Meet Our Staff
At Continental Ranch Pet Clinic, we offer compassionate care in a clean and friendly setting. Our experienced doctors lead our team of caring support staff to provide both preventative care and emergency / urgent care for your pets. Please click on a team member’s information below to learn more about them. When you are ready, click here to schedule an appointment online or give us a call!
Amy Carlson, DVM
Amy Carlson, DVM
Dr. Amy Carlson (formerly Dr. Amy Kranch) is a highly skilled and compassionate small animal veterinarian, bringing over 10 years of experience to Continental Ranch Pet Clinic. Her dedication to providing exceptional care and personalized treatment, and building lasting relationships with her clients sets her apart.
After earning her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Carlson completed a one-year internship at the Veterinary Specialty Center of Tucson. During her career, she has gained valuable experience in managing the long-term care of pets with a variety of disease processes. Dr. Carlson is passionate about promoting the importance of preventative care and believes in proactive health management for pets, emphasizing routine check-ups, vaccinations, dental care, and proper nutrition. Whether it’s managing chronic conditions, or supporting pets from their first puppy/kitten visits and into their geriatric years, Dr. Carlson is committed to providing comprehensive and compassionate care every step of the way.
Dr. Carlson understands the importance of building strong relationships with her clients. She believes that fostering trust and open communication with pet owners is crucial to delivering the best care possible. By actively involving clients in the decision-making process and providing ongoing support and education, she empowers them to become integral partners in their pet’s healthcare journey.
In addition to her professional achievements, Dr. Carlson finds joy in spending quality time with her family and pets. She also enjoys practicing yoga as a way to maintain balance in her life and reduce stress.
With Dr. Carlson’s expertise and commitment to providing the highest quality of care, she is dedicated to serving the pets and pet owners of our community.
Dimitri Brown, DVM
Dimitri Brown, DVM
Dr. Dimitri Brown has been a veterinarian in Tucson for over 10 years. After graduating from Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Dr. Brown pursued additional training at Veterinary Specialty Center of Tucson during a one year small animal medicine and surgery internship. He then remained on staff and became the Director of Emergency Services and helped to select, train, and mentor future interns. Dr. Brown then moved to Pittsburgh, PA where he helped to design and grow a very successful emergency and specialty hospital. While in Pittsburgh, Dr. Brown realized how much he missed Tucson and moved back just a year later and started Oro Valley Mobile Vet, a mobile practice providing routine preventative and well patient care as well as sick patient and end of life care.
Dr. Brown has a special interest in wound management (particularly negative pressure or vacuum wound therapy as well as bioelectric wound therapy), trauma, soft tissue surgery, emergency surgery, high-risk anesthesia, laser therapy, and pain management. Dr. Brown enjoys getting to know his patients, educating them on disease processes, and having them participate in planning treatments for their pets. He also enjoys finding ways to leverage his love for technology to provide better care for patients and a better experience for patients. When he is away from the clinic, Dr. Brown enjoys spending time with his family, including their three-legged dog, Pico De Gallo, and cat, Gumdrop.
Melinda Pazel, DVM
Melinda Pazel, DVM
Dr. Melinda Pazel was born and raised in northern New Jersey. She knew from a young age of her love for animals and began her career in the veterinary field at fourteen. She attended Rutgers University where she graduated with a B.S in Animal Science and a minor in Italian. After graduation from Rutgers, she chose to attend the University of Arizona’s College of Veterinary Medicine as a part of its inaugural class. She also trained at Chi University to become a Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist (CVA).
Dr. Pazel has special interests in surgery and anesthesia, nutrition, and internal medicine. She is committed to providing high-quality care tailored to the individual needs of each patient, always striving to find practical solutions that work for both pets and their owners. Outside of work, Dr. Pazel enjoys spending time with her own diverse menagerie, including two cats, a dog, a snake, a horse, a freshwater aquarium, and a thriving saltwater reef tank with fish and coral.
Melissa Patel, DVM
Melissa Patel, DVM
Melissa Patel graduated from the University of Arizona College of Veterinary Medicine. With a career spanning over two decades, Dr. Patel has extensive experience in the veterinary field. She began her journey in 2001 as a kennel technician and progressed through roles as a technician and hospital manager before achieving her dream of becoming a veterinarian.
Dr. Patel is passionate about client education, preventative medicine, alternative medicine, and exotic animal care. She is dedicated to working with clients to provide
comprehensive and compassionate care to all her patients, ensuring their well-being and health.
Outside of work, Dr. Patel enjoys spending time with her family, which includes her husband, two boys, three dogs, one cat, and two tortoises. She also loves tending to her backyard flock, hiking, baking, and reading.
Michael Sugimoto, DVM
Michael Sugimoto, DVM
***Not currently available for appointments***
Dr. Michael Sugimoto, a Tucson native, received his degree from the Royal Veterinary College of London (RVC) in 2022. Before moving to London, he worked as a veterinary assistant in Emergency Medicine and Radiology services at an Emergency and Specialty clinic in Tucson all while completing his Bachelors of Science degree at the University of Arizona. His veterinary interests include preventative medicine, radiology, and neurology. While not at the clinic, Dr. Sugimoto loves playing board games / video games with his friends and his wife, watching/playing soccer, as well as relaxing with his dog Thai and his cat Aki.
Karyn Carlson, DVM
Karyn Carlson, DVM
***Not currently available for appointments***
Dr. Karyn Carlson is a Tucson native, a Wildcat alum (B.S. in Family Studies and Human Development), and a graduate of Atlantic Veterinary College in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. She followed her veterinary degree with a Masters in shelter medicine from the University of Florida and a small animal general rotating internship at Veterinary Specialty Center of Tucson.
She has focused mostly on shelter and emergency medicine, working mostly in Arizona, but also in Texas and Utah. She looks forward to making long-lasting relationships with pets and their families, not something she has had the privilege of in her past practice areas. Additionally, she has completed Fear-Free Certification training and looks forward to bringing her interest in behavior to private practice.
Outside her typical work week, Dr. Carlson enjoys participating in international spay/neuter campaigns, providing volunteer veterinary fare for animals on Native American reservations, leading the Tucson chapter of The Street Dog Coalition, attending Orangetheory Fitness, craft beer drinking, hiking, and spending time with her family of dogs and a horse.
Rainy Teegerstrom, DVM
Rainy Reegerstrom, DVM
***Not currently available for appointments***
Dr. Rainy Teegerstrom has been a veterinarian in Tucson for over 20 years. She did her undergraduate studies at The University of Arizona and then went to Colorado State University to obtain her veterinary degree. Being a fourth generation Arizonan and growing up on a ranch in Arizona, she and her husband took jobs in other states but could not wait to get back to her home state. Having worked as a mixed animal veterinarian, a mobile beef cow veterinarian, a dairy veterinarian and for the last 20+ years, a small animal veterinarian she has learned to appreciate the many different career paths veterinary medicine allows.
Dr. Teegerstrom enjoys building relationships with clients and their pets over time. The ability to be a part of the human-animal bond with clients and helping them with preventative medicine, treating sickness when necessary and managing long term issues are the pillars of primary care medicine. When she is not working, Dr. Teegerstrom enjoys diving with her husband, rock climbing with her son and working with her siblings on their ranches. The family dog, Taco keeps the family in line.
Michelle | Business Manager
Michelle | Office Manager
She has one dog and two tortoises.
Ashley | Vet Assistant
Ashley | Vet Assistant
Ashley is a Veterinary Assistant who has been in the veterinary field for over a year and a half. She is excited to work with people who share the same passion as her when it comes to helping animals live their best lives. She is eager to learn and grow in the field and is happy to have people like her helping to make her passion a reality.
Megan | Vet Assistant
Megan | Vet Assistant
Megan is a Veterinary Assistant who has over a decade of experience working in the field. She loves feeling like she is doing something that makes a difference in our community by caring for pets and educating pet owners. She is happy to have new faces in the clinic that have brought knowledge, experience and some fun new equipment to develop her skills further.
She is a self-proclaimed crazy animal lady with 6 dogs, 1 cat (who is like a dog) and a few fish.