Meet our Team

West Davis Veterinarians

Mike Yackey, DVM, Practice Owner, USDA Certified

Dr. Mike Yackey grew up in a suburb of San Diego, CA. After graduating from UC San Diego in 1992 with degrees in Biochemistry and Psychology, he worked at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla studying neuroscience. He moved to Davis in 1994 to start veterinary school, bringing his 3 cats with him. While at UCD, he focused on small animal medicine with special interests in surgery, anesthesia, and radiology. He worked on a couple of research projects including one that sent him to Africa. He worked in Sacramento for 5 years before opening South Davis Veterinary Center with his wife, Dr. Bradley. Outside interests include surfing, snowboarding, kayaking, and backpacking- none of which he gets to do now. Dr. Yackey loves to cook and often shares his homemade artisan sourdough bread with SDVC’s staff and clients.

Cara Bradley, DVM, Practice Owner & Medical Director

Dr. Cara Bradley was born and raised in Los Angeles. She went to UC Berkeley for her undergraduate education in English. She started vet school at UC Davis in 1992. Her focus was on small animal medicine with special interests in internal medicine, radiology, and ultrasound. She worked for 7 years in a progressive practice in San Ramon while it grew from 4 doctors to 11. She is very excited to work at her own practice in Davis. Her hobbies include kayaking, gardening, hiking, and reading.

Amanda Brown, DVM

Dr. Brown grew up in Michigan but has been proud to call California her home since 2003, when she moved to the state to complete her undergraduate degree in Latin American Studies at Pomona College. Dr. Brown’s pathway to veterinary medicine was a winding one; she started her professional life as a high school English teacher in South Central Los Angeles. After some soul-searching and reflection, she realized that she felt a deep calling to care for animals and was intrigued by “solving the puzzle” of medicine. She put in the hard work to change careers and graduated from the UC Davis Veterinary School of Medicine with honors in 2018. She completed an additional year of advanced training under specialists at VCA Sacramento Veterinary Referral Center to hone her skills and knowledge. She joined the West Davis Veterinary Center in 2021 and has loved working with such educated, caring clients and their adorable pets. When not at work, she can be found exploring local parks with her toddler Isabel, walking her elderly chocolate Labrador Eddie, and working on home projects with her husband Mackey. To unwind, Dr. Brown watches scary movies and reads historical fiction. Dr. Brown looks forward to resuming travel with her family in the near future- she has visited or lived in twelve countries and looks forward to adding more to the list.

Matt Burke, DVM, USDA Certified

Dr. Burke grew up in the Bay Area before moving to Davis for his undergraduate degree in Animal Science (taking one summer off to work at a clinic in Sydney, Australia), and loved the town so much he stayed on for his DVM! After working at South and West Davis as a technician, he was delighted to have the opportunity to stay on and continue to work with such a great team. Dr. Burke most enjoys the ability to work with pets and their owners over multiple years, forming the trusting relationships that form the foundation of quality medicine. He also has distinct memories of his family’s childhood vet allowing him to use her stethoscope when he was young and loves having the opportunity to do the same for any possible future veterinarians. Outside of work, he loves anything sports-related (primarily football and baseball), experimenting in his kitchen, and annoying his wife with cheesy jokes. A German Shepherd mix named Kona helps them take care of two cats named Calzone and Tortellini, and they even have a horse!

Lacie Carlisle, DVM

Dr. Lacie Carlisle began her career in the veterinary world in 1999 as a technician, later becoming a registered veterinary technician (RVT), and ultimately a veterinarian. She also holds a Master’s degree in nutrition with an emphasis on companion animal nutrition. Dr. Carlisle received her veterinary degree from UC Davis in 2011. She loves her work with animals and their human family members, and holds a deep respect for the inherent bond between the two. Dr. Carlisle has a special interest in internal medicine, integrative medicine, and nutrition (of course). She especially values educating clients on how best to care for their beloved animal companions as well as aiding in an understanding of any illnesses that may be present so that clients feel integral and empowered in the care of their pets. Dr. Carlisle recently completed her training in veterinary acupuncture so as to offer this valuable service as part of an integrative approach for your pet’s treatment plan. Finally, Dr. Carlisle is Fear Free Certified which means that she has undergone additional training on minimizing stress for your pet at their visit. When not crawling around on the exam floor with dogs and cats, she enjoys hiking with her 2 big dogs and creating intricate mosaic portraits from stained glass, some of which you may see around the clinic.

Kristin Rasmussen, DVM, USDA Certified

Dr Kristin Rasmussen grew up in the Bay Area but has called Davis home for almost 20 years. She went to Rice University for her undergraduate degree in 2001 and studied veterinary medicine at Washington State University, graduating in 2005. After completing veterinary school, she did an internship at Bay Area Veterinary Specialists before starting her career in general practice. Dr Rasmussen’s special interests are ophthalmology, dentistry, surgery and snuggling puppies and kittens. Dr Rasmussen is a life-long swimmer, and can often be found swimming endless laps in her spare time. She also enjoys snowboarding and spending time with her husband, 2 daughters, 2 dogs and 1 cat.

Cami Zatkin, DVM

Dr. Cami Zatkin grew up in Southern California. She went to the University of Michigan for her undergraduate degree and returned to California to study veterinary medicine at UC Davis. After veterinary school Cami did an internship at the Sacramento Animal Medical Group before joining the staff at Bradshaw Veterinary Clinic in 1997. While she enjoys all aspects of small animal general practice, Cami’s professional interests lie in ultrasound, endoscopy, surgery, dermatology and internal medicine. When not caring for your animals, Cami can be found either roaming the aisles of Home Depot looking for supplies for the current home remodeling project, hanging out with her husband, two daughters and their dogs and cats, or bicycling, skiing and hiking.

Support Staff

Alicia K, RVT

Alicia is a wife and mother of two human children. She is also a mother to her 10 pets: 4 dogs, 3 cats, 1 leopard gecko, and 1 Russian tortoise. She graduated from Western Career College in 2003 with an associates degree in Veterinary Technology. She was licensed in the state of Nevada for 3 years, and has been licensed in the state of California since 2016. She has a special interest in dental care for dogs and cats. She enjoys educating clients in the importance of dental health care for our furry friends. When she is at WDVC she does her very best to make clients and patients feel welcome and safe. In her free time she enjoys hiking, camping, gardening and crafts.

Emmy P, RVT

Emmy joined the SDVC team in 2007 and received her RVT license in 2009. In 2023 she joined West Davis Vet to take on the responsibility of designating the hospital as a Cat Friendly Practice. Emmy is a Cat Friendly Veterinary Professional and the primary Cat Advocate at West Davis Veterinary Center.

Emmy has lived in Davis most of her life and is proud to call herself a townie. When she’s not at home reading a good SciFi book or tending to her garden, she is often out hiking or on the water with her paddleboard. Emmy and her husband Ethan share their home with two Calico kitties, Teeny and Camilla.

Perla DR, RVT

Perla graduated from Carrington College, Sacramento in 2018 with an associates in veterinary technology and got her RVT license shortly after. She has been working in the veterinary field since 2018, but her experience working with animals started early in life as she grew up in the country around all sorts of farm animals. She has previously volunteered at the UC Davis equine medicine center and at the Golden Gate Fields racetrack due to her passion for horses, but small furry companions have a special place in her heart as well. She currently has 3 dogs (a Doberman, Great Pyrenees, and Jack Russel mix), a couple steers, many goats and chickens, and is patiently waiting for her horse to be transported to her after he is done with his training. She strives to provide quality care to your pets, treat them like her own, and ensure you understand and have all of your questions answered .

Samantha B, Veterinary Assistant, shift Lead

Samantha joined our team April 2020. She has been a Veterinary Assistant since 2009 where she previously worked for a holistic practice. Working and helping animals has always been a passion for her. She absolutely loves each and everyone of her patients (even if the feeling isn’t mutual.) She strives to make each visit a positive one! She plans on attending the VASE program to further her career so she can take her test to become an RVT. When not working, Samantha is a single mom of 4 kids, along with her furry children; 4 dogs: Thor (German Shepard Mix), Copper (a dorky Pitty), Cosmo (Yorkie) and Benelli (German Shepard) and 4 cats: Pinot, Whiskey, Jameson and Tito Donatello….. needless to say she’s a very busy person.

Shallon L, Remote Veterinary Receptionist

Shallon became a veterinary professional because of her strong love of animals and medicine, earning an Associate’s degree in Veterinary Science at Johnson College. Together with her husband Bryan, and her son Oberon, they have a wonderful pet family including two cats, Cosmos and Puck, and one dog, Athena. Shallon calls them her fur babies because they are so near and dear to her. At West Davis Veterinary Center, her goal for every patient is to provide a low stress environment, and to anticipate the needs of you and your pet. Every day she is at our clinic, she strives to provide efficiency with compassion in her work.

Melanie PM, RVT, Shift Lead

Melanie graduated from UC Davis in 2020 with a B.S. in Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology, specializing in Wildlife Health, and shortly after joined the WDVC team. She has been passionate about working in the veterinary field since childhood. She entered the field in high school volunteering for the San Diego Humane Society, assisting with adoptions and providing company to the animals. After college, she interned at the Wildlife Care Association, where her technician experience began. She strives to make every patient feel as welcomed and comfortable as possible for every appointment. When not at work or at home with her cat, Melanie enjoys going camping with her fiancé, Jake, and their puppy, Scout.

Ishah D, RVT

Ishah is a dedicated Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT) who graduated from Carrington College with a degree in Veterinary Medicine in August 2020. With a deep-rooted passion for animal welfare, Ishah is committed to providing compassionate care to animals in need. Beyond the clinic, she finds joy hiking with her two canine companions, blending her dedication to animal welfare with her love for outdoor adventures.

Jane Y, Veterinary Assistant

Jane graduated from UC Davis in 2016 with a BS in Animal Science and started her veterinary career at West Davis Veterinary Center in 2017. When not at work Jane spends her time outdoors camping and hiking with her chihuahua, Nugget. She also shares her home with a parakeet, ball python, and Toothpick.

Sam Recinos, Veterinary Assistant

Sam graduated from UC Davis in 2023 with her bachelors degree in Animal Science with a specialization in companion animals and a minor in Education. She hopes to one day become a veterinarian, but for now is really enjoying gaining technical experience in the hospital. Her goal walking into every patient visit at WDVC is to make sure that both the client and patient feel comfortable, safe, and cared for. She knew she belonged in the veterinary field as she grew up taking care of injured birds that her dad would bring home from work. Back home in SoCal, her family has 6 dogs and 1 cat, but in Davis she lives with her cats, Simon and Marty. Her favorite things to do are traveling, trying new foods, and watching movies.

Ariel S., Veterinary Assistant

Ariel has been in the veterinary field since 2020 after graduating with a BS in Global Disease Biology at UC Davis. Her original plan was to work in public health dealing with zoonotic diseases but she found herself working at a veterinary ophthalmology clinic and just couldn’t say no to staying in veterinary medicine. She grew up in San Diego with cats, dogs, and horses and always had a love for caring for animals, so taking care of other people’s adorable little critters only felt natural! With a passion for both learning and teaching, Ariel’s goal is to never stop making the vet industry a more compassionate and informed place for everyone’s beloved pets. Outside of work, she teaches horseback riding lessons, goes hiking and camping with her husband and friends, and enjoys fellowship at her local church.

Klarissa M, Veterinary Assistant

Klarissa earned a Bachelors of Science degree in Molecular Biology and was previously on a pre-medicine track before finding her passion in veterinary care. Klarissa found herself drawn to veterinary medicine after successfully treating her cat Deku for FIP in 2021, with daily G.S injections for 84 days.

Klarissa became even more motivated to pursue a career in veterinary care after fostering a very sick litter of orphaned neonatal kittens in 2023. Through this experience, Klarissa learned the harsh reality that sometimes, despite our best efforts and medical resources we unfortunately can’t always save every pet and sometimes the best thing we can do for our pets is to advocate, be present and give all the love and warmth we can during their short or long lives.

Klarissa strives to always be caring, compassionate and careful when handling our clients pets. Klarissa will treat your pet with the love and respect she would show her own.

Klarissa is a cat friendly professional and one of the many cat advocates at West Davis Veterinary Center.

Winnie D., Veterinary Assistant

Winnie graduated from UC Davis in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in Animal Science with a specialization in animal behavior. She has always had a fascination for animals of all kinds and sizes ever since she was little, often burying her head in animal books at the library. Growing up, her parents never allowed her to have pets, but she now has two kittens (Goblin and Gremlin) that rule over her daily. In her free time, she likes to teach tricks to Goblin; he currently knows how to sit, shake, stand up, and spin! Outside of animals, she likes to read, write, make art, and play games while the kittens sleep in her lap. Winnie will be going to veterinary school in fall of 2025, and hopes to become a veterinary behaviorist some day.