in General Practice. While with Whole Pet her urge to learn more has continued. Porsche is not only ABC- DT certified; she is Adult Mental Health First Aid Certified, Fear Free Certified & Certified Veterinary Burnout Prep. She looks forward to expanding her certifications and knowledge.

Porsche shares her home with her husband, their rescue dog, a Puggle named Chips and their kitty, Sweet Heart.

Samantha F.

Client Service Representative

Samantha is a part-time receptionist for Whole Pet Veterinary Clinic. She was born and raised in Santa Barbara, CA and moved to Madison in February of 2020. Since 4 years have passed, she now has a cat of her own named Käse (cheese in German). Samantha loves to greeting all the patients and clients at Whole Pet and can't wait to meet you!

Jess K.

Veterinary Nurse, Manager

Jess has been a Veterinary Nurse since 2010. She has a Bachelor's degree in Business Management and an Associate of Applied Science degree in Veterinary Technology. She has been the Veterinary Nurse Manager here at Whole Pet since 2017 & prior to that was a Veterinary Nurse here since 2010. 

She lives in the country with her wife, their two sons, two dogs, three cats, a bearded dragon, chickens, & a huge freshwater fish tank. 

In her free time she enjoys traveling, camping, gardening, hiking and going to training classes with her youngest dog. They are currently working on agility and obedience training. 

Her favorite aspects of her job are sharing the funny & cute moments that happen behind the scenes with pet owners about their pets. She also enjoys coming up with new ideas to keep our staff engaged and excited about Veterinary Medicine.

Jayme D.

Veterinary Nurse

Jayme joined Whole Pet in March 2014 and has been a certified veterinary technician for the past 20 years. Originally from the Milwaukee area, she moved to Madison for school and fell in love with the city. Jayme is very passionate when it comes to working with our more timid and challenging patients and feels very lucky to be a part of such a special team.

Jayme lives in Madison with her husband Keith, two girls Addison and Maya, and pets (Lugh, Cloud, Stewie and Squishy). In her free time Jayme enjoys traveling and watching her girls play softball and skiing with her family out West.

Jenae CB.

Veterinary Nurse

Jenae graduated from the Veterinary Technician program at Madison College in 2012.  She began working at Veterinary Emergency Service and shortly after began at Whole Pet. She has been with both clinics ever since.

At VES she works as a Critical Care Technician and as Middleton’s ER hospital coordinator. She loves the technical skills aspect of Critical Care, the client education aspect of General Practice and enjoys anesthesia in both critical and stable patients.

Jenae purchased a home (Spring 2018) outside of McFarland and shares it with her husband Shea, daughter Aurora and 4 cats Kitty, Blarney (tripod), Ripley and Little Mike.

Jenae enjoys any outdoor activity.  She has gotten injured too many times skateboarding, but insists on continuing it as long as possible.

Karli R.

Veterinary Nurse

Karli joined Whole Pet in 2015 as a certified veterinary technician. She is very passionate when it comes to working with owners and patients and feels very lucky to be a part of such a wonderful group. She especially loves working with the feisty cats :) You can usually find her with treats or catnip filled pockets. 

Outside of work, Karli enjoys reading, music, cooking, baking, and snuggling with her 3 cats (Maia, Dickens, and Greta).

Madalyn P.

Veterinary Nurse

Madalyn was born and raised in the Madison area. She joined the Whole Pet team in November 2020 and a month later graduated from UW-River Falls with a bachelor's degree in Animal Science. Madalyn’s time at UW-River Falls was predominantly focused on large animals and her passion for horses, but she found her love for the world of small animal veterinary medicine here at Whole Pet. Madalyn graduated with the veterinary technician certification through Madison College in May of 2024.

When not at work or school, Madalyn enjoys hiking and camping with her boyfriend Collin and their Australian Cattle Dog mix, Ellie. 

Autumn A.

Veterinary Assistant

Autumn moved from Illinois to Madison in 2023 and instantly fell in love. As a kid you often get asked "what do you want to be when you grow up" and her answer was always a veterinarian. After spending some time in a management position Autumn realized that she wanted more and was ready to begin the journey of what she had always dreamed of doing. Since joining Whole Pet in 2025 she's enjoyed every minute of it and knows this is where she’s meant to be. She looks forward to furthering her education and advancing her career.

Brittany P.

Veterinary Assistant

Brittany was born and raised in Florida for 25 years. She visited Madison and fell in love with the seasons so she packed whatever fit in her car and moved up here in 2021. 

She has always loved animals and caring for them. The best part about working at a vet clinic is that she gets to help people care for their pets on a daily basis.

Genevieve S.

Veterinary Assistant

Genevieve was born and raised in the Madison area and is so excited to be a part of the Whole Pet team. Her favorite part of working with animals is seeing the bond that each animal has with their pet parent. Pets are family members and she is grateful that pet parents trust us to be part of their family members care.

When not at work, Genevieve loves spending time with her two dogs, Darla and Disney. Together they love hiking, kayaking, paddle boarding, and participating in dog sports.

Genevieve also runs a social media account for her dog Disney, where they share their adventures.

Hayley B.

Veterinary Assistant

Hayley is originally from the small town of Mukwonago, WI. She joined the Whole Pet team in August 2018 as a veterinary assistant. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Madison in May 2018 with a degree in Animal Sciences. With a lot of dedication, hard work, and patience, she is now a veterinary student at the University of Wisconsin and will graduate with her DVM degree in May 2027. Her areas of career interest range from general practice to emergency medicine to oncology. 

In what little free time she has nowadays, she enjoys getting out on the water in her kayak and working out at the gym, as well as spending time with her 2 cats and dog.

Isabel Z.

Veterinary Assistant

Isabel joined the Whole Pet team in May of 2023 and recently graduated from UW-Madison with a degree in Zoology. In her time at UW-Madison she worked with cats, dogs, horses, cows, mice, and even bats! Her goal is to go to Veterinary School and specialize in Ophthalmology.

In her free time Isabel enjoys singing, hiking, and playing with her three cats!

Janelle W.

Veterinary Assistant

Janelle is currently a first year student in the Veterinary Technician program at Madison College. Before joining our team she worked as a Pharmacy Technician at Walgreens and then later at UW. She has 2 pet rats she shares with her partner (yes they are both named after food) and an unconditional love for cats. After becoming a certified veterinary nurse she plans to specialize in anesthesiology.

Madison Z.

Veterinary Assistant

Madison grew up in the small town of Monroe, WI, and has always had a love for animals and the outdoors. She joined the Whole Pet team in 2024 while pursuing her veterinary technician certification through Madison College, which she is on track to complete in 2026. She enjoys being outdoors, hiking, and doing photography when there’s time.

Marisa T.

Veterinary Assistant

Marisa is currently a sophomore at UW Madison. When she's not at work or at school, she likes to spend time with her family, spend time with her dogs, and read. She loves working with animals and meeting new pets. She even carries dog treats with her when she goes to school in case she makes a new furry friend!

Lisa O.

Practice Manager

Dr. Lisa Olson has been involved with small animal medicine in Madison, WI since 1999. She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine.

She practiced small animal medicine for several years and now focuses on Practice Management. 

She is a member of various veterinary associations including AVMA, WVMA, DCVMA and VHMA.

In her spare time she enjoys spending time with Fred and their kitty.  She enjoys getting outside into the fresh air, kayaking, camping, live music and meditation.

Sara C.

Administration

Sara started working at Whole Pet in August 2016. She's a certified technician that's taking time off to work on the business side of things. Sara is part of a great team led by Lisa Olson, DVM.

When she's not at work you can find her playing with her 3 cats (Gracie, Nigel & Pancake) or spending time with friends and family. A few of Sara's hobbies are painting and photography.