Bridger Veterinary Specialists

Dr. Josh Jackson is a board-certified, Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons. Having grown up on a ranch in Northern New Mexico, he developed an early love for all animals. His father’s influence as a General Surgeon for people led to an early interest in surgery. Dr. Jackson went to veterinary school at Colorado State University where he graduated a member of the Phi Zeta honor society. He went on to perform a rotating internship at the Veterinary Specialty Hospital of San Diego and a residency in surgery at the University of California, Davis. Dr. Jackson returned to San Diego and founded the surgery service at the Veterinary Specialty Hospital. Under his directorship, the service has grown to seven surgeons performing thousands of surgeries every year. As an active mentor to over 140 interns and residents, Dr. Jackson has helped many young surgeons achieve diplomate status. Dr. Jackson has broad clinical interests in surgery, ranging from total hip replacements to advanced soft tissue and reconstructive techniques. He has lectured nationally and internationally on cruciate ligament disease, total hip replacement and orthopedic implants and published numerous scientific articles on a variety of soft tissue and orthopedic topics. Dr. Jackson was founder of the Veterinary Specialty Hospital of Hong Kong, the first specialty referral-only hospital in Asia. He was also founder of FACE, a non-profit organization that has saved thousands of pets in the San Diego region from euthanasia for economic reasons.

Dr. Jackson is now happy to bring his years of experience to the pets and people of Montana. He is excited to bring 24-hr, specialty care to the region and looks forward to expanding the services currently available in the area. His free time is spent exploring the rivers, trails and slopes of Montana with his family and his two black labs, Django and Madison.

Dr. Jason Wheeler was born and raised in Ft. Myers on Florida’s gulf coast. Dr. Wheeler returned to the University of Florida for a combined master’s degree and residency in small animal surgery. During his residency he won several awards for excellence in clinical research from the University of Florida, the American College of Veterinary Surgeons, and the Veterinary Orthopedic. He has been involved in multiple research studies and has authored or coauthored over 20 peer reviewed scientific publications. Dr. Wheeler has since worked at a large referral center in Denver and co-founded a multispecialty clinic in Virginia. Dr. Wheeler and his wife Marion have 3 wonderful daughters who all enjoy the sense of community and love of the outdoors found in Bozeman.

Dr. Wheeler has a broad interest in veterinary surgery including wound management, cranial cruciate ligament instability, joint replacement, elbow dysplasia, fracture repair and oncologic surgery. In his free time, Dr. Wheeler and his wife Marion stay busy with their girls who enjoy camping, hiking and their corgi, Meatball.

Growing up in Bozeman, Montana, Dr. Carlsten realized her passion for helping animals when she was a high school student working as a Veterinary Assistant at a local clinic. She went on to earn her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree and veterinary acupuncture certification at Colorado State University before heading to The Ohio State University for a small animal medicine and surgery internship. Dr. Carlsten returned to Colorado State University where she completed an oncology clinical trials internship, masters degree, and medical oncology residency. For the past six years, she has been practicing oncology at a specialty hospital in Santa Rosa, California.

As one of the region’s only board-certified oncologists, Dr. Carlsten is excited to bring compassionate cancer care to Bozeman and the surrounding areas. Dr. Carlsten focuses on quality-of-life for all of her patients and their owners and has special interests in the human-animal-bond and hospice care. Her previous research focused on combination therapy for mast cell tumors, pet hospice, and client education.

Now that she’s back home in Bozeman, you may catch Dr. Carlsten fly-fishing, kayaking or hiking with her husband Paul and two dogs, Bridger and Edwin.

Dr. Hilary Jackson grew up in New England and in western Colorado. After completing her undergraduate degree at Williams College, she moved back to Colorado, where she spent several years competing on the IFSA World Tour as a professional big mountain free skier and ski cross racer. Her true passion has always been working with animals, and she ultimately left the ski world for veterinary school. She graduated from Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine in 2012. After veterinary school, she completed a 1 year rotating small animal internship at VCA Emergency Animal Hospital and Referral Center in San Diego, where she was awarded Intern of the Year. She subsequently spent 5 years in general practice at Del Mar Heights Veterinary Hospital in San Diego. After moving to Bozeman in 2018, she and her husband founded Bridger Veterinary Specialists. In her spare time she enjoys skiing, hiking, biking and exploring Montana with her family. The Jacksons have two black labs, Django and Madison, as well as two cats, Bandit and Simba.

Dr. Britt Culver is a Wyoming native and attended the University of Wyoming for his undergraduate training. He then graduated from Colorado State University School of Veterinary Medicine. He pursued advanced training in internal medicine, spending one year at Purdue University and three years at Virginia Tech. He is board-certified by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine as a small animal internal medicine specialist. After his residency in 1996 he moved to Montana to practice as a veterinary internist seeing internal medicine, cardiology, and oncology cases. Since the fall of 2011, he has also been employed by Abaxis Veterinary Reference Laboratory as an internal medicine consultant.

In addition to veterinary medicine, Dr. Culver loves to spend time with his family. He enjoys spending time in the outdoors, whether that be on a golf course, trout stream, or in the mountains.

Dr. Meredith (Miyo) Murtagh graduated from the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine in 2004. After graduation, she worked for 11 years at a large emergency and speciality hospital in Washington, DC. Miyo moved to Bozeman in 2014 and worked at PETS Emergency until 2021. In 2021 Miyo joined the Bridger Veterinary Specialists team as one of our in-patient doctors. Miyo oversees the care of hospitalized patients during the day. When she is not caring for patients at Bridger Veterinary Specialists she can usually be found at the gym or somewhere outside with her Akita, Kangi. 

Jennifer and her family, including her animal family, moved to Bozeman in 2015 after more than 30 years in Colorado. Although she loved living in Estes Park, she was ready to  experience something new. Living in Montana has given Jennifer endless opportunities to explore the mountains, camp, hike, climb, cycle and ski. Jennifer has worked in general and emergency practice for 24 years and loves the variety that veterinary medicine and surgery has to offer. Her favorite part of practice is working with pet owners to ensure they get as much care as their animals do. In 2021 Jennifer joined the Bridger Veterinary Specialists team as one of our in-patient doctors. Jennifer oversees the care of hospitalized patients during the day. Jennifer is really excited about joining Bridger Veterinary Specialists because of the quality of medicine and surgery they offer and the dedication of the entire staff. 

Bio coming soon!

Bio coming soon!

Erika Hultquist, CVPM, CVT is our hospital manager. She is both a Certified Veterinary Practice Manager and Certified Veterinary Technician and brings many years of experience to the practice. After dreaming of living in Montana for many years, Erika relocated to Bozeman in 2017. When not working she enjoys hiking, spending time with her family, and visiting Yellowstone National Park. She is entertained by the funny things her very quirky Berger Picard dog named Wylie does.

Cissy was the first person hired at Bridger Veterinary Specialists in October 2018. Cissy is a Certified Veterinary Technician and works in our surgery department. Cissy enjoys working on challenging surgery cases and is working on a specialty designation in veterinary anesthesia. When Cissy is not working she enjoys snowmobiling in the winter and spending time on her boat in the summer. Cissy is a Montana native and has two springer spaniels, Remi and Lady May. 

Brittni is one of our oncology team members. She has been with us since we opened in November 2018. Brittni is very dedicated to her oncology patients and enjoys helping their owners while their pets are undergoing treatment. When she's not working she enjoys hiking, running or reading a good book. She enjoys spending time with her dogs, Killian a German Shepherd mix and Otter, a puppy that Brittni fostered for a local rescue organization and ended up adopting. 

Kaitlyn is a Certified Veterinary Technician and splits her time between caring for surgery patients and our patients that are hospitalized. She joined our team October 2019. When she's not working she enjoys a good book and does woodburning as a hobby. Kaitlyn has 3 dogs, two Siberian Huskies, Koda and Nico and Charlie, a mixed breed. 

PJ is a Certified Veterinary Technician and works primarily in our surgery department. PJ joined the team in October 2019. When PJ isn't taking care of surgical patients, she enjoys horseback riding and playing polo. She has two dogs, Mozie a Shetland Sheepdog and Shego a Black Lab. 

Deb joined the team January 2020 and is a Certified Veterinary Technician. Deb usually works in our surgery department but has many years of emergency and critical care experience. Deb is a very active person that enjoys running, hiking and backpacking into less traveled areas around us. She has 2 dogs, Kamber an Alaskan Malamute and Burton a Chocolate Lab. 

Andrea moved her from Colorado and joined the team October 2020. She works primarily in our internal medicine department and also cares for our hospitalized patients. She enjoys running and doing activities with her dog Tiva when she's not working. 

Addy is one of our oncology team members. She has been with us since March 2021. Addy is very dedicated to her oncology patients and enjoys helping their owners while their pets are undergoing treatment. When she's not working she enjoys hiking,backpacking, camping and cross stitch. Addy rescues senior dogs that need homes. She currently has Shayla, a Miniature Pinscher. She adopted her when Shayla was 14 years old. 

Kenna joined our team in January 2022 after graduating from a program in Veterinary Technology. Kenna works in our treatment department caring for patients that are hospitalized. She has a Borderdoodle named Molly and when she's not working she enjoys reading. 

Bio coming soon!

Bio coming soon!

Bio coming soon!

Bio coming soon!

Angela is one of our front office superstars. She is always willing to help and has a big heart when animals are concerned. She joined the team March 2020. When she is not working she enjoys spending time with her dogs. Sparkles and Joey are chihuahuas and Alpine, is a Border Collie mix. 

Patricia joined the BVS team June 2021 after retiring from MSU where she worked as a higher education administrator.  You have likely talked to Patricia on the phone or via email, as she works in our reception department.  She enjoys hiking, camping, boating and being a grandma when she's not helping clients. She has two Golden Retrievers, Chloe and Yeti. 

Mycaila is one of the smiling faces you will meet at our hospital. Mycaila works as a receptionist and is always willing to help clients and patients as they come and go from our hospital. Mycaila joined the team on September, 2021. When she's not working she enjoys crafts, cooking and baking. Mycaila is currently attending school majoring in psychology. 

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Triston joined the team July 2020 and works as a veterinary assistant helping in all areas of the hospital. He is a pre-vet student at MSU. When Triston is not working he enjoys cooking, mixed martial arts and studying for exams. Triston doesn't currently have any pets but takes care of co-workers pet's when called to do so. 

Kaylee joined the team in September 2021. She is a pre-vet student at MSU. Kaylee works in our surgery department both with patients and caring for our surgical instruments and supplies. She enjoys hiking and mountain climbing when she is not working and has plans to hike Mount Denali in summer 2022. 

Andrew started working for Bridger Veterinary Specialists in 2021. Originally from Utah, he moved to Bozeman in October 2021. Andrew primarily works assisting our oncology department. When he's not working he enjoys hiking and raising insects as a hobby.  If you look closely at his profile picture you will see three of his stick insects that he has raised. 

Camryn works as a veterinary assistant on our surgery team. She assists our patients and also cleans and prepares our surgical instruments and supplies. Camryn joined our team in February 2022. When she's not working she likes to knit and crochet. 

Bio coming soon!

Bio coming soon!

Bio coming soon!

Bio coming soon!

Bio coming soon!

Bio coming soon!

Bio coming soon!

Bio coming soon!

Bio coming soon!