Dr. Raceeta MacKenzie was born in Australia and grew up around the Lower Mainland after her family moved to BC when she was a child. She obtained her Bachelor of Science, concentrating in animal physiology, from Simon Fraser University. She then moved to Ontario to obtain her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Degree from the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guleph. Dr. Raceeta has a passion for helping animals achieve optimal health, and even before she got accepted into veterinary college, she knew she wanted to practice additional healing therapies. In order to get a head start on being able to practice with an integrative approach upon graduating from veterinary college, she decided to complete the Canadian Animal Chiropractic Certification Program and obtained certification from the College of Animal Chiropractors, all while in her final year of the DVM program. Dr. Raceeta then went on to complete the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society (IVAS) Basic Course in Veterinary Acupuncture in 2015, and most recently she completed the Certified Canine Rehabilitation Therapist (CCRT) program through the Canine Rehabilitation Institute in 2018.
After spending close to 4 years in general small animal practice, Dr. Raceeta opened Peak Animal Wellness Services in 2016 so that she would be able to focus her scope of practice on the therapies in which she has received extra training. Dr. Raceeta has a special place in her heart for geriatric and arthritic pets, and their quality of life seems to improve greatly with an integrative approach to health care. She also has fun treating canine athletes to help keep them in peak performance condition.
On a side note, there are probably a large number of "Dr. MacKenzie's" out there, which is why people started calling her, "Dr. Raceeta", since she's a one of a kind. A saying her Grandfather in Australia used to say is, "I don't care what you call me, as long as you don't call me late for dinner"! Well, she doesn't expect to have dinner with you, but she doesn't mind which name you want to call her, as long as it is a name said with kindness.
Dr. Raceeta MacKenzie
Susan lives in North Vancouver with her partner, a 14 year old pug named Lola, a VOKRA rescued cat called Karma and sometimes other cat guests that she fosters through VOKRA. She has been surrounded by animals from a young age; growing up near farms, helping on a horse rescue and rehabilitation sanctuary next door, working as a horse trail guide, helping to manage a pet store for several years, and working as a receptionist at a veterinary hospital has given her a wide range of animal-related experience. While recently, she has been working in the healthcare technology industry, she is excited to return to her passion working with animals! Susan has recently completed her certification in pet massage, and she is excited to be working with Dr Raceeta to support your pet by providing rehabilitation exercises, creating tailored rehabilitation plans and providing pet massage.
Susan Holm
Paola Mendez
Paola recently graduated from Douglas College and obtained her Veterinary Assistant Certification. She is our Veterinary Office Assistant & Animal Care Attendant, and she lives in Vancouver with her sister, her dog Oliver and her hamster Mina who are both rescues. Paola also fosters dogs and does transport for small rescues in the Lower Mainland. She enjoys fundraising for the BCSPCA & different rescues through Oliver's Instagram page @chinapelada. She enjoys spending time outside of work with her friends & their dogs through regular meetups and photo sessions that they share on Instagram. Paola is super excited to be working here at Peak & looking forward to meeting you and your pets!
Erin Partridge
"Erin resides in Surrey with both of her senior animals, an 11-year-old boxer, and 11-year-old cat. She earned an Associate of Arts in Anthropology at Douglas College and is currently attending Simon Fraser University to achieve a Bachelor of Arts in Archaeology. Her specialization will be studying the relationships between ancient animals and people. She has experience working as a dog walker specialized in reactivity, managing positive reinforcement-based group care, and as a canine hydrotherapist. Her certifications include: pet first aid, low-stress handling, and fear free nail trimming. Passionate about supporting both owners and their furry companions with rehabilitation, Erin is excited to be a helping hand on our team."
Dr. Sheryl Bourque
With years of clinical veterinary practice and further studies in alternative therapies, Dr. Bourque is pleased to offer exceptional care for your pets in the comfort of her consulting office located in Cloverdale B.C.
After graduating from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon in 1996, Dr. Bourque took up veterinary practice in British Columbia. For 10 years she has worked as a companion animal locum in the lower mainland and continues on as official veterinarian at both Fraser Downs and Hastings racetracks. After years practicing conventional medicine Dr. Bourque began researching natural approaches to veterinary care. She discovered there are many safe and effective natural methods available to treat animals. After years of clinical study, in 2000 she became devoted to using a practical holistic approach to veterinary medicine. Former owner of Harmony Vet in Cloverdale and after a year and a half leave from practice, Dr Bourque is excited to be joining Dr. Raceeta MacKenzie at Peak Animal Wellness.
Andrea Ring DCH
Andrea Ring started to pursue her passion for holistic animal medicine in 1999 when her 16 year old dog Toby became seriously ill. Toby was suffering from advanced kidney and liver disease, arthritis, cataracts, hearing loss, dementia and had stopped eating. She was told by her conventional veterinarian that he was a very old dog and nothing more could be done for him. As a last resort, she brought him to a holistic veterinary clinic, where they started him on a natural raw diet and treated him homeopathically and naturopathically. His recovery was nothing short of miraculous and Toby died 2 years later, at home, at the age of 18.
Encouraged and astounded at the power of homeopathy and holistic medicine to help her animal companion, Andrea left a successful 25 year career in radio news broadcasting and journalism to begin her own homeopathic education. She enrolled in the Vancouver Homeopathic Academy, a 4 year human homeopathic program and graduated in 2007 with her Diploma of Classical Homeopathy. Andrea then went on to complete the 3 year program of the College of Animal Homeopathic Medicine which combined Animal Sciences with a Veterinary Homeopathy program.
Over the last 20 years, Andrea has worked with veterinarians in clinics across the BC Lower Mainland as a homeopath for animals, and has an extensive background in veterinary medicine from both the technical and clinical perspective. She has also been mentored, trained and worked alongside renowned homeopath Julie Anne Lee DCH, RCSHom.
Andrea is deeply devoted to holistic and homeopathic care for animals and the right of animal owners to choose the treatment modality they want for their 4 legged companions. She shares her life with 3 dogs and 7 cats. Andrea says "they are the precious and beloved creatures who make me a better, more patient and more loving person. I am so grateful to be following my childhood and lifelong passion for animals and pursuing my deep desire to help animals and their people heal through homeopathy and holistic medicine"
Favourite quote:
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." - Mahatma Gandhi