ABOUT TOWN AND COUNTRY VETERINARY HOSPITAL
We are a full service hospital equipped to provide for your pet'€™s total care. In 1995, Dr. Nick Ashford and Dr. John Strasser opened Town and Country Veterinary Hospital to provide pet owners in the Apex area with quality animal care. We now have five veterinarians on staff to serve your pet's needs.
With a combined 50+ years of veterinary experience, we provide quality and compassionate veterinary care for your pet in a warm, friendly and clean environment. We understand that every pet's needs are different and strive to prove that €œWE CARE.
Dr. Nick Ashford, Veterinarian/Practice Owner
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Dr. Ashford was born and raised in Fayetteville, NC. He attended The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he received a B.S. degree in Zoology. He then attended The North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine where he earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1989.
Dr. Ashford co-founded Town and Country Veterinary Hospital and Animal Care Center in 1994. He is a member of the Phi Zeta Veterinary Honor Society, North Carolina Veterinary Medical Association, Who's Who of American Medical Professionals, Cary-MacGregor Rotary Club and Apex United Methodist Church. He lives in Apex with his wife Laura; two children, Hadley and Clay; his Border Terrier Tipper; and his cat Oatmeal. His areas of medical interest include dentistry/oral surgery, ophthalmology, and internal medicine. His hobbies and leisure interests include water sports, fishing, boating, and working in the yard.
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Dr. Amanda Groulx, Veterinarian/Practice Owner
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Dr. Amanda Groulx is originally from Kalamazoo, Michigan. She attended the University of Central Florida in Orlando for 2 years before transferring to North Carolina State University. At NC State she earned a bachelor's degree in Animal Science and a master's degree in physiology. She then entered veterinary school, graduating with honors in 2010.
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Dr. Groulx previously worked as one of our technicians and was thrilled to rejoin our staff as a veterinarian shortly after graduation. She enjoys all aspects of veterinary medicine but has a special interest in dentistry, behavior and internal medicine. She is an active member of the AVMA and the NCVMA.
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Dr. Groulx lives in Cary with her husband, Ryan and their three children, Sonora, Maizy and Owen. She has four dogs: Stanley, Gus, Tupelo, and Leia. Her hobbies include water sports, working out and baking. She enjoys being busy and works hard to balance her work schedule with her family life, ensuring that her children roll their eyes at her daily. She loves her job and is dedicated to making sure that our patients receive excellent medical care while providing support and guidance to our clients.
Dr. Matthew Merriman, Veterinarian
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Dr. Merriman was born and raised in Muskogee, Oklahoma. He attended the University of Oklahoma where he received a B.S. degree In Zoology. He then attended Oklahoma State University College of Veterinary Medicine where he earned his Doctor of veterinary Medicine in 2002.
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He started out his veterinary career in Austin, Texas where he worked in a small animal hospital. He then moved to Dallas for 3 years where he gained extensive experience in emergency and critical care while working at a 24 hour emergency clinic. Dr. Merriman moved to the Raleigh/Cary area in 2006 with his wife, Dr. Julie Merriman. They have 2 children and 1 dog (Greta) and 1 cat (Stewart).His professional interests include soft tissue surgery and internal medicine. Dr. Merriman is an active member of the AVMA and NCVMA. Dr. Merriman has completed his training through the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society and is now accepting patients for acupuncture therapy.
In his spare time Dr. Merriman loves to watch OU athletics football in particular, traveling, working in the yard and around the house, playing pick up games of basketball, and spending time with friends and family.
Dr. Deana McNamer, Veterinarian
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Dr. McNamer was born and raised in Waukesha, Wisconsin. She received a BA in Biology from Ripon College in Ripon, WI in 1992. She then moved to North Carolina where she attended the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill where she received a PhD in Pharmacology in 1998. Following graduate school, she entered the North Carolina State University, College of Veterinary Medicine and graduated with honors in 2002. During her 4th year in veterinary school she was awarded the Companion Animal Faculty Clinical Proficiency Award. She is currently a member of Phi Zeta Veterinary Honor Society, the North Carolina Veterinary Medical Association and the American Veterinary Medical Association.
Her major areas of interest include surgery, preventative medicine, and a growing interest in ultrasound. Dr. McNamer lives near Jordan Lake with her husband Michael, and their whippets. Dr. McNamer is a hobby breeder and occasionally breeds a litter of whippets. When not working she enjoys hiking with her husband and hounds, knitting and participating in lure coursing and conformation dog shows with their whippets.
Dr. Christine Boyd, Veterinarian
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Dr. Boyd was born and raised in Granite City, Illinois. She attended Southern Illinois University at Carbondale where she received a BS in Zoology. She then attended the University of Illinois Veterinary Medical School where she earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1990.
In 1997 she co-founded Falconbridge Animal Hospital in Chapel Hill where she worked until she sold the practice in 2006.
When she’s not working she loves auctions, gardening and sporting events.
Sandi Berrie, Manager
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Sandi Berrie has been the practice manager at Town and Country Veterinary Hospital since 1998. She graduated from the College of Charleston in 1996. She moved to Raleigh and began working in the veterinary field. Due to her warm personality and strong customer service skills she naturally moved into her role as a practice manager. She lives in Cary with her three dogs Boo, Leroy, and Jordan and cat Nike.
Sandi's pride and joy are her two children, Tyler and Cameron and her new granddaughter, London. She enjoys watching Duke basketball, Gamecocks football, cooking out and spending time with family and friends. Her love of animals and people is obvious and she strives for fantastic patient and client care.
Christy Bierema
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April Nash
April Nash is a Senior Technician and has been at Town and Country since 2003. She graduated from Auburn University with a degree in elementary education in 1986. After teaching for several years she got the opportunity to get into veterinary medicine and never looked back. Her Mother tried to talk her into going to vet school due to her great love of animals but she didn't listen. She moved to Raleigh in 1987.
April currently resides in Raleigh with her husband Steve, 2 horses, 3 border collies, 2 cats and 5 chickens. When not at work she enjoys traveling, riding horses and Harleys and teaching yoga.
Amy Thompson
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Amy is originally from Mississippi, but grew up in the Raleigh area. She currently resides in Sanford and loves it! She has been a veterinary technician since 1994 and started at Town and Country in 2004. Amy lives with her husband and son, along with 5 dogs, 2 horses and 11 chickens. She is also called the " Crazy Chicken Lady"! She is very devoted to our clients and patients and couldn't imagine doing anything else.
Jovana Fizovich
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Jovana has been a technician at Town and Country Veterinary Hospital since 2006, but has had a love for animals since she was very young. She truly enjoys helping all of our patients and forming relationships with our clients.
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She moved to Raleigh in 2002 to attend North Carolina State University, where she earned her B.S. degree in Animal Science. She now resides in Cary, where she enjoys restoring her historic farm house. She shares her home with Hemi, a pit bull mix, and Ava, a Staffordshire Terrier.
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When not at work, she spends her free time exploring the outdoors with her dogs, hiking, camping, and traveling.
Josh Williams
Josh has been at Town and Country since 2011. He has grown up around the area his whole life. He has a daughter named Layla and a min pin mix named Gibson. In his free time he likes to play disc golf, collect vinyl and attend live concerts.
Heather Knox
Heather has been in the veterinary field since 2007 and became a part of the Town and Country team in 2016. She shares her time between work, classes at NC State and spending time outdoors with her dog, Raiden. Her favorite food is ramen and she enjoys hiking and camping.
Kim Williams
Kim has been in the veterinary field since 1992 and started here at Town and Country in 2010. Kim is a military brat that grew up in Europe before settling in Northern Virginia. Kim is married and has two grown sons and a dog named Goose. She is a client favorite and the best part of her job is the pets she gets to see grow from babies, as well as the relationships she's built with our wonderful clients. She loves her job and is eager to continue providing excellent customer service (and plenty of cookies!) to our clients and their pets.
Ashley Jones
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Ashley has been working at Town and Country Veterinary Hospital since 2016. She has 2 dogs named Roscoe and Boomer, both rescues. Due to previous living conditions, Boomer had to have his leg amputated and is now a happy tripod. Her strong love for animals makes her a great fit at Town and Country.
She is currently pursuing a degree in Animal Science with hope of getting into vet school one day!
Katie Buckman
Katie has worked at Town and Country both on the boarding and veterinary side since 2004. She's been involved in animal rescue and working with animals since she was a teenager and shares her home with 9 pets. She is the resident cat lover, with 6 of her own and a steady parade of foster kittens. She has 3 dogs, a shepherd mix, a cattle dog mix and a Great Pyrenees. She enjoys spending her time with them both outside and on the couch. She also does some pet photography on the side and is responsible for the pictures in the lobby. Her favorite part of her job is the kittens and the old dogs.
Katie is currently in school and plans to pursue a nursing degree.
Melissa Smith
Melissa has worked in the veterinary office field since 2002. Melissa became a team member of Town and Country in 2017. Melissa has a genuine compassion for animals and loves being a help to their well being. Melissa currently resides in Broadway with her husband Doug and poodles Maverick and Goose.
Abbie Howell
Abbie is a North Carolina native and was born in Jacksonville North Carolina. She attended UNCW to pursue Marine Biology, but decided to focus on Zoology, and earned her Bachelors of Science degree from East Carolina University in 1996. She has been in the veterinary filed since 1997 and came to us in 2012 after working for 14+ years at a 24 hour Emergency practice.
Abbie resides in the area with her husband, Dexter and 2 children, Dawson and Aubry. They currently have 2 dogs and 1 cat. In her time away from work, she enjoys reading, visiting Topsail Island, and being active with a Junior Roller Derby League.