Doctors of Veterinary Medicine
Nikki Graf (She/Her) - DVM, CVA
Co-founder of Kenton Animal Hospital and Cathedral Animal Hospital,
Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist
Nikki is a Pacific Northwest native and was fortunate to have been raised appreciating the amazingly diverse outdoors that we have. She completed her undergraduate degree (Pre-med with a Chemistry minor) in Bellingham, WA attending Western Washington University. Her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine was completed at Washington State University in 2010. After graduation, she completed an internship in Emergency and Critical Care at Dove Lewis Emergency Animal Hospital. She fell in love with the challenges and fast-paced environment of Emergency Medicine and continue to work in ER/Critical care referral hospitals. Emergency Medicine is not only a challenge of rapid assessments in stressful situations, but also challenges the ability to communicate in an effective and compassionate manner. Nikki gets inspired by the human-animal bond that is profoundly evident in pets seen on an emergency basis as well as with the teams that help care for them. She became certified in veterinary acupuncture in a search for alternative modalities for pain management as well as a more holistic practice of medicine with emphasis on preventative health care. She is excited to continue her journey in Veterinary Medicine in a general practice setting where long-lasting relationships with clients and their pets will be nourished. Outside of work, Nikki enjoys surfing, snowboarding, cooking and exploring the Pacific Northwest with her partner, Andrew.
Lindsay Thurwachter (She/Her) - DVM, CVA
Co-founder of Kenton Animal Hospital and Cathedral Animal Hospital,
Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist
Lindsay grew up in Arizona where she received her undergraduate degree in Biochemistry at Arizona State University. She fell in love with the Pacific Northwest after moving here for vet school, and completed her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at Washington State University in 2010. She likes to combine eastern and western medicine modalities to find the best care for her patients. Her medical areas of interest are soft tissue surgery, geriatric care, and Chinese medicine including herbs and acupuncture. In her time away from the hospital, she enjoys hiking in forest park, native gardening, playing pinball, and enjoying this beautiful city.
Stephanie Hintz (She/Her) - DVM, CVA
Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist
Stephanie made plans with her best friend in middle school to be a veterinarian and couldn’t be happier with her choice. She was an English major at the University of Wyoming before going to vet school at Colorado State University, graduating in 1996. She became acupuncture certified in 2006 because she was looking for ways to promote whole body health in her patients. She loves working with people to keep their pets as healthy and happy as possible, especially enjoying geriatrics, behavior and internal medicine. Outside of work she spends a lot of time camping and playing her banjo/ukulele with her two children, husband, and dog, Fig, in tow.
Victoria Colby (She/Her) - DVM, CVA
Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist
Bio coming soon!
Kelly Creech (She/Her) - DVM, CVA
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist
Kelly is Maryland native, growing up among a household of dogs, hamsters, ducks, guinea pigs and ferrets. She received her BA in Animal Behavior from Bucknell University and her Doctorate from VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine. She has been practicing in Oregon since 2005. Kelly believes that medicine requires individualized care, tailoring to the needs of each patient. She enjoys the teamwork between herself, the patient and the family. Embracing both traditional and conventional techniques, she is certified in acupuncture with training in Chinese and Western herbs. Her professional interests are in preventative and geriatric medicine, with the goal to provide the best long-term care and quality of life for her patients. Kelly enjoys life in the Pacific NW with her husband, two boys and mix-breed dogs Taterpie, and Arteen. In her free time, her family is backpacking, gardening, snowboarding and playing board games.
Kathryn Kirstein (She/Her) - VMD
Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine
Kathryn was born and raised in Washington DC but moved to the northwest for “a little less city and a little more nature”. She received her BA in Psychology from University of Maryland and worked in children's mental health until she decided to jump species and pursue veterinary medicine. She graduated from University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine in 1999, then completed a small animal internship at Oradell Animal Hospital in New Jersey. Kathryn moved to the PNW in 2002 and has worked in general practice ever since. She began relief work for KAH and CAH in 2019, officially joining us at the start of 2023. When not working, Kathryn enjoys pottery, writing, cooking, hiking, and raising her teen!
Ariel Grubb (She/Her) - DVM
Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine
Dr. Grubb works part-time as a relief doctor at both Kenton and Cathedral Animal Hospitals. She has loved getting to know some of our fabulous clients and patients and enjoys feeling like part of the team.
Jenny Aucott (She/Her) - DVM
Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine
Dr. Jenny Aucott attended the University of Kansas for her Bachelor’s degree and Kansas State University for her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine. She first fell in love with veterinary medicine while rehabilitating wild birds of prey in her home state of Kansas. Since transitioning to companion animal medicine her patients have gotten a bit less wild, but they can still be stressed in the clinic! Dr. Jenny is passionate about making the vet appointment a positive experience for the four-legged members of your family in order to keep them as happy and healthy as possible. Outside of the clinic she likes to garden, karaoke, and travel with her partner. She has a red heeler mix, Finn, whose interests include tennis balls and counter-surfing when he thinks no one is looking.
Natalie Seckel (She/Her) - DVM
Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine
After growing up in southern California, Natalie completed her Bachelor of Science in Animal Science at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. She then completed her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine at Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee. Following this, she moved to Portland to complete a one year internship in Emergency & Critical Care at DoveLewis Emergency & Specialty Animal Hospital. After practicing in ER for several years, she decided to explore other areas of veterinary medicine. Now she is enjoying the balance of working part time in general practice and part time in urgent care/ER. When not in the clinic she is spending time with her partner, cuddling the cat (Rhubarb), hiking or trail running with her two dogs (Junie & Waffles), traveling, reading, playing soccer or ultimate frisbee.