Staff

Dr. Steele (she/her) received her undergraduate degree from Lake Superior State University where she played college basketball.  She then went on to Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine to receive her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) in May 1998. Originally from Grand Rapids, she spent her first 2 years after graduating from MSU in Houghton Lake, MI.  She moved to the Lansing area in August of 2000 to purchase Caring Animal Hospital. She now resides in Charlotte with her husband, foster/rescue - Dachshund, Fred, and cat, Tiggy T. Dr. Steele enjoys working with all aspects of veterinary medicine and recognizes that each case should be treated as a unique situation.  She will develop individualized plans for diagnosis and treatment that work best for you and your pet.  Remember, animals are not able to speak for themselves, so their owners are the window to their lives and lifestyle. Communication between the veterinarian and pet owner is very important which allows Dr. Steele and her staff to take the best possible care of your furry baby.

If you’ve met Dr. Steele you know why basketball is her favorite, but she also loves working outside landscaping.

Dr. Cotter (she/her) graduated from Michigan State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 2016 and she 'bleeds green'. It was also here where she obtained her Bachelor of Science in Veterinary Medicine. She was awarded her certification as a veterinary acupuncturist through the Chi Institute in Reddick, FL in 2015. Since starting at Caring Animal Hospital in 2016, Dr. Cotter has received specialized training in ultrasonography, endoscopy, and orthopedics.  Beginning 2017, Dr. Cotter has traveled the state providing emergency/critical care services for referral hospitals on the weekends.  Special interests include exotic animal medicine and surgery, dental procedures, acupuncture, and soft tissue and orthopedic surgeries.  She has 3 beloved cats at home named Sookie, Peach, and Wesley and a lovely dog named Theo.  She is very proud of her 120 gallon fish tank.  Her favorite part of her job is getting to know and bonding with clients and their pets.   

Dr. Gruenwald (she/her) obtained her Bachelor of Science in Veterinary Medicine from Michigan State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. She has been practicing as a small animal veterinarian and especially enjoys working with exotic mammal species. Her other veterinary interests include the importance of preventative care, exotic animal & honeybee medicine, and animal behavior. Dr. Gruenwald is married, has two young children, and a variety of animals at home. She enjoys reading, crocheting, and spending time outdoors with her family.

Casey (she/her) has been with Caring Animal Hospital since January of 2020. She graduated from Baker college of Flint in 2018 with an Associate's degree in Veterinary Science. After passing her state board exams, she became a licensed Veterinary Technician. She has always had a passion for wanting to help and care for animals since she was a young girl. She has interests in all fields of veterinary medicine, especially in surgery, large animals, and exotics. She has even gone to specialized training for orthopedic & endoscopic procedures! As a technician, she has acquired a lot of animals. She lives in Elsie with her husband Justin and son Lucas. They have a dog named Lily and a three-legged cat named Charlie. In her spare time, she enjoys hunting, fishing, camping, and being in the outdoors. She also loves spending most of her time with her family, niece, and her animals.

In April 2023, Caycie (she/her), started at Caring Animal Hospital as our full-time receptionist. She comes to us with 3 years of experience in the veterinary medicine field. Her favorite part of the position is connecting with the pet owners & petting all the animals. She lives in Lansing with her dogs:  Benny & Saturn and 3 cats: Dobby, Seeker, & Padfoot. When not at work she is an avid reader with a guilty pleasure of watching reality TV shows.

Cindy (she/her) is our “Jack of all Traits” at Caring Animal Hospital. She has worked here since 2000, being part of the transition from Rooker Animal Hospital to Caring Animal Hospital. She has been married for many (many) years to her husband, Harold, who is retired from the U.S. Air Force. Together they have a son and a daughter-in-law and 3 grandchildren. Over the years they have had a variety of animals including Black labs, chinchillas, a ferret and a rabbit, but currently have Rottweilers, and a cat. Cindy and Harold are also very active in AKC Conformation

Beth (she/her) lives in Olivet with her husband and 2 boys. She is a graduate of Wayne State University with a BS degree in biology. Prior to coming to Caring Animal Hospital, she has worked many years as a veterinary technician. She has experience in emergency medicine and wildlife rehabilitation. Her favorite part of the job is patient care. She currently has 2 dogs, a calico cat, 1 gerbil, and 6 chickens. She enjoys hiking and being outdoors with her family, watching her boys play football, basketball, soccer, and baseball, and just spending time at home.

Emmi (she/her) came to us in January 2024 with 5 years of animal retail inventory experience and is excited to expand her knowledge to the world of veterinary medicine. She loves all animals & has had many types of animals growing up from horses and chickens to dogs, cats, and birds. She currently lives in DeWitt with her husband and 2 budgies. In her spare time she likes to ride her horse, spend time with her friends, and play games. 

Hannah (she/her) started with Caring Animal Hospital in November of 2020. She has worked as a Veterinary Assistant since 2017.  She started in the veterinary field by working in the kennel room, taking care of hospitalized patients, cleaning, and doing laundry. Then she slowly worked her way up to assistant by learning to restrain animals and working with clients. Gaining more confidence and experience she has now started helping in appointments and answering our phones.  Hannah lives in Bannister with her three cats, dog, and cow. In her free time, she spends a lot of time with her family and friends camping and having fires at her family's property. She likes being outside, fishing, going for walks, and swimming. She also likes going up north on trips and vacations to visit family and explore new places. 

Icela EuBanks (she/her), better known as Ice, is a recently graduated Veterinary Nurse from MSU, who after just passing her VTNE, is now a Licensed Veterinary Nurse. She has always had a love for animals and has known from a very early age that caring for animals is what she wanted to do. Having never worked in a primary care clinic before, Ice came to us with a clean slate and was ready to put her technical skills and knowledge to the test. She has an interest in large animals and exotics and has been actively seeking out and wanting to learn new things about exotic medicine. She also has interests in surgery, radiology, and dentistry. Ice lives in the South Lansing area with her three dogs, Beauty, Bre'ya, and Raven and her bearded dragon named Draca. She likes to often say 'if it wasn't for my small living space, I would have a lot more animals'!!

Madison (she/her) is a current undergraduate student at Michigan State University completing degrees in Animal Science and Zoology. After undergrad it is her dream to continue to work in the veterinary field by pursuing a Degree of Veterinary Medicine. She has a love for
animals of all shapes and sizes, but small/exotic animal medicine as well as large animals are her primary interests. Madison started at Caring Animal Hospital as a summer intern in 2023 and has been observing and helping out since. In her free time she enjoys horseback riding and spending time with her blue-tongued skink pudge!

Maggie (she/her) started working in the veterinary field in 2001 as a receptionist and assistant. She loved it so much, she went back to school to become an LVT and graduated from Baker College of Flint in 2009. Since then Maggie has taken special interest in veterinary staff mental wellbeing, diversity in veterinary medicine, and all things practice management. During her time off, Maggie likes to spend time outside, camping, kayaking, spending time with her plants, and reading. She lives in Portland with her cat, Penny & ball python, Weasley. Her son Caleb graduated from Eastern Michigan University and lives in Ypsilanti, she is super proud of him and wishes he would visit her more often. She loves working with Caring Animal Hospital’s fantastic staff and works hard to help the practice grow. 

Micah Kimbrough (she/her) has been working with us as an overnight assistant since December but has recently expanded to our daytime hours as well. She attends MSU where she plans on applying to veterinary school after completing her bachelor’s in animal science. She is hoping to further her development and improve her skills set. She wants the knowledge she learns to help her be more successful in providing quality care to pets in the future. Although she enjoys working with animals of all shapes, sizes, and species, she is most interested in working with large and exotic animals. In her free time, she likes to explore new places, things, and food.

Paige (she/her) started here at Caring Animal Hospital in June of 2016. She came to us in her final year of the veterinary technology program at Baker College before graduating in June of 2017. Paige has interests in exotic animal medicine and pathology. She lives in Charlotte with her husband, daughter, and cat named Lola. In her free time she enjoys reading, camping, hunting, and just being outdoors.

We are excited to introduce Tia (she/her), who joined the team in December of 2022, however, she has been involved in the veterinary field for 20 years. She started out as a volunteer at a vet clinic at 12 years of age and received on the job training to become a veterinary assistant. She has a passion for helping sick patients and loves to see how they improve with treatment. She and her husband, Mike, have been married since 2011. They live in Eaton Rapids with their 2 children, Jaxon and Alexia. At home they have a cat named Siren, 2 dogs named Harley & ‘Cuda, a rabbit named Pickles, 5 hens, and a rooster named Hei Hei. In her free time, Tia loves to ride her motorcycle or cruise around in her top-down Jeep Wrangler. She loves traveling with her family, by bike or Jeep, all over the United States.

Erica was a technician at our clinic for over 21 years before she passed away in December 2023. In that time she touched the hearts of countless clients, patients, and co-workers. Animal behavior is the number one reason why pets are euthanized today, so Erica felt, “If I can make a difference in just one pets life I have done my job.' We hope to honor her memory by keeping this feeling alive.