Dr. David Hood

Dr. David Hood was born and raised in Chalmette and has no intentions of ever leaving. He has two daughters (twins). His education started at OLPS, followed by Holy Cross. He completed his undergraduate and veterinary medicine educations both at LSU where he graduated from in 2012. He has been an employee at St. Bernard Veterinary Hospital since he was 16 years old! He climbed the proverbial totem pole from kennel staff, to technician, to veterinarian, and finally to part owner. His special interests include soft tissue and orthopedic surgery, both of which he is extremely skilled. He is president of the veterinary board in St. Bernard Parish. His dedication not only to veterinary care (here and all over the parish) and to the parish itself is undeniable. Since returning to Chalmette after school, he has been very passionate about making the parish the caliber it once was and we couldn’t be more excited to be a part of that vision.

Dr. Jay Newbill

Dr. Jay Newbill has lived in Slidell his entire life. He completed his undergraduate education at Southeastern University and received his DVM from LSU in 1987. The transition from a lion to a tiger was quite easy for Dr. Newbill because he is a die-hard LSU fan. During football season, his phone can be heard from exam rooms playing the notorious fight song. He worked at St. Bernard Veterinary Hospital from 1989-2002 and then left to work at Ponchartrain Animal Hospital from 2002-2007. We were lucky enough to get him back in 2007 and he has been here since. He is also part owner and blesses us with his veterinary wisdom – almost 30 years’ worth! If you’d like to be added to his list of favorite clients, mention LSU tigers (football and baseball), duck hunting, or Destin. He leans on his wife, Maria, and children, Maria and Christian, for a break from work life.

Dr. M. Godiwala

Dr. Michelle Godiwala graduated from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1999 with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. After working for a number of years in Human Resources, including a two year international assignment in Paris, France, she returned to school at Tufts University and completed a Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Medical degree. She completed her first year of veterinary school at Tufts School of Veterinary Medicine and then moved with her husband, a New Orleans native, to Louisiana where she completed her degree at LSU School of Veterinary Medicine in 2009. Dr. Godiwala then completed a rotating Small Animal Medicine and Surgery internship at Southeast Veterinary Specialists in New Orleans before moving around the Northeast for her husband’s medical training in pediatric critical care. Dr. Godiwala worked for three years in Connecticut with the Connecticut Valley Veterinary Associates at small animal practices in both Middletown and Essex. She then worked for three years at Dupont Veterinary Clinic in Washington D.C. Dr. Godiwala and her husband moved back to New Orleans in 2016. She has a special interest in dermatology, cardiology and internal medicine. When away from St. Bernard Veterinary Hospital, Dr. Godiwala also works at Lakeview Veterinary Hospital in New Orleans. Dr. Godiwala enjoys spending time with her husband, Children’s Hospital critical care physician Dr. Nihal Godiwala, and their two sons, Cooper and Benson, and their Golden Retriever, Theo.

Dr. K. Delery

Dr. Kelsey Delery was born and raised in New Orleans. She attended St. Mary’s Dominican High School and then went on to get both her undergraduate and veterinary degrees from LSU. She has been working as a veterinarian since 2018 and has loved every minute of it. Her interests include surgery and animal behavior, but the best part of her job is connecting with both patients and clients.
Outside of work, Dr. Delery can be found cheering on the Saints and Tigers any given weekend. However, her favorite past time is spending time with her family which includes her husband, daughter and 3 fur babies.

Donna

Donna is a key stone in our reception department and has been here since 1977! Anyone who has a problem (staff and client alike), wants to have Donna be the one to fix it. She is loved for her compassion, sympathy, and ability to be forever energized. Don’t be fooled – should you cross her, you will feel the wrath (she always wins.) St. Bernard Veterinary Hospital would not be what it is today without her and we hope she continues to drink from the fountain of youth so she never leaves.

Meghan

Meghan is one of our head technicians and her skill level and knowledge is hard to match. Besides being a tech, she has many management/office/operation responsibilities as well as being our go-to with all of the computer software. 

Amanda

Amanda is one of our head receptionists and has been here since 2006! She is usually doing multiple things at once and always staying busy. She runs the front desk and is in charge of client care and communication.

Brittney

Brittney is our other head technician and has been here since 2007! Brittney, too, is incredibly knowledgeable and skilled. Brittney maintains our inventory which is no small feat. Any drug or product in this hospital is her responsibility. On top of inventory responsibilities, Brittney has also been our lead surgical technician for all of the doctors on staff.

Mandi

Mandi is our kennel leader. We know she is awesome at her job because when people come to drop their dogs off they run to her and completely forget about their human parents. She loves the animals as if they were her own. Mandi also manages our food inventory which is a huge undertaking.

Victoria

Victoria started here as a kennel worker and worked her way up to technician. She is doing a fantastic job and is starting to roll with the big dogs.

Bridget

You can always identify Bridget by that gleaming smile when you first walk through those hospital doors! Commonly the first chair at the front desk, she is oftentimes the first and last person you see. Bridget has an uncanny ability to connect with clients and certainly has a way with words. Her knowledge base is one major reason we can service our clients so quickly, both on the phone and in person. Bridget’s down-to-earth and fun-loving personality keeps us all in stitches. She always has a smile on her face and always has some kind of silly comment to keep us giggling and moving through our day. 

Valerie

Valerie is one of our newer techs climbing her way through the ranks! While she may have only been on the medical side for a short time, there is truly no shortage of knowledge due to her long hours and impeccable work ethic. She is also proficient in the kennel and front desk positions! A true, multifaceted asset. Val can oftentimes be found as the clinic entertainment and she never fails to keep everyone on their toes and laughing. She certainly makes those hard days fly by for all of us…. As long as she doesn’t sing. 

Abby

Watch out for this girl, because she is going places! Abby began with us only a short time ago, but has expeditiously become proficient in reception and the kennel! It won’t be long until she is working to master the technician position as well! Abby loves all things country and carries that hardworking, country work ethic into her daily work. She takes pride in her day to day tasks and absorbs information at lightning speed. She can often be found giggling and playing with the babies in the back, which we all need from time to time. Perks of the job, you might say!

Rachel

Rachel is our groomer and has been here since 2005! She has always been a loyal team member and we think she is the best groomer in da’ parish but we may be partial.

Laurie

Laurie is our newest receptionist member and also a long-time client. She is a little quiet but still manages to put up with our staff insanity with a smile on her face. She is also Valerie’s mother so that is really fun for us.

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