Our Team

Meet the caring and compassionate veterinary care team of West Houston Veterinary Medical Associates in Houston! We’re pleased to provide exceptional veterinary care for your pets! Call us at (281) 493-4712 or contact us to speak to one of our caring veterinary staff members!

Mark Gochenour

Dr. Mark Gochenour | Co-Medical Director

Dr. Gochenour, “Dr. G”, received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Texas A&M in 1977, and started WHVMA 41 years ago. Mark always wanted to be a veterinarian, saving the local wildlife and strays growing up. His vision of the future of veterinary medicine in prevention and wellness care makes him our leader in continuing to improve the quality of life for our patients through his creation of the Free Vaccines for Life and Healthy Pets for Life program.

He regularly attends continuing education meetings, ultrasound seminars, and performs all of our ultrasound and echocardiogram diagnostics. If your pet needs any of these procedures, you can observe through the glass walls of the special procedures room, and even see what’s going on at the same time through our second monitor!

Dr G has an English golden retriever named Misha, 5 cats, Britta, Kitty Gaga, Tripod Bob, and Miss Priss. He also enjoys multiple sports activities; from baseball and basketball to cycling which keeps him busy in his free time.

Randy Tonking

Dr. Randy Tonking | Co-Medical Director

An Aggie through and through, our Dr. Tonking graduated class of 1981, and is our other owner of WHVMA. The outpatient area is a buzz with the high energy “Dr. T” emits while seeing our patients and taking care of their families. He always has a smile on his face and a greeting for our clients and their pet family members.

Extending the quality of life for our canine and feline friends has always been at the forefront for Dr. Tonking, and he enjoys taking time with his clients as well as their pets.

When not enjoying the latest Aggie football game, Dr. T enjoys visiting his two sons, Blaine and Reid, and his grandchildren. Dr. T is also very proud of his sons for serving our country.

Thane_Boyce

Dr. Thane Boyce | Associate Veterinarian

Dr. Boyce grew up in Muncie, Indiana, as the son of a small animal veterinarian. Growing up, his family had cats, dogs, and horses, which gave Dr. Boyce invaluable experience. This helped him value the importance of helping animals; he realized it could bring joy into people’s lives and was intrigued by the field. The passion inevitably translated into a career as he attended Brigham Young University for his undergraduate coursework and then graduated from Purdue University's College of Veterinary Medicine with his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine.

Dr. Boyce enjoys fostering the human-animal bond between owners and their pets and especially loves talking to new pet owners about that exciting experience.

He and his wife have two cats, Iris and Ruthie, who rule the house. In his free time, Dr. Boyce enjoys a variety of hobbies, including hiking, camping, cooking, and home improvement projects.

MCDONNELL-SARAH_004

Dr. Sarah McDonnell | Associate Veterinarian

Dr. McDonnell is a Houston, Texas native who has actively enjoyed equestrian activities, including polo, since childhood. She attended the University of St. Thomas and graduated Magna Cum Laude, with a B.A. in Theology and a B.S. in Environmental Science. She also earned a Doctor of Jurisprudence (JD) degree from the University of Houston Law Center. Dr. McDonnell was admitted to the Bar of Texas by the Texas Board of Law Examiners in 2019 and is licensed to practice law in the state of Texas. Most recently, she graduated from Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine (LSU SVM) with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM). While obtaining her DVM, she served as a co-chair on the LSU SVM Sustainability Advocates and Veterinary Environmentalists Committee, competed as a member of the nationally recognized LSU SVM bovine palpation team, interned with the Humane Society Legislative Fund, a single-issue animal welfare lobbying organization working at the federal level, and externed with the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine learning about pharmaceutical approval within the aquaculture industry.

Her professional goals are to serve others through veterinary clinical work, with the advocacy of humane animal practices that are sympathetic to the needs of both animals and public health, and to promote the diversity of the veterinary profession.

Annette_VerHoevenEDITED-

Annette VerHoeven | Clinic Director

Annette was born in Long Island, New York, but most of her childhood and upbringing took place in Denmark. In fact, after graduating college, she held residencies in places like Austria and Germany.

As a child, her dream job was to be a professional translator for the United Nations, which would be fitting considering she speaks multiple languages.

Annette is known for possessing a strong inner drive, and an innate source of energy and motivation. She prides herself in her constant desire to learn, which pushes her to work harder.

When not working, Annette can be found rescuing animals. She specifically spends her time working with the Chow Chow Rescue.

Tim Bell

Tim Bell | Kennel Manager

Tim is our kennel manager and has been with WHVMA since November of 1990. His mild manner and great smile keep us laughing, and his love of pets shows through in every aspect of animal care. Tim always makes sure to keep our pet resort running smoothly, making our patients stay as much like home as possible.

Need to check on your pet while they're boarding with us? You can call and speak to Tim personally, and get the news on how your pet is doing!

Zach_GreenwoodEDITED-

Zach Greenwood | Nurse Manager

As a son of a USAF Sargent, Zach has grown up living all over the globe. He began his Veterinarian Technician career in 1998 at Greater Houston Veterinary Specialists, and has also worked at places like Veterinary Emergency Referral Group and Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists Diagnostic Imaging.

Zach's dream career as a child was to be a part of United State's military branch. He is known to be an efficient multitasker in all areas of veterinary medicine, and has a FastScan Certification as well as an American Association for Laboratory Animals Certification, too.

When not caring after pets, he can be found volunteering at youth sports organizations, or playing joker!

Emily_Alford

Emily Alford | Administrative Assistant

Emily was born and raised in Houston, Texas. After being given an opportunity to join the marketing team for a restaurant located in Pasadena, TX, her passion for hospitality and community involvement really began.

Her passion for animal has ALWAYS existed. Growing up Emily had multiple family members working in the vet industry and those who were firefighters. Her dream job as a child was to be a firefighter, but a traumatizing death of a family member changed her course. Emily was in the Army for three years, but when offered to work with WHVMA after returning home, she finally feels like she belongs in a industry which could not be more perfect.

Emily has a knack for thriving in stressful situations. Multitasking, problem solving, quick thinking, and level-headedness are strengths. She has a great sense of humor and can make light of any situation. While attending a seminar at LSU, Emily was voted, "most likely to succeed.

Emily strives to support her team, both professional and personally. This job means the world to her and feels it is an important time to be kind in this world.

Paulette_Lomas

Paulette Lomas | Client Service Specialist

Paulette grew up in Sugar Land, Texas. When she was a child, she dreamt of being a ballet dancer, or artist. Ironically, now she is known for her versatile skills in accounting, domestic and international pet shipping, and more.

On the weekends, Paulette can be found at the farmers market, going to the beach, or just relaxing at home.

Cherry-_Buske

Cherry Buske | Grooming

Cherry is our Pet Stylist and has been at WHVMA since June of 2000. With over 25 years of grooming experience, Cherry makes our dogs and cats look great, either with styling or haircuts!

Cherry was born and raised in the Philippines, but has also lived in Singapore and California. She loves to share stories from back home. Cherry also loves helping our neighborhood animal pets in need. She has been rescuing and adopting local pets for the past 4 years and although it takes a great amount of time, she enjoys it as a labor of love.

When not spending time making your pets look fabulous and with her vast four-legged family at home, she enjoys visiting her family all over the U.S.

tatianna

TATIANNA HERRERA | KENNEL TECHNICIAN

Tatianna was born and raised in Houston, Texas, where she received her high school diploma in 2020.

Ever since she was a child, she has been wanting to pursue her dream career as a veterinarian. As our kennel technician, not only is Tatianna known for being reliable, but for her outstanding pet-care as well.

When Tatianna is not working, she can be found attending academic classes- or studying for them!

Processed with VSCO with a6 preset

Jazmine Guillen | KENNEL TECHNICIAN

Jazmine born and raised in Houston, Texas, where she recently graduated from the College of Healthcare Professionals with flying colors. This guided towards her true passion and what she actually loves-- dealing with furry friends!

Jazmine always had a variety of animals in the house growing up, which nourished and grew her love for animals today. She was also part of an organization in High School for four years, called PAWS Club, that entailked helping animals in need of food and shelter.

Jazmine is known for being reliable, passionate, a hardworker, and... bilingual! When not at work, she can be found at the dog park or in her backyard playing with her miniature poodle.

Alison_Scott

Alison Scott | Patient Advocate and Nurse

Alison was raised in Sugarland, Texas, but completed her high school education in Cypress, where she also attended veterinarian technician classes at Lonestar Community College.

She knew since she was a child that she wanted to be involved in helping veterinarians in their hard work. Alison has now been in the veterinarian field for almost 15 years! She is known for her great client communication skills and proper medicinal protocol, such as drawing blood and placing IV catheters.

In her free time, Alison likes to spend her time volunteering for Texas Adaptive Aquatics (TAA), but also enjoys cooking, spending time with her family, and dancing!

breyn_pulcher

Breyn Pulcher | Receptionist

Breyn has been all about animals for as long as she can remember, and has always been an advocate for the fur babies that don't have a voice.

As a child, her dream job was to become a marine biologist. She is known for her punctuality, multitasking abilities, and most importantly keeping a positive and fun environment with her energetic personality! Breyn is also known for giving back to the community, in 2016 she raised over $6,500 for breast cancer awareness.

When not at work, Breyn can be found creating different kinds of arts, such as painting, or resin crafting.

stars-in-bubble

Providing 5-Star Pet Care in Houston