Meet The Staff

Dr. Bree Montana began her undergraduate studies at the San Diego State University and graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a Bachelor of Science degree focused in the field of Biology.  She graduated from the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine with a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine in 1992.

Following graduation from veterinary medical school, Dr. Montana worked exclusively in small animal and exotic hospitals, while pursuing additional medical training in the latest technologies, including ultrasonography, chemotherapy, dentistry, emergency medicine, and surgery.  Dr. Montana continues to aggressively pursue advanced medical knowledge and technologies, averaging twice the number of continuing education hours required for doctors annually.  Carefully balancing cutting edge diagnostics with nutritional, behavioral, medical, surgical, and -where appropriate- homeopathic therapies, allows Dr. Montana and her team to aid their patients in living longer, healthier lives.

Dr. Montana has always had a special interest in outdoor sports, discovering white water rafting and rock climbing in Ohio.  When she and her daughter Ember (born in 1992) moved to the high desert climbing Mecca of Joshua Tree, they discovered great climbing, lots of hiking opportunities and riding trails, and an easy on-hour drive to some great Southern California skiing.  After several years of practice in the desert, Dr. Montana and Ember moved to San Francisco, where they joined their family with Bill West and added a few more sports to the schedule.  The family’s love of winter sports and outdoor activities made a move to North Lake Tahoe a natural choice.

The entire family has embraced animal wellness, as Bill West has opened a state-of-the-art pet camp, spa, and organic bakery in Tahoe Vista: DogGoneCrazy.  Honoring the human-animal bond, this facility allows hours of supervised outdoor play, daily webcam pictures of the campers, and a completely stress-free, warm, friendly environment for dogs and cats.  The Montana-West family trusts the 24-hour, 7 day per week camp counselors to care for their beloved Huskies “Blizzard, Powder, and Ice (shown in the picture above)”, as well as their Kitties “Thunder and Rain”!  The family started a small cottage style cat rescue in honor of Ember’s lifelong love of cats: Ember’s Kitty Cat Rescue.  This fledgling organization has already found wonderful loving homes for many “at risk” kitties, and has recently air lifted 20 cats and kittens from the Slidell, Louisiana disaster following hurricane Katrina in 2005.  In 2007, “Sadie’s Cancer Fund” was created, to aid dog and cat parents in caring for their pets following a diagnosis of cancer.

Balancing family, medicine, and a deep love for the outdoors, provides a center balance to the hospital’s philosophy: “Preventative medicine in a caring, informative environment.”  We invite you to join our hospital family, so that we may help you to keep your animal companion healthey and happy for years to come.