Meet Our Team!

Dr. Carley

Owner/Veterinarian

Dr. Carley Stewardson graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College and is a recent addition to Forest Veterinary Clinic. Carley grew up riding and competing horses and knew she wanted to be a veterinarian ever since she was old enough to sit in a saddle! She received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Animal Biology from the University of Guelph, focusing on animal welfare, in 2013. She continued to broaden her knowledge and medical training in equine, bovine, and companion animal medicine until attending OVC in the fall. She received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 2017 and has completed continuing education courses and additional training in bovine reproductive technology and surgery, alternative medicine, veterinary dentistry, high volume spay/neuter surgery, proAction for the Dairy Farmers of Canada, pain management and emergency medicine. Carley is a homebody and enjoys spending time on the dairy farm with her husband Dylan, sweet little daughter Renley, two dogs, Hudson and Houston, and of course, the cows! Her other interests include working on the farm, hiking, fitness and nutrition, horseback riding, reading, and anything outdoors.

Dr. Rachel Laird De Groot

Owner/Veterinarian

Dr. Rachel Laird De Groot attended the University of Guelph and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Biology in 2002. This was followed by her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the Ontario Veterinary College in 2006. She graduated with honors.

A local to the Forest area, she grew up on a farm, which allowed her to foster a love for many different animals. She knew from a very young age that her calling was to be a veterinarian.

Dr. Laird De Groot is passionate about companion animal internal medicine and preventative health care. She has a special interest in and has obtained extensive training in ultrasound as a diagnostic tool.

Caring for pets from birth to senior years and end of life is a privilege that Dr. Laird De Groot does not take lightly. This has been greatly enhanced by having children of her own to care for. She shares her home with her husband, Darryl, three sons, Benjamin, Evan, and Alexander, and a small group of fur kids. She looks forward to working with you to care for your beloved furry family members.

Dr. Jamie McGill Worsley

Owner/Veterinarian

A native of Sarnia, ON, Dr. Jamie completed her veterinary studies at the Ontario Veterinary College in 2007. After practicing small animal medicine in Barrie and Sarnia, she joined the Forest Veterinary Clinic team in June 2018. A long-time cat lover (and admirer of dogs), Dr. Jamie has also developed a more recent interest in working with small mammals such as rabbits, rodents, and ferrets. When not in the clinic, Dr. Jamie is an avid runner and devoted hockey mom. Her human family currently shares their home with three cats and a leopard gecko names Spots.

Dr. Shannon Luckham-Pickard

Veterinarian

Dr. Shannon Luckham-Pickard attended Western University in London before pursuing her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree at the Ontario Veterinary College, graduating with honors in 2008. Upon graduation, Dr. Shannon received the American Animal Hospital Association Award for Outstanding Achievement in Small Animal Medicine.

Raised in Dresden, Ontario, Dr. Shannon grew up surrounded by animals of all shapes and sizes and has been competitively involved in horseback riding from a young age. From the age of 5 years, she knew that she wanted to be a veterinarian and pursued that dream determinedly into adulthood!

Dr. Shannon is particularly interested in feline internal medicine, pain management, and the care of senior pets. Helping and educating pet parents and facilitating the human-animal bond is her passion and a privilege.

She shares her home with her wonderful husband and two amazing children; her Golden Retriever, Buttercup, her lap cat, Scarlett, and her horse, Penny.

Dr. Shannon is excited to join the Forest Veterinary Clinic Team and looks forward to meeting you and your beloved furry companions soon!

Dr. Melissa Davies

Veterinarian

Dr. Davies says that if she hadn’t become a veterinarian, she would be a human dentist. Lucky for pets, Dr. Davies loves animals too much to become a dentist and was drawn to the veterinary field so she could experience the human-animal bond every day. Her goal is to be a caring and compassionate doctor that gives animals a voice- and a great smile! Dr. Davies grew up in a small town outside Burlington, Ontario, so she is excited to be in another tight-knit community. She completed her Bachelor of Science degree in biology at Wilfrid Laurier University and her Master of Science degree in neuroscience at Queen’s University before completing her DVM in 2011 at the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph.

Dr. Davies has three dogs, two of which she rescued through the SPCA- Snowy, Waldo, and Otis. Snowy is an 11-year-old Toy Poodle mix who loves squeaky toys and sitting straight up like a human. He has food allergies, but Dr. Davies has this condition well managed by keeping Snowy on a strict hypo-allergenic diet. Waldo is an eight-year-old Golden Doodle mix attracted to anything that squeaks or moves- including blowing leaves. Otis is a ten-year-old Bulldog who has a personality that is larger than life. In her free time, you can usually find her with her husband, Geoff snuggled on the couch with all three dogs watching a movie, or hanging out by the water in the nicer weather.

Dr. Davies is excited to join the Forest Veterinary Clinic Team and cannot wait to meet you and your loveable pets!

Dr. Kate Hogan

Veterinarian

Dr. Kate Hogan studied biological sciences at Western University before attending the Ontario Veterinary College, graduating with distinction. Dr. Kate has a special interest in fear-free medicine, ophthalmology, and emergency medicine. She looks forward to caring for your pets!

When Kate is not at the clinic, she spends her time volunteering at Salthaven Wildlife and Rehabilitation Center. She has always had a passion for wildlife and conservation. Kate enjoys reading, baking, and hiking with her fiancé and pack of rescue pups; Max, Winston, and Honey!

Shannon Kelly

RVT/Hospital Manager

Shannon grew up in Forest and attended school here, bringing her animals to the Forest Veterinary Clinic. She was deeply interested in this field as a child, and as she grew older, that fondness for animals grew stronger. Shannon explored her liking for this career through her co-op that she did in grade 11 and was enlightened. She knew she wanted to be a Registered Veterinary Technician.

After graduating from North Lambton Secondary, she attended the University of Guelph-Ridgetown Campus and, in 2011, received her Diploma in Veterinary Technology. Shortly after, she became Registered with the Ontario Association of Veterinary Technicians.

Shannon had different clinic jobs in and around London. This gave her experience in medical emergencies, technical duties, and management services.

She decided to move back to the small town of Forest in 2017 as she missed the area and the people who lived there. Shannon enjoys playing in her band with her lovely husband Frank (The Forest Pioneers), movies, theatre, sports, and camping. She has an adopted kitty named Hobbes, and a happy Golden Retriever named Watson.

Shannon enjoys all aspects of her job and hopes to be of good service to you and your animals! When we strengthen the bond between Veterinarian and owner, we can make an unbreakable trust; it works out best for the one we are all here for, the pet.

Sarah Stewardson

Inventory Manager

From a young age, Sarah has always been an animal lover; from growing up with dogs and cats to leaving food out for the local wildlife, they have always held a large part of her heart. Sarah went to school in Ridgetown and took the Veterinary Office Administration course, which taught her a lot of hands-on veterinary skills, along with the social and business side of the profession.

Sarah moved to Lambton shores in 2019 and lives with her husband, Dan, and their three dogs near the family dairy farm. Sarah spends her spare time reading, going on hikes with the dogs, and creating different crafts and DIYs around the house!
Sarah’s love of animals and her interest in numbers and organization has made her a great fit to be the inventory manager here at the clinic. She loves that she can work on her accounting skills while cuddling all the patients that come into the clinic!

If you see her around, say hello- she will be excited to hear from you and see your furry friend!

Janilee

RVT

Janilee knew from a young age that she wanted to work in the veterinary field. She grew up on a sheep hobby farm just outside of Watford and attended high school in Forest.

Janilee completed the Veterinary Technology Program at Ridgetown College in 2016 and has been a valuable team member at Forest Veterinary Clinic ever since. Her strengths lie in anesthesia and surgery, and she has a keen interest in surgery and laser therapy.

She and her husband share their home with two happy dogs, Maggie and Murph.

Anne

RVT

Anne was born and raised in Sarnia, Ontario, and has always loved animals. She attended St. Lawrence College and graduated from the Veterinary Technology program in 2015. She then completed her registration exam and began working as an RVT in Sarnia. This is where she developed a love for small animal nutrition and an interest in caring for wildlife.

She shares her home with two mischievous calico cats, Harlow and Lucy, and rescued an old poodle terrier mix named Buddy. In her spare time, Anne enjoys spending time with friends and family, watching tv with her pets, and walking her dog Buddy. She is a big sports fan and loves watching baseball and hockey. Her pets are considered part of the family, and she looks forward to caring for your furry family members!

Abbie

RVT

Abbie lives on a dairy farm just outside of Forest and has always known she wanted to work in the veterinary field. She graduated from the Veterinary Technology program at the University of Guelph, Ridgetown campus in 2020. In her spare time, she likes horseback riding, showing dairy cattle, participating in various sports, and hanging out with friends and family.

Abbie has many pets, including her dog “Dash,” cat “Weasel” (who she adopted from Ridgetown) six horses (three miniature horses “Lily,” “Dancer” and “Bear,” a paint “Shiloh,” and two hackney crosses “Barney” and “Belle”), and of course the cows!

Mika

RVT

Mika joined the FVC team in January 2022 after a brief hiatus from veterinary medicine to pursue a career as a [human] massage therapist. Luckily for us, her passion for veterinary medicine has called her “home,” she is looking forward to getting to know you and your pets.

Born and raised on a small horse breeding farm in southern Lambton County, Mika’s passion for animals is deeply rooted. It was no surprise to anyone when she pursued a career in veterinary medicine. Mika attended the veterinary technology program at Ridgetown College, graduating and becoming a Registered Veterinary Technician in 2006.

Mika brings her extensive experience in the veterinary industry, with a special interest in small mammals, wildlife, and birds of prey (not at the same time!). She has also pursued extensive continuing education in behavior modification, environmental enrichment, nutrition, and dermatology.

Mika shares her life with her beloved husband, Mark, and their large crew of misfit animals, including four dogs, four cats, a hedgehog, a Harris Hawk, six horses, and a vast array of poultry and waterfowl. Mika enjoys horseback riding, dog sports, napping, and playing board games in her free time.

Lisa

CSR

Lisa was born and raised in Ontario. Lisa, her husband, son, and Husky, Nieco, enjoy spending time with their family and friends. Being outdoors, going on adventures, and spending time with family & friends is a big part of their life. She has many years of experience in the Administrative Field, making her confident in her new role.

Joining FVC in May 2019, she is very excited to get to know all the pets and clients. Lisa loves animals and is excited to learn more and be part of our team.

Brooke

CSR

Brooke was born and raised in Sarnia-Lambton and has always loved animals. From a very young age, she grew up riding and competing with horses and enjoys spending time with her senior mare, Heaven.

She continues to do whatever she can to learn new ways to help animals live their best lives possible. She has recently started offering magnawave therapy sessions in the local horse industry, as well as participating in an equine kinesiology taping course. Brooke is passionate about animal care and welfare and has been involved with several animal rescue organizations. She continues to support the adoption of animals and shares her home with three rescue cats, Q-Tip, Teeka, and Zuzu, and three rescue dogs, Bella, Tucker, and Poppy.

Brooke received her diploma in literature/freelance writing in 2016 and has had multiple administrative roles in various professional settings and is very keen to begin her new role at FVC!

Suzanne

CSR

Since Suzanne was six years old and living in rural Nova Scotia, she knew her life would be centered around animals. She could always be found in the forests and near lakes, rivers, and oceans.

As a child, she deeply connected with all animals, wild and domestic. As she grew up, she volunteered at vet clinics and various animal rescue organizations (even operating her own Doberman/Min Pin rescue for many years in NS.)She operated two small businesses over a successful 12 years in NS, first being a small in-home doggie daycare, then expanding on what she loved and operating a large and homey kennel offering boarding, daycare, training, grooming, and walking services. All her clients were so sad when they found out she was moving to Sarnia! She also dabbled in the dog show world for a couple of years, even showing one of her Cane Corso to a championship!

She happily resides in Sarnia now with her family and Cane Corso Pullo and loves coming to work every day to see everyone in the clinic! Suzanne has spent 20 years fully devoted to cats and especially dogs.

She knows and understands dog behavior and cues very well, is comfortable with animals of all shapes and sizes, and knows her dog breeds and their general quirks and breed traits exceptionally well. Over the years, Suzanne has studied Animal Welfare, Dog Nutrition, Dog Behaviour Theory, Veterinary Terminology, and Veterinary Office Skills & Procedures. She plans to continue adding to her education and will be adding Animal Husbandry to her resume this winter.

Taya

ACA

Taya knew from a young age that she wanted to work with animals in some capacity. Growing up on a small hobby farm in New Brunswick, she always had furry (and feathered) family members.

Taya has always loved caring for animals and learning about wildlife rehabilitation from a young age. To follow her passion, she moved to Guelph to complete her undergraduate in zoology and graduated in 2019. She now lives in Sarnia and has a very talkative cat named Stanley. She is very excited to meet all our clients and our patients!

Jess

ACA

Jess was born with a natural affinity towards nature and animals. She attended the University of Guelph for Zoology. Throughout her life, she has gained experience with cats, dogs, all types of rodents, birds, fish, horses, and dairy cattle.

She lives in Sarnia with her very large, vocal, and lovable orange tabby and has many aquariums as a hobby. She is looking forward to showing your pets love!

Becca

ACA/CSR

Becca always grew up with pets. She knew for sure she wanted a career with animals when she moved to the countryside during her teen years and began working part-time jobs on farms. Her passion only grew as she was introduced to more animals she had never worked with before, from horses to peacocks!

Becca’s love of animals extends to her hobbies as she explores pet photography and drawing. Animals are her whole life, and she is proud to be a part of the Forest Vet team!