Our Support Team

Melanie is from Truro. She is a graduate of the Medical Administrative Assistant program at Success Business College and loves working as our Administrative Coordinator. She is excellent at multi-tasking, which is an asset when keeping us all in line, especially the veterinarians! She is also very knowledgeable about everything at CNAH and is eager to help clients with any questions they may have. Melanie has a love for all types of animals and has counted several cats & dogs as family members over her years with us. 

Derek Field joined CNAH in the middle of the pandemic as our Controller, but he has quickly become so much more than that. Now, our clinic manager, Derek is our go-to person for all things computers, phones, finances, benefits, and ordering — and somehow he manages to juggle it all with ease. This guy can multitask! His support helps keep the clinic running smoothly (and keeps the rest of us sane on the busy days).

Derek’s smile can brighten anyone’s day when he walks into the clinic, often accompanied by his favourite sidekick, Trance — a Nova Scotia Duck Toller Retriever. Derek lives in Valley, Nova Scotia with his amazing family: his wife Deanna, son Alex, and daughter Amy.

Outside of work, Derek stays busy running a local hockey league, playing multiple recreational sports, and serving as the General Manager of the Team Canada U19 Women’s Floorball Team.

Renee was born and grew up in Truro. She always had a strong love for animals and volunteered at Central Nova Animal Hospital throughout junior high and high school. After finishing high school, she decided to pursue her love of animals by attending the Nova Scotia Agricultural College. She graduated in 2005 with a Major in Animal Science and then worked in research for two years before deciding to return to school to become a Veterinary Technician. In 2009, she graduated from the NSAC Veterinary Technician program with High Honours, became a Registered Veterinary Technician and began working at Central Nova Animal Hospital. Renee lives with her Boston Terrier, Quinn. In her spare time, she enjoys running, hiking, biking, and any other outdoor activity.

Carly grew up in Tatamagouche and then headed off to New Brunswick where she graduated from Oulton College  as a Veterinary Technician in 2019. She passed her national exam two months after graduating and became a Registered Veterinary Technician. Carly lives in River John with her twin daughters, Ellie and Olivia. They share their lives with four cats and two bunnies.  Carly joined us to fill in for a maternity leave in 2020 and stayed on permanently. She enjoys working with all the various pets that come through our doors, whether they have fur, scales or feathers.

Raven grew up on a small hobby farm in Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia. At an early age, she knew that her future had to involve helping animals. Once she graduated high school she worked at the Brookfield Bakery as well as volunteering at local clinics and the SPCA. This confirmed that the Technician program at Dal AC Truro was the right course for her.  She graduated in 2017 and shortly after became a Registered Veterinary Technician. She joined our team at Central Nova in 2018 and loves helping the families of Truro and their fur babies. Raven and her husband, Devon have two children, Autumn and Jasper and also share their house with a Springer Spaniel named Felix and cats Tucker and Sushi.  Raven also enjoys nature, exploring the waterfalls and trails of Nova Scotia, camping, gardening, painting and spending lots of time with her family.

Raven is currently on maternity leave enjoying her time with family.

Jessy MacDonald graduated from the Dalhousie Veterinary Technician program in May 2021 and passed her VTNE exam in August!  We are excited she joined us full time since graduation and has become an excellent addition to the Central Nova Family. Originally from Barney's River, NS, Jessy now lives in Truro with her partner, James a cat and 3 dogs.

Lara Hingley is a Nova Scotia girl that graduated from Dalhousie University Animal Health Technology Program in May 2023.  Lara loves hiking, playing rugby and cuddling her cat. 

Peyton was born and raised in Bible Hill, then she decided to go to Outlon College where she graduated as a Veterinary Technician in 2024. She is the youngest of three girls and has a dog (Nala) and two cats (Asher, and Cheesy). Peyton used to spend her spare time in cheer now you can find her going on adventures with her dog, and camping on weekends.  Peyton did her 6-week school training with us and we are excited to welcome her as a full-time RVT!

Pam is one of the founding members of the clinic. She enjoys working part-time and interacting with the clients and staff. Her current dog Pepper is smaller than most cats. In her spare time, Pam is very crafty and enjoys playing the drums.

Pam has recently welcomed her first grandchild in 2022!

Mandy lives in Bible Hill with her husband Jeff and their son Brodie. They share their lives with two dogs, four cats and two horses. Mandy loves all animals, fur, feathers or gills. When she isn’t working you can find her in the barn horsing around with her horses Ball, Digger, Elektra and Payback. Mandy joined us in 2020 just before the pandemic so we are so happy she managed to work through the crazy COVID times with us!  She is proud to be a member of the Central Nova team and enjoys meeting and caring for all of your pets. 

Mikaela grew up in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia but moved to Truro to attend Dalhousie Agricultural Campus where she graduated in Spring of 2022 with a degree in Animal Science. In the future, she hopes to attend the AVC and become a veterinarian. She currently lives in Bible Hill with her bunny Tulip and cat Nova. In her spare time you can find her milking cows at a local dairy farm, curling or riding horses.  We are very lucky to have her smiling face on our front desk and helping the patients in the hospital.  

Leah Banks has been part of the veterinary profession for nearly 20 years, and we are thrilled to welcome her back to the CNAH team! With her extensive experience at the front desk, Leah keeps everything running smoothly — and she often spoils us with the most delicious homemade treats. She brightens our days constantly with her quick humor and signature sarcasm.

Outside of work, Leah is one of the top horse instructors in our area and has a love of animals like no other. She shares her home with her partner and her Border Collie, Dawson.

Josianne is an aspiring veterinarian that has joined our front desk to help out all of our four legged patients and pet parents.  She is a delight on the front desk and we are very happy to have her as a part of our team!

Carrie joined us in the spring of 2024 and is an aspiring Veterinarian. Carrie grew up in Pickering, Ontario and decided to pursue a career in veterinary medicine by starting with a BSc with a major in Animal Science and a minor in Equine Science at Dalhousie Agricultural Campus.  She graduated from DalAC in May 2024 and continues to work toward vet school. Carrie adores her menagerie of several dogs and cats. In her spare time, Carrie enjoys showing dogs, doing dog sports, and co-breeding Aussies. We love having her smiling face on our front desk to greet everyone!

Connie Strang joins our front desk team with an incredible depth of experience and expertise in the veterinary field. She recently retired from a highly successful career as a veterinary company sales representative, having worked with Pfizer (Zoetis), Boehringer Ingelheim, and Dechra. Throughout her career, Connie earned multiple sales awards, finishing on a high note with Dechra where she won 3 of 4 national awards for the company.

Connie has chosen to join us part-time, and we’re so lucky to have her brighten our weeks with her amazing personality and charm. Originally from Newfoundland, she attended NSAC and earned her Veterinary Technician degree before beginning her career in vet medicine.

Outside of work, Connie shares life with her partner and their wonderful daughter. She’s also an avid golfer and spends plenty of time at home in the Valley with her two great pups keeping her busy.

Kaitlyn started volunteering at Central Nova Animal Hospital when the COVID restrictions lifted and allowed us to have volunteers again.  We loved her welcoming, hard working personality so much, we hired her!  Now all of our patients and clients get to meet her on the front desk when she is working.  One day, she hopes to join our veterinarians as a colleague and she definitely has the right personality for it!  Welcome to the team Kaitlyn

Laura is an aspiring veterinarian who joined the Central Nova Animal Hospital team in the winter of 2021 to help out wherever she could. Laura is from Newfoundland originally and is currently attending the Atlantic Veterinary College to become a Veterinarian! Laura lives with her partner and Havanese pup, Rudi. 

We are so happy to have her with us occasionally during school breaks and studying!  She is going to be an amazing veterinarian graduating in the AVC Class of 2028!!!  Congratulations Laura, the future Dr. Gauthier!

Natalie is an aspiring veterinarian that started as our summer student in 2022 and moved into a Veterinary Assistant role.  Natalie has grown up in Truro with her family of 7.  Nat is a very talented curler.  She also has a beautiful dog, Lexi and a long haired tabby cat, Layla.  Nat has recently moved to Antigonish to pursue a BSC at St. FX.  Fun fact:  She is in the exact same dorm room that her mother stayed in during her first year at X!

You will still see Nat occasionally when she is home!  Congratulation Natalie!!

Ty Shreve is one of our student team members who works part-time on weekends at Central Nova Animal Hospital. He currently attends Cobequid Educational Centre in the IB program and plans to pursue a Bachelor of Science this fall. Outside of CNAH, Ty is a busy and well-rounded student: he has just completed soccer season as CEC’s goalkeeper, plays defense for Team Canada’s U19 Floorball Team, and has a real passion for music and performance—most recently earning the lead male role in CEC’s production of Mean Girls. Ty sings in Resonance, Cantabile and Nova Scotia Youth choir while playing both the piano and guitar.   At home, Ty’s number-one feline friend is Opie, an older orange tabby who keeps him company whenever he isn’t on the field, the floorball court, or the stage.

Eric Winters is a second-year Bachelor of Science student at Dalhousie Agricultural Campus, majoring in Animal Science. With a long-term goal of becoming a veterinarian—hopefully through the Atlantic Veterinary College—Eric is already building the experience and skills to support that path. As a top student at Dal AC, we’re thrilled to be part of his journey while he works part-time at Central Nova Animal Hospital as a Veterinary Assistant and Client Service Representative.

Eric also brings a unique and impressive talent to our team: aquarium care. He looks after our clinic fish tank and has an incredible knack for aquatic life, with more than 40 tanks of his own at home. Outside of CNAH, Eric plays on the Dal AC men’s soccer team, balancing athletics and academics with the same focus and dedication that make him such a valued member of our clinic.