Dr. Benson wanted to be a veterinarian her whole life. When she was five years old she told her family that is what she wanted to be when she grew up. She lived in Colorado and Alabama before settling in New Mexico where her family still lives. She graduated from New Mexico State University for undergraduate school and then moved to Louisiana to attend Tulane University for her Master’s degree. She attended Louisiana State University for veterinary school.

Dr. Benson moved to Nevada and has been practicing veterinary medicine in the area since 2006. She has worked at Sunridge Animal Hospital and South Valley Animal Hospital. In October of 2018, she became the practice manager at West Russell Animal Hospital.

In her spare time, she enjoys reading, jogging, and most importantly spending time with her husband and fur family. Her husband introduced her to Great Danes, a breed that she now can’t live without.

Dr. Vanessa Adarme is from The Woodlands, Texas. Her family is from Colombia (and she is fluent in Spanish). She developed a passion for animals at a young age while helping her grandfather train and ride Paso Fino horses. He taught her a lot about compassion towards animals, their health needs, and consequently inspired her to pursue veterinary medicine. While Dr. Adarme enjoyed taking care of animals, both large and small- a small animal practice has always been her calling. She received her B.S. in Environmental Science at Bethune-Cookman University with a minor in Biology. Dr. Adarme completed her clinical year at the University of Florida and received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from St. George’s University, Grenada, West Indies. Some of Dr. Adarme’s interests include soft tissue surgery, neurology, and working towards completing her certification in small animal acupuncture. Her love for this profession is its unique blend of animal care, human interaction, and medicine. She is dedicated to providing outstanding, comprehensive, and compassionate veterinary care in this wonderful city of Las Vegas.

Dr. Adarme is the proud dog mom of a spoiled toy poodle named Kingston, played Division 1 golf during her undergraduate years, and in her spare time loves traveling, eating good food, and binge-watching TV shows.

Growing up in Henderson, Dr. Schroeder’s passions were clear in kindergarten: animals, learning about science, and playing outside. Over the years her pursuits mirrored these elementary school declarations through her dedicated scientific studies, work with animals, and conservation efforts in the wilderness areas surrounding her city. She graduated from CSN’s Veterinary Technology program, earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a Chemistry Minor from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and received her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Colorado State University. Dr. Schroeder’s veterinary interests include companion animal medicine, soft tissue surgery, and preventative medicine. She enjoys being able to be a part of her community by providing care for Nevadans’ furry family members.

Outside the veterinary hospital, Dr. Schroeder can be found hiking with her pocket pit Winnemucca, feeding vegetables to her guinea pig, Truckee, scrambling around Red Rock Canyon, and teeing it up to play a relaxing round of golf.

Dr. Cheryl Kaku was born and raised in Palo Alto, California. She always had a passion to work with animals as long as she can remember. In high school, Dr. Kaku started working in the veterinary field as a receptionist then a technician. She received her Bachelor’s degree from UCLA, then went on to veterinary school at St. George’s University on the island of Grenada in the Caribbean. Dr. Kaku completed her 4th-year clinical rotations at NC State University. After graduation, she went back to California then moved to Illinois for a year and a half before moving to Las Vegas in December 2018. Dr. Kaku’s world revolves around my 3 chubby Chihuahuas (Ringo, Kimchi, and Draymond) that love to be spoiled. She enjoys spending time with her family and furbabies, eating all types of food, watching movies, going to concerts, rollerblading, taekwondo, and Muay Thai kickboxing.

Dr. Brett Gouldburn was born and raised in Lake Charles. He studied at McNeese University for his undergrad. Dr. Gouldburn completed his clinical year at Michigan University and received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Ross University. He has a Tortoiseshell cat named Lily and his spare time Dr. Gouldburn enjoys biking, swimming, exploring Vegas, and seeing shows.

Leah was born and raised in Salinas, California. She has been with the West Russell team since 2015.  Her main passions in the veterinary field are dental procedures, surgical assistance, and performing venipuncture. She has a spoiled Maltese named Manolo. Outside of work she enjoys watching football, a die-hard Raider fan, and spending time with her family.