Meet Our Team

Dr. Melissa Ochotsky, DVM - Owner

Melissa graduated from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon. She has a menagerie of dogs and cats, as well as 1 horse with whom she participates in show jumping competitions. Melissa enjoys keeping very busy with a multitude of extracurricular activities, which include hiking, running, yoga and gardening. 

Dr. Dayna Chetek, DVM

Dr. Dayna has been a part of the team since March 2018. Her special interests are surgery, dentistry, preventative medicine, and end of life care. She has 1 dog named Tilly - a Chinese Crested Mix that she got as a puppy from the SPCA. In her spare time she likes to row, crochet, go to the Sunshine Coast, and spend time with her twin niece and nephew.

Dr. Dirk Van der Walt, DVM

 Dr. Dirk has been working with us since April 2018. He has 2 cats - Chloe and Sebastian, and 1 dog - Minnie (pictured above). He graduated in Ontario and has been a vet for over 30 years! In his spare time he loves to mountain bike and go to concerts. 

Miranda - Office Manager, Veterinary Office Assistant

Miranda started at Westwood Heights in November 2016 after graduating from the Douglas College VOA Program. She  spends a lot of time with her "nephew" dog Emmet and enjoys many extracurricular activities with him. Adopting a pet in need from here is pretty much a rite of passage for everyone who works/has worked here so... all in good time. ;)

Natalie - Registered Veterinary Technician

Natalie started out at Westwood as a volunteer when she was in grade 12. When she graduated from the Douglas College Veterinary Technology program in 2011, we were in need of a tech and she was at the top of our list. We gave her a call and the rest is history. <3 Natalie has 3 dogs and 2 cats; Half brother poms Henry & Carlton, a pitty named Brixton, a Ragdoll named Molly and a special little guy named Mr. Magoo.

Robin - Veterinary Office Assistant

Robin's family has been bringing their pets here for years. When she graduated, Robin applied to be a volunteer at Westwood to get some experience as she was starting university to one day apply to vet school. After about a year of being such a great volunteer, in 2015 we decided she deserved to be on the payroll. Robin has 2 dogs, a Retriever named Molly and a Pomeranian mix named Raja.

Vivien - Registered Veterinary Technician

Vivien started at Westwood Heights in May 2019 after she graduated from Sheridan College in Ontario. She has 2 kittens - Marvin and Maddie that she fostered from 1 week old, but fell in love with and had to keep. Vivien has lived in Vietnam and all around Canada, but she is here to stay, thankfully!

Emily - Veterinary Office Assistant

Emily has been taking her Duck Tolling Retriever named Bella to us for years, and recently joined the team in October 2019. Outside of work, likes to play field hockey and volunteer with animals. She is hoping to apply to vet school one day, but until then she will gain experience by working here at Westwood. 

Clinic Cats

Mommy Cat - Laundry Supervisor

Mommy Cat came to us as a stray with her 3 kittens​ in July of 2009. She was adopted out 3 months later, but unfortunately was brought back as she was keeping the new owner up at night wanting to play. After that, we decided to keep her for good. You can find her on top of a fresh pile of laundry or playing with catnip.

Rudy - Kennel Attendant

Rudy AKA "Rudy Tooty Fresh 'n Fruity" came to us as a stray in August of 2016. He is a prince who loves a good cuddle. He will only drink from running water out of a tap (probably because he was used to drinking from streams when he was a stray).  

Greg - Kitten Foster Dad

Greg came to us a stray in August of 2018. He had eaten 30 hair elastics and was skin and bones. We had the endoscopy specialist come in and remove them all, and now he is doing great! We have had quite a few litters of kittens that we have fostered, and Greg loves to groom them and play with them. He can never turn down a good treat.