Our Team

Dr Karen Davies – Lead Veterinarian & Clinical Director

With a lifelong passion for animals, Dr. Karen Davies has dedicated her career to providing compassionate, high-quality veterinary care. Graduating with Honours from the University of Melbourne in 1991, her journey began long before then, starting as a young child, rescuing kittens and even trying to help tiny snails find their way home.

Karen’s career spans over 25 years in private practice, following on from her first six years practicing in the shelter system. She sees being a GP vet as being the cornerstone of great patient care and with wide interests will happily treat any animal large or small, including exotic species, reptiles, and wildlife, ensuring that even the most unique pets receive expert care. Beyond her veterinary work, she is a dedicated mentor, supporting the next generation of veterinarians and nurses through teaching and community engagement. Having employed and mentored more than 29 new graduate vets, it fills her with joy watching them grow into their dream role as she has done.

Her leadership has helped Direct Vet Services earn multiple Wyndham Business Awards, a testament to the trust and loyalty she has built with her clients, many of whom have followed her for over 20 years. At home, she finds joy on her farm with her beloved Bulldogs, Quarter Horses, a pig named Georgetta, and a flock of chickens. Known as Nana to 4 grandchildren so far, she loves every minute with them.

Karen’s approach is direct yet deeply compassionate, ensuring pet owners feel confident in their choices. She is always ready to guide you with honesty, experience, and a deep love for helping you and your furry, feathered, or scaly family members. And if you’re lucky, her loyal sidekick Teddy might just “assist” in your visit!

Dr Sarah Schultz – Veterinarian

Sarah graduated as a Veterinarian from James Cook University in 2014 and after completion moved back to Geelong, starting at DVS in January 2015. She has two busy little dogs, Benji the Jack Russell and Toby the Cardigan Corgi who she trains in agility and other dog sports. Coming from a family pet shop background Sarah has an interest in birds, reptiles and fish with an Eclectus Parrot and Long Necked Turtles at home.

In 2019 to add to her menagerie, Sarah and her husband Chris welcomed a daughter Claire to the family, since then Claire has been a big part of the DVS family. If you have been a regular at the clinic you may have even met her greeting patients at reception.

Sarah has a broad knowledge in canine and feline medicine and surgery, and an interest in avian and reptile medicine, Honing her surgical skills over the past years Sarah is now an accomplished surgeon. Oh and if anyone is going to find the most weird and wonderful, complex cases we can almost guarantee it will be Dr Sarah. Her ability to see the detail and pick up on the little things means her level of patient care is astonishing and she has a very loyal following of clients at DVS.

Dr Nicole Brown – Veterinarian

Dr. Nicole graduated from the University of Melbourne in 2021 and is passionate about providing compassionate, comprehensive care to her patients, while taking great joy in the opportunity to educate and empower pet owners throughout their pet’s healthcare journey. She has a keen passion for internal medicine and enjoys the challenge of working up complex medical cases, always striving to find the best possible outcomes for both pets and their families.

Dr Nicole is committed to continuous professional growth and regularly participates in veterinary conferences, webinars, and advanced training courses to stay informed about the latest developments in veterinary science. Her curiosity and love of learning are central to her approach to veterinary care.
At home, she shares her life with Caspian, a spirited Border Collie, and Pretzel, a cheeky rabbit—both of whom keep her entertained and busy. Outside the clinic, Dr Nicole enjoys spending her downtime in the garden, baking, and escaping to the mountains to go hiking (taking Caspian whenever possible).
She is very excited to meet and work with you to achieve the best outcomes for your beloved pets.

Dr Kate Vinton – Veterinarian

Kate is a 2024 graduate veterinarian from James Cook University in Townsville, where she earned her degree in Veterinary Science. She also holds a Bachelor of Animal and Veterinary Bioscience (Honours). Growing up surrounded by animals, especially her beloved cat Cloud, she always knew she wanted to become a vet, leading her to move to Townsville to pursue her passion.

Kate has a strong interest in small animal medicine and aspires to specialise. In her final years of university, she was awarded the AVAS Prize for Small Animal Medicine. Now, she is dedicated to providing high-quality care to pets and their owners at Direct Vet Services.

At home, Kate shares her life with a Doberman named Halo and a cat named Cleo. Her devotion to animals extends beyond her work, reflecting her strong commitment to animal welfare in all species

Outside of work, she enjoys fitness, reading, and spending time with loved ones. Kate looks forward to meeting you and your pets!

Kim Bowden – Veterinary Nurse

After many years in private practice, we were thrilled to welcome Kim to the Direct Vets’ Team in 2015. Kim and hubby Craig share the house with a farm-load of animals including Golden Retrievers, two cats, guinea pigs, pigeons and whatever homeless waif wandered in from the neighbourhood in the last week. For her dainty size, Kim is surprisingly strong and will help wrangle the biggest of beasts. Her technique of straddling some of the bigger dogs often leaves the staff in stitches. No persona boundaries with this nurse. When it’s a hug your pet needs it is up close, personal and heart felt. She has a heart of gold and a total softie when it comes to patient care. There are often pets snuggled on her clothing at reception or sharing her lunch.

Fostering Penny (one of the Retrievers) turned into a foster fail, and you will often see her in the clinic. Penny was born missing her right kidney, and both the ureters instead of emptying into the bladder, opened closer to the end of the system leaving her incontinent. Surgery to correct the issue was only partially successful and she wears a nappy to catch the drips. She is an amazing comfort dog for patients in the clinic for treatment and will often curl up next to them to lend support.

Alicia Mits – Veterinary Nurse

Alicia AKA ‘Leesh’ started her Certificate 4 in Veterinary Nursing with Direct Vets in 2014 and managed to find herself employed before she had even finished. Alicia has been with DVS ever since and is an integral part of the team. With the team award for bravery, Alicia is the only team member (other than Dr Karen) that is permitted the honour of handling Noisy the Eccy. The monster bird has a strong bond with Alicia, often going on trips home or outdoor adventures together. The level of trust animals have with Alicia and her patience with some of the tough ones is a skill to be admired.

Alicia has a gorgeous husky ‘Sparky’ who although now starting to get a little older still loves her walks so much she will put the brakes on when they get to the driveway and refuse to go home.

Always unpredictable and flexible, she keeps our coffee man on his feet with ordering a ‘surprise me’ more often than not. Our fitness motivator (and believe me this team takes some motivation) she is a keen cross-fit advocate and loves her hiking.

Alicia is also ‘manager’ for Puckers (the clinic Devon Rex) and oversees all his social media endeavours, keep your eyes open for her Puckers and Elf on the shelf Christmas adventures each year on the social media pages, they are a scream.

Claire Bertram – Veterinary Nurse

Claire is a passionate veterinary nurse with a deep love for animals, particularly exotic species. Having graduated double bachelor’s degrees in Animal and Veterinary Bioscience and Wildlife Conservation, she seamlessly blends scientific expertise with hands-on experience. Her career has been shaped by years experience in animal shelters and welfare organizations, where she’s provided compassionate care to animals of all kinds, from domestic pets to exotic creatures.

At home, Claire shares her life with a diverse array of pets, from feathered friends to scaled and furry companions. Driven by a lifelong love for animals, she’s always seeking to expand her knowledge. Claire is currently planning to pursue further studies to deepen her expertise and continue making a global impact on animal welfare. Her unwavering dedication to animals fuels her mission to create a better world for them.

Elizabeth Adofo – Trainee Veterinary Nurse

Most just call her Liz—is a trainee veterinary nurse with over a year of hands-on experience at DVS. Originally from London, UK, she’s currently studying for her Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing and has developed a special love for surgical nursing. Every day is a learning opportunity, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

When Liz isn’t in the clinic, she’s likely dancing her heart out, lost in a movie, or wandering through a museum. But her real daily challenge? Keeping up with her two mischievous cats, Mischief and Misty, who certainly live up to their names. Despite her active lifestyle—including years of dance—she’s never broken a single bone (knock on wood!). Between her cats’ antics and her passion for animal care, life is never dull! Liz is excited to continue growing in the veterinary industry and can’t wait to see where the journey takes her next.

Sarah – Trainee Veterinary Nurse

Meet Sarah. Animal lover, Nursing enthusiast, and Veterinary professional in the making.

Starting her tertiary journey in Biomedicine followed by human nursing, Sarah realised that human nursing wasn’t her cup of tea! She transitioned to animal care and never looked back. After completing her Diploma in Animal Technology and working in that industry for a short while, she’s finally found her passion in caring for your fur babies!

A martial arts enthusiast, she’s a little pocket rocket who has quickly developed skills and now spends her days assisting with consultations and nursing patients during their hospital stays here at DVS!

With a knack for building relationships and a love for cuddles, Sarah thrives as Veterinary Liason, clinical and hospital nurse, while pursuing her Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing.

Outside work, she’s all about family time with Luna the Bernese Mountain dog and her abundance of feline friends. 🐶🐱

Zünicka – Receptionist

Zünicka joined the Direct Vet Services team in October 2024, bringing over 16 years of experience in medical administration. Before moving to Australia, she worked for a renowned Orthopaedic Hand Surgeon in South Africa, honing her skills in client care and practice coordination.

Her journey to Australia was a family adventure—her husband relocated in 2023, and she and her daughter followed in mid-2024. With a warm, welcoming nature, Zünicka loves meeting new people and making clients feel at home.

Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, exploring new places, and following her passions for animals, music, and sports—especially Formula 1, rugby, and figure skating. A former competitive skater herself, she represented two provinces in South Africa and still finds joy on the ice.

Just don’t ask her to go near a snake!

Puckers – Clinic Cat

Puckers was surrendered to DVS in April 2019 with a rectal prolapse that required surgery and ongoing medical management that the current owner was unable to manage. His name is testament to the team sense of humour, as he left “Butt Pucker” marked when ever he sat down, prior to his surgery.

He takes great delight in sitting on other pets in crates, just to establish his, kingliness (yep he invented that word too), demanding to share staff lunches, and raiding the treat containers. He has a bigger wardrobe than Beyonce’ and has numerous servants, aka staff and students.

As is the nature of the Devon Rex, Puckers is the naughty, cheeky Houdini but also a loving lap or neck warmer for anyone who will offer the opportunity.  With his own Instagram page @Pucker_up_DVS, we are all blessed to be in his presence.

Teddy – Clinic Pet

Joined the DVS family as an 8 week old pup from New Zealand, in 2014. In the early days he worked as a building site supervisor with Karen’s partner Brett. Then one day he decided he too needed a change of career and joined the veterinary field.

You will generally find “Mr Velcro” wherever Dr Karen is, supervising consults.

You will never meet a more placid fellow, after all anything else would take too much energy he is true to the Bulldog breed.

Clover – Clinic Pet

Born at the clinic in 2013 to Harlo (Dr Karen’s Bulldog matriarch who was also born at DVS) she is quite the accomplished staff member. As an accredited MindDog she has completed her VCE and now studies mechanical engineering with Dr Karen’s son Nathan. She is also assistant trainer working with Chiara, Lisa and Anthony of Point Cook Dog Training teaching hundreds of puppies and their families.

As a mother of 10 she loves when some of her kids come for a visit and then after play is equally glad to see them leave.

Yep back to the couch for a nap.