DVM
Becoming a veterinarian has been a progressive series of discoveries for Dr. Mark. From early on he had an interest in science and animals—from his own childhood pets to native wildlife. While attending Kansas State University he discovered the best way to combine those interests was by becoming a veterinarian. After a few years in mixed animal practice, treating both large and small animals, he discovered his true passion and interest was in caring for companion animals and helping maintain the bond they have with their caretakers.
“Not one day have I regretted becoming a veterinarian. I enjoy pets and the people that trust us with their care. I enjoy the challenge of gaining new knowledge and skills that are constantly growing. I’m proud of the practice we have become thanks to the great team members we have and the steps we have taken to provide great care and service.”
Outside of work, Dr. Mark enjoys running, walking with his dogs, reading American history, caring for a couple of rescue horses, and, if he can get to a trout stream, fly fishing.
DVM
Dr. Olivia Mellgren graduated from the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine in 2020. Originally from Minnesota, animals have always been a large part of Dr. Olivia’s life. She grew up around horses, cattle, dogs, and cats. The first three years of her career were spent practicing mixed animal veterinary medicine, and has since changed focus to small animal care. Dr. Olivia understands the importance of regular wellness care in keeping our pets healthy and enjoys walking alongside clients to provide up to date medical care for our furry friends. She also has a special interest in dentistry and emergency medicine.
Dr. Olivia is kept busy outside of the clinic with her two young children, Elaina and Elliott. They keep her and her husband laughing and enjoying the simple things of life. George the Standard Poodle and three cats also share in the fun at the Mellgren household.
Manager
Marsha grew up on a dairy farm near Lake Preston, SD. She always knew that she loved customer service and taking care of people. After graduating from Dakota State University in Madison, SD with a Business Management degree she had taken a job with a hotel company in Watertown, SD. She definitely learned a lot about customer service during her work at the front desk and filling in where ever needed. After working in the hotel industry for a couple years she was promoted to General Manager. She was responsible for budget, management, inventory management, and human resources to name a few. This was all in preparation for her work to begin in July 1997, when she started working for Care Small Animal Hospital as a receptionist/bookkeeper. At the time, Marsha didn’t realize how much she loved animals. She knew she loved accounting and people and this love for animals just grew with her interest in the ‘human’ side of a veterinary medicine career. Today you can find Marsha working in just about every aspect of Care Small Animal Hospital, but her main job as Practice Manager keeps her busy in itself.
Outside of work you will find Marsha enjoying life with her husband, Eric and her family and friends. She enjoys baking, fishing, gardening, golfing, going to sporting events and activities of her nieces and nephews and just spending time outside in the sun.
RVT
Angie grew up in Wahpeton, ND. She developed a passion for animals at a young age, growing up with cats. She also enjoyed watching wildlife and the animals on her grandparents farm. She has always found science and medicine fascinating, so she found the perfect career in combining those two interests in veterinary medicine.
She attended NSSCS in Wahpeton for 2 years then transferred to NDSU in Fargo, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Veterinary Technology in 2001. Since graduating she has been working at Care Small Animal Hospital, where she strives to provide quality care for her patients and to make a difference in the lives of animals and their owners through compassionate, knowledgeable care.
Angie’s family includes her husband, Scott and their daughter, Rachel. She is also a pet mama to their family cat, Quinn and turtle, Sammy. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her family, playing games, listening to music and reading.
RVT
Karie grew up not far from Watertown in Bristol, SD. She graduated from Webster High School in 2015. She comes from a family of avid hunters and they had multiple dogs, so you can imagine how many vet visits she was part of over the years! Admiring the care and compassion shown for her childhood pets, no matter what time of day, drove her to pursue a career in Veterinary Medicine. She attended Ridgewater College in Wilmar, MN, earning an associate degree with high honors and became a Registered Veterinary Technician after passing the National Board’s Exam in 2017. Karie was always the kid that asked ‘why’ and needed an answer to everything. Client education became one of her passions after watching the face of pet owners light up when explaining information or giving advice on a subject that they didn’t know about prior. After becoming a Fear-Free Certified Professional in college she made it her goal to make every patient she works with as comfortable as possible. Nothing is more rewarding to her than seeing your pet as stress-free as possible!
When Karie is not working or on vacation visiting some place new, you can usually find her walking her two cats ‘Mamba’ and ‘Tiva! (maybe even on the disc golf course!) If it’s hunting season you can catch her out in the fields hopefully shooting her limit of pheasants. When she can’t be outdoors she enjoys spending time playing video games and catching up with friends and family.
Veterinary Technician
Brooklyn is a recent graduate from the NDSU vet tech program and is originally from Watertown, SD. She moved back to Watertown where she finished her externship at Care Small Animal Hospital. In August she accepted a full-time vet tech position there as well. Brooklyn is currently working on becoming a registered vet tech in South Dakota and in the meantime is learning a lot about veterinary medicine. Her favorite thing about veterinary medicine is being able to learn something every day and getting to help people and their pets in her community.
In her free time, Brooklyn likes to read, spend time with family, and go for runs. Brooklyn has two cats named Agent and Majesty and a Beagle named Shae.
Receptionist
LouAnn is from Watertown and has had a love and curiosity for animals and nature since she was a child. She was often found exploring and inspecting neighbors’ and families’ properties for new plants, animals and insects.
After obtaining her Biotechnology and Medical Laboratory degrees at Lake Area Technical College, she worked as an environmental laboratory technician and a laboratory support lead in RNG. She takes pride in her adaptability, technical aptitude and attention to detail. Her favorite thing about working at Care Small Animal Hospital is getting to know our clients and their pets and being a part of this compassionate team of professionals.
She is the Mom of 3 wonderful kids and raises sheep and poultry with her husband in rural Hayti. They have two rambunctious Aussies, a Chihuahua Mix that thinks he’s the king of the world and a house cat (‘Princess Kitty’) who spends her days keeping his ego in check.
Kennel Assistant
Sara was born in Aberdeen, SD and raised in Watertown. Ever since she was a young child, her love and compassion for animals has grown. Her Grandma Stein would always say ‘She will always be around her animals’
Sara has had many pets through her life so far, ‘Katie’ the beagle being her first. She truly helped Sara in her desire to become involved with helping animals. Sara has a soft spot for Beagles! ‘Snowball’ (her first cat) was found by her Dad and he brought this little ball of fluff home for Sara and her sister. ‘Rusty’ joined her family while Sara was attending high school. ‘Bailey’ the beagle joined the family after ‘Rusty’ fell ill. This is when Sara started working with Care Small Animal Hospital. She learned many hands on skills and procedures during her work with Care, that it led her to further her education at National American University in Rapid City, SD studying Veterinary Assistant. She then worked for Mountain View Animal Hospital in Rapid City for almost 5 years. Sara longed to return back home to Watertown and she did! She started working for Care Small Animal Hospital again using the skills she acquired through her education at NAU. Sara is now married to her wonderful husband, Dustin and together they have ‘Mouse’ a gray cat, ‘Nova’ as Chocolate Labrador and ‘Chevelle’ a Yellow Fox Labrador.
Grandma was right!
Kennel Assistant
Sara was raised in Milbank, SD. She is the oldest of two. Her family has always had dogs and occasionally a fish. Friends would tell you that, from a young age, Sara was an animal person. One of her favorite duties is walking dogs! She has always loved walking and walking dogs is a great fit for her in her career as a kennel assistant with Care Small Animal Hospital. She as a dog, ‘Mia’ that currently lives with her Dad. She also has a rambunctious cat ‘Carlita’ Outside of work she enjoys fishing and swimming as well as drawing and coloring.
Kennel Assistant
Hailey was born and raised in Watertown, SD with her mom, dad, and brother. Her family has had pets for as long as she can remember, and Hailey always deeply loved animals. She was that kid who constantly asked her parents for a new pet. Over the years, they’ve had dogs, cats, birds, hamsters, and amphibians. Currently, their household contains three dogs (Max, Louie, and Freckles), two cats (Wesley and Chloe), two birds (Allison and Vanya), and an axolotl named Ray. Their house has always been full of animals.
Hailey has big plans to become a veterinarian. She started shadowing at vet clinics in high school to learn more about the career. Then she began interning and working at Care Small Animal Hospital in July 2023. As a kennel assistant, she loves working with animals and caring for them. She is very eager to learn everything she can about the veterinary field! Her plans are to attend South Dakota State University in Brookings, SD, starting in the fall of 2024 for animal science and pre-vet career specialization.
