Dr. Amanda Pittman grew up in a small Louisiana town about halfway between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Essentially, this means that she can cook both Cajun and Creole food! She graduated with college honors in 2001 from Louisiana State University and went on to graduate from veterinary school in 2005, also from LSU. She will be a purple and gold Tiger for all of her days, but living in Knoxville since 2005 and having a son at the University of Tennessee means that some “Big Orange” has found its way in to her heart as well.

After several years of practicing conventional medicine and three years practicing emergency medicine, she became very comfortable caring for difficult internal medicine cases and emergency situations. She has received additional training in ultrasound and can perform basic abdominal ultrasounds and echocardiograms. Over time, she began to see a tremendous need for additional relief in her geriatric and critically ill patients and began investigating alternative options. When her own senior dog, Boudreaux, began to have trouble getting around himself, she went back to school, and she was awarded the title of Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner from the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine. She completed externships in this field at the University of Tennessee and also at Loving Touch in Stone Mountain, GA.

Through her rehabilitation training at Loving Touch and her prior work with Fountain City Animal Hospital, she was exposed to acupuncture and other holistic methods. She went on to train at the Chi Institute in Reddick, FL and received her Certified Veterinary Acupuncture degree. She completed an integrative externship at the Chattanooga Holistic Animal Institute in Chattanooga, TN. Along with acupuncture training, she learned the basics of veterinary Herbology and Tui-Na, a medical massage technique that uses acupuncture points to treat illness in the body. She has also completed advanced training in their Food Therapy program, and will receive certification in that discipline as well, pending approval of her case study.

Dr. Pittman has recently completed certification in veterinary spinal manipulation at the Integrative Veterinary Medical Institute in Florida, and is seeing amazing results in her patients using this treatment modality.

Next year, Dr. Pittman hopes to receive training in musculoskeletal imaging, a modality that will allow her to better diagnose tears in tendons and ligaments. This is a vital tool in determining the true need for surgery and choosing appropriate rehabilitation options.
She is also hoping to add ozone therapy and regenerative medicine as soon as possible.

Dr. Pittman is a true believer in the power of integrative medicine. Technology has created advanced diagnostic techniques, allowing us to catch disease at its earliest stages, making the Western world a true modern-day marvel. However, the power of Mother Nature and her healing abilities must not be overlooked.  There are, at times, a true need for fast-acting modern pharmaceuticals such as antibiotics, but in almost every disease process, we can find a natural alternative to allow the body to heal itself, the way it was intended.

AWRC was founded in the hopes of partnering with pet parents so that they will have the knowledge of all available options for their pets. Ultimately, the veterinarian and pet parent need to work side by side to determine what the best options for each individual pet will be. Our pets give us unconditional love and devotion every day. They deserve the gift of lifetime wellness from us. Dr. Pittman will continue to devote her life to the betterment of animals through nature and also through their bond with their humans.

Dr. Pittman is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association, American Association of Rehabilitation Veterinarians, American Animal Hospital Association, and American Association of Feline Practitioners. She shares her life with her husband Todd, UT student Garrett, high school student Alex, and 3 cats. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, cooking, baking, camping, reading, kayaking, and spending time with family and friends.

Dr. Erin Warren grew up in the beautiful state of North Carolina, just outside the capital city of Raleigh. Following her love of science, she attended NC State University (go Wolfpack!) and graduated at the top of her class with a degree in Biochemistry in 2001. She went on to obtain her Master’s degree in Biochemistry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2005. After completing her graduate work, she decided to pursue a career that reflected her life-long love of animals and took a job as a veterinary assistant working in both a general practice and later in a larger specialty and emergency hospital. She returned to the NC State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2007 and graduated with her DVM in 2011, afterwards completing a small animal rotating internship at the University of Tennessee Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Knoxville.

Dr. Warren initially worked as an emergency veterinarian but found her true calling in general practice where she is able to develop long-term relationships with clients and patients. After working 2.5 years as a small animal general practitioner in Raleigh, NC, Dr. Warren moved back to Knoxville, TN with her husband. She has worked in several different capacities as a small animal veterinarian in the area before joining the team at Animal Wellness and Rehabilitation Center in August 2020.

Dr. Warren became certified in acupuncture at Chi University in the fall of 2021. She loves integrating holistic therapies like acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine with all the benefits of Western medicine to help her patients achieve optimal health and improve their quality of life.

In addition to her interests in integrative medicine, she enjoys general wellness, geriatric medicine, and dentistry. She values her relationships with clients and their pets and partners with owners to create a tailored medical plan unique to each pet and situation. She makes it a point to treat all her patients as if they were her own and to provide compassionate, progressive veterinary care to all she serves.

At home, Dr. Warren shares her life with her husband Paul, son Mason, a foster-fail small breed rescue pup named Prim, and her cat, Mia. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, reading, hiking and travel.

Dr. Jenny Sangid was born and raised just down the road in Kingsport, TN, and like most veterinarians she had dreamed of being a vet her entire life. Through grade school, she participated in as many animal-centric extracurricular activities as possible, such as volunteering at The Exchange Place historic living farm, fostering her love of large animals and agriculture. Dr. Sangid attended The University of Tennessee, Knoxville and completed a B.S. in Animal Science in 2009. She then attended The University of Missouri, Columbia (Mizzou), where she received a Master of Science in 2011 with Thesis research focusing on environmental physiology and animal genetics. After exploring the research pathway, Dr. Sangid changed directions and decided to attend The University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine and graduated with her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) in 2015 while passionately focusing on small animal medicine and especially the companion animal bond. During the final clinical year of her veterinary education at UT, Knoxville, Dr. Sangid had a wonderful opportunity of completing the Integrative Medicine rotation solidifying her career goal of practicing Integrative Medicine for Companion Animals.

Dr. Sangid moved to Atlanta, GA in 2015 after her graduation and jumped straight into a general practice animal hospital where she was influenced by many amazing veterinarians, advancing her skills in soft-tissue surgery, internal medicine, and dentistry. Dr. Sangid returned to Knoxville, TN and has been working at the same general practice since 2016. In 2017, Dr. Sangid completed her acupuncture certification at Chi University and began incorporating Eastern medicine into her veterinary services. Dr. Sangid is extremely passionate about pain control and geriatric medicine and has further ambitions to pursue certifications in spinal manipulation and physical rehabilitation in the future.

Dr. Sangid is happily married, sharing two wonderful children Harper and Henry with her husband Jordan. She has always been a crazy dachshund lady, but after a sad year of losses, her weenie herd has been reduced to only one senior dachshund named Woodrow a.k.a. “Woody.” She also has a standard poodle named Princess Peach. She loves spending free time with her family, traveling, and going on adventures. She is an avid reader and regularly participates in a monthly book club.

Dr. Lauren Meiers was born in Knoxville but grew up just down the road in Alcoa, TN. She was drawn to animals at a very young age, especially horses. That love of horses led to riding lessons, then to a job at the barn, and eventually to meeting and working with the veterinarians who came out to care for those horses. Witnessing those doctors help their patients- and getting to assist in that care- set her on the path to becoming a vet when she was in middle school.

Dr. Meiers graduated from the University of Tennessee with a bachelor’s degree in Animal Science in 2011, and started vet school with every intention of becoming an equine vet. However, when she reached her clinical year she discovered that she enjoyed small animal medicine far more than she expected, and her plans began to change. She graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine in 2015 and in short order was happily working in small animal general practice. There she gained valuable experience and honed her skills in anesthesia, dentistry, internal medicine, and soft tissue surgery over the past 8 years.

Dr. Meiers was first exposed to integrative medicine when she saw what a huge difference acupuncture had made for her best friend’s geriatric lab, Bella. With a household full of geriatric pets herself, she knew that acupuncture would benefit many of her patients. So in 2022 Dr. Meiers completed her acupuncture training at Chi University in Reddick, Florida. Acupuncture appointments quickly became her favorite part of the day, and she’s looking forward to expanding her knowledge of integrative medicine at AWRC.

Dr. Meiers and her husband Cody share their lives with their 2 dogs- Cooper and JJ- and 2 cats- Jasper and Delilah. They are passionate travelers and enjoy adventurous trips and experiencing new cultures. Dr. Meiers enjoys spending her time hiking, horseback riding, gardening, reading, quilting, crocheting, and planning her next big adventure.

Audrey graduated with a degree in Veterinary Science Technology from SUNY @ Delhi.  Though originally AALAS certified and starting a career in research, she decided the personal touch with client’s animals would be more rewarding.  Audrey has been licensed and worked in small, mixed and exotic practices in multiple states before settling in TN.  While still working, she served as the eastern representative for the Tennessee Veterinary Technician Association and was selected to be on the accreditation team for LMU.  She has a strong work ethic and a dedication for your pet whether she is using her talents as a technician in the exam room, laboratory, pharmacy, surgery suite, and radiology room, or as the staff practice manager, running the front desk, answering your phone calls, or making sure that the inventory is stocked and ordered.

At home, Audrey cares for her chickens, bees, dogs, two children and a loving husband (Go Navy).  Her hobbies include sewing, knitting, crocheting, gardening, playing the piano, singing, caring for family and friends, supporting our military and law enforcement and trying to enjoy each day to its fullest.  Several years ago, she experienced a spinal fracture but with the right surgeon and dedication to physical therapy, she has made a full recovery.  After the spinal reconstruction, rehabilitation offered relief and flexibility needed to function with minimal medications to control the pain, while still continuing the work in the field she loves.  A desire for quality of life for ourselves and our animals is her true calling.

When asked why she chose to work at AWRC, Audrey replied:

“Animals are stoic, and their pain signals can be very subtle and vague.  It’s sometimes difficult for clients to find the source of pain and reduce distress and anxiety:  I like that challenge, and we can help.  I enjoy being surrounded by an educated, caring staff that offers multiple methods in which to alleviate the discomfort of our furry friends.  Pets deserve to be comfortable- after all, they give us so much love and devotion.  I can relate to the pain, having gone through the discomfort and recovery of a painful event myself, so I wanted to work at a place where the same level of healing could happen- signing on with AWRC was a no-brainer.”

Hannah Wolf joined the AWRC family in 2019 and is AWRC’s rehabilitation department manager. When she is not helping with exams, scheduling rehab sessions, or talking with clients, you will find her working directly with our patients in the rehab room. Hannah grew up in Colorado and moved to the Knoxville area in 2018. She has been working with animals for most of her life, and has been a veterinary assistant since 2014. She has 2 chocolate labs and 5 cats that keep her on her toes daily. Her favorite hobby to do outside of work is compete in dog sports- especially dock diving, which is why she has such a passion for physical rehabilitation. She also loves training dogs and spending quality time with her fellow dog-loving friends.

Judy Bushee joined the AWRC family in early 2019 after moving to the Knoxville area from Florida. She has been a veterinary assistant since the late 1980’s, and much of that time has been spent working in holistic practices. Judy brought with her a wealth of management experience and knowledge. She is our primary client service representative, and is our liaison for Trupanion Pet Insurance as well as our online pharmacy. She partnered with Dr. Pittman to make “Boudreaux’s Essentials,” our all-natural line of essential oil-based products for pets.
When she is not working, she enjoys fishing, riding her motorcycle, gardening, and playing with her grandbaby. At home, she is owned by 2 cats, 1 dog, a bird, and a fish.

John was born and raised in Nashville, TN and moved to Knoxville to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science at the University of Tennessee. Along the way, he met his fiancé, soon to be wife, Sarah Hill. They live together with their two amazing pit bulls named Bailey and Chance and a spicy but sweet cat named Sage. In his free time, he loves to do anything outdoors, playing with the kiddos at home, reading, or trying to catch up on his long list of shows he wants to watch on Netflix.

John can be found helping all around AWRC- assisting doctors in exam rooms, helping in procedures, assisting in the surgery and dental suite, and performing LASER treatments.

Lydia graduated from Penn Foster in 2018. She has worked in all aspects of a small animal practice, starting as a kennel assistant, then as receptionist for 4 years, a technician assistant for 3 years during her time in school, and then as a licensed technician for 4 years. She was the head technician at her last position for 2 years, and also helped with management duties. She is a fear-free certified technician and is also certified in CPR.

Lydia loves being with family. She and her husband Josh have 2 human children- 2 year old Charlie, and 7 year old Jack. Their furry children include a golden retriever named Beau, a cattle dog mix named Ruby, and 3 cats- Millie, Edward, and Rosie.
Lydia loves to be outdoors, especially camping and riding bikes.

Professionally, she is passionate about anesthesia and surgery and she is interested in furthering her career in dentistry. Lydia has recently been learning with us under Dr. Wayne Lily, who does advanced dentistry procedures right here at AWRC. She has taken on the role of head technician at AWRC and manages our surgery and dentistry department.

Angie grew up in Western Kansas with a farming and ranching family.  She moved to Knoxville in 2019 and joined the AWRC family in 2022. Angie has worked as an Animal Control Officer, Animal Shelter Manager, and Veterinary Assistant. At AWRC, she can be found primarily in our rehab room helping our patients with their treatments, but she also assists the veterinarians in appointments and offers help wherever needed. She really keeps our day running smoothly! Her love and passion for animals started when she was young, and she has a particular soft spot for the timid and scared animals, working patiently and calmly to make them feel comfortable. It brings her great joy to gain their trust and see their unique personalities blossom when they are no longer afraid.

In her spare time, Angie enjoys gardening, baking, camping, hiking, kayaking, road trips and spending time with my animals, family and friends.

Angie says, “It is rewarding to be a part of AWRC and the AWRC Rehabilitation team to help and care for our patients.”

Julian is a Knoxville, TN native, and his mother is our very own office manager Audrey Knudsen! He also a twin brother, Merrick, and Julian will tell you that he is the better half (so will Merrick). Julian has had dogs as long as he can remember, and this has fostered his life-long love of animals. He says the best part about having dogs is that they are part of the family that provide companionship every single day. Julian certainly brings this value to work with him, making sure that every patient walking through the door feels like part of our family here at AWRC. He greets them warmly with pets and treats and goes out of his way to make sure they have all that they need. Julian can be found helping all around AWRC- from assisting with appointments, helping at the front desk, or doing maintenance on equipment. He also keeps the entire team smiling all day long.

In his spare time, Julian enjoys playing sports, watching anime, and spending time with his family and his dog Sadie. And here’s a fun fact- Julian also knows how to belly dance!

Jessica has worked in the veterinary field for almost 6 years, starting in Long Island, NY, with both large and small animals. She is a veterinary assistant at AWRC, helping in both surgery and appointments, and has a lot of interest in learning all she can about veterinary rehabilitation, sports medicine, and Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine. 

When Jess isn’t at work, you can find her training her Belgian Malinois, (Mako and Athena) for IGP, Protection Sport, and detection trials, napping with her cats, (Malcolm and Sabrina), working with her horses, or spending time hiking with her boyfriend Chris (with the pups of course).  

Kaia is from and spent most of her childhood in Alaska, she grew up in a military home and had the opportunity to live in many places across the country as well as giving her the opportunity to work in many clinics to broaden her understanding and technical skills in veterinary medicine both large and small. What brought her to Knoxville was to pursue higher education. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science at the University of Tennessee in 2020.

Kaia can be found helping around AWRC in assisting the doctors with appointments, surgery procedures and anywhere the team may need her. In her spare time, she takes extra time to snuggle with her elderly cat, Montana, tend to her jungle of plants, rock climb and paint.