Dr. Christina White knew she wanted to be a veterinarian from a young age. Born and raised in Olympia, Washington, she grew up spending most of her time collecting insects, riding horses and tending to her family’s cats, dogs, chickens and goats. She graduated in 2012 from Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine (Go Cougs!) and began her career at Meyerland Animal Clinic just after graduation.
“I’m thankful that I decided to make the cross-country move to Houston and to join the Meyerland practice – it’s given me the opportunity to work with a highly skilled team of doctors with diverse experience. I value the ability to discuss cases with my colleagues in order to provide the best possible care to the pets that mean so much to us.”
Dr. White loves being a veterinarian and enjoys being part of a profession that requires continual learning. She has a particular interest in internal medicine, feline medicine, and ultrasonography. In 2020, Dr. White completed an intensive several month immersion program for ultrasonography with the WAVE institute in Dallas. This has allowed Dr. White to provide clients and patients with a crucial diagnostic modality to treat more complicated health concerns. Dr. White values listening to her client’s concerns and goals for their pet’s health care during each appointment. She has an empathetic approach when discussing her patient’s health concerns, and particularly enjoys working closely with clients to manage their pet’s medical needs.
In her spare time, Dr. White is mostly at the disposal of her three very demanding cats: Mitten, Roni, and Astro; and her demanding dog, Raylene. Attempting to rectify the ongoing injustices in their lives is almost a full-time job. When her pets give her permission, Dr. White also enjoys running, gardening, and cooking.
Dr. White is thankful to have become a co-owner of Meyerland Animal Clinic in 2019 and is devoted to continuing to the clinic’s reputation for exceptional animal care.
Dr. Rabinowitz is a 2012 graduate of the Tufts’ Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine located in North Grafton, Massachusetts. Although he is a native New Yorker, Dr. Rabinowitz has found himself to be quite at home in the Houston community since joining Meyerland Animal Clinic in 2012. Since moving to Houston, the Rabinowitz family has been warmly welcomed by the Jewish community, with Dr. Rabinowitz serving on the board of the Young Israel of Houston and acting as a key member in spearheading its recent expansion.
“Being part of the Meyerland community has been such a vital part of my career. Getting to really know our clients and their pets helps me connect to the emotional element of veterinary medicine, and strengthen the bonds we cherish with our pets.”
Dr. Rabinowitz finds all aspects of veterinary medicine fascinating but is particularly passionate about dentistry, dermatology, preventative medicine, and geriatric pet care. He especially likes to spend his time educating clients about the medicine we perform, leading to happy and healthy pets! Compassion and care are two words that Dr. Rabinowitz brings to every appointment. He firmly believes that it is a veterinarian’s job to take into consideration both you and your pet’s best interests, in each and every exam.
Dr. Rabinowitz is married to his beautiful wife Tova and has 4 children Rena, Naava, Samson, and Sandy. Although the Rabinowitz family misses the fall foliage of the northeast, it’s their dog, Yodels, a 100lb Bernese Mountain Dog, who really misses the cold weather. In his free time Dr. Rabinowitz can be seen cheering for the Mets, and doing lots of laundry.
Dr. Rabinowitz became an owner partner of Meyerland Animal Clinic in 2019.
Dr. Sarah Pella graduated from Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine in May 2016. She has a special interest in surgery, neurology, and internal medicine.
Dr. Pella was very active during veterinary school, serving as president for both the Student Chapter of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine and Veterinary Students as One in Culture & Ethnicity. She also completed an outside course in Diversity and inclusion in Veterinary Medicine through Purdue University and spent more than a week in Haiti treating over 800 animals.
During her last year of veterinary school, she received the Veterinary Cancer Society Award for Proficiency in Clinical Oncology.
She is a member of Harris County Veterinary Medical Association, Texas Veterinary Medical Association, and American Veterinary Medical Association. She completed the Power of 10 program through TVMA and now serves on the Wellness Committee.
She met her husband, Dr. Justin Pella, in veterinary school. They have two children, (Liam and Andie Marie), an Australian Shepherd (Arya), and a Miniature Dachshund (Anastasia). Dr. Pella enjoys camping and hiking with her family, cooking with her husband, running, and reading.
Dr. Peyton Hughes joined Meyerland Animal Clinic in June 2019 after she graduated with honors from Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine in May 2019. Originally from the small town of Kirbyville, she is happy to be back in her home state of Texas.
Like many in the veterinary field, Dr. Hughes set her goal of becoming a veterinarian as a young child. She has always had a love for animals and their companionship, growing up with dogs, cats, rabbits, and even horses to rodeo for a few years. What started as a love for animals has blossomed into a passion for all aspects of veterinary medicine, including preventative medicine and client education during wellness visits, managing chronic disease, clinical pathology to interpret bloodwork and cytology, soft tissue surgery, and dentistry. Dr. Hughes is Fear Free Certified and hopes to make each pet’s visit to the veterinary clinic a positive experience. Continuing education is also important to Dr. Hughes, and she plans to be trained for endoscopy in Fall 2022. She is also participating in the Texas Veterinary Medical Association Power of 10 Leadership Program 2022-2023.
During her personal time, Dr. Hughes enjoys CrossFit, playing recreational league softball and sand volleyball, attending sporting events, being outside in the sunshine and next to water, as well as relaxing at home watching television with her pup. She has a pitbull mix, Reese (like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups), that she rescued during a flood in 2016 after he was brought to the LSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital by a Good Samaritan for treatment.
From a young age, Dr. Aileen Harkness has always gravitated towards animals in need. Before attending veterinary school and between a mish-mash of jobs including violin and piano tutor, cancer researcher and legal assistant, she consciously made time to volunteer and work with the local animal shelters around her. Eventually she realized that healing and improving animal welfare was what gave her the most joy and fulfillment in life.
After graduating from Western University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2020, Dr. Harkness returned to her home state of Texas and joined the team at Meyerland Animal Clinic. She believes that pet ownership should be one of the most enjoyable facets of life, and that sentiment should extend to the experience at the veterinarian’s office. Her goal is to create a feeling of partnership and for clients to always have options in their pet’s medical care. She has a particular interest in feline medicine, infectious disease, and integrative/complementary practice. She completed the Chi University course in small animal Veterinary Acupuncture and is developing a further interest in veterinary herbal medicine.
As expected, Dr. Harkness and her husband Canon have quite the zoo at home. She has three foster fail goofball cats named Shere Khan, Steve, and JD, as well as two Australian Blue Heelers who occasionally respond to their given names of Moose and Peach. On her days off you can find her fishing down in Surfside, birdwatching with her cats, or cheering on the Astros. The Harkness family welcomed their first child, daughter Riley, in July 2022.
Dr. Sarah Chellappan graduated from Ross University of Veterinary Medicine in January 2011. Her areas of interest include reproduction, internal medicine, soft tissue surgery, brachycephalic surgery and dermatology.
Dr. Chellappan and her husband Dr. Atassi are native Houstonians. They are the parents of a beautiful baby boy named Adam and a french bulldog named Olivia. In addition to being a vet Dr. Chellappan loves traveling, cooking, outdoor activities, and spending time with family.
Dr. Moss has had the pleasure of practiving at Meyerland Animal Clinic for his entire career. Dr. Moss graduated from Texas A & M College of Veterinary Medicine in 1998. A native Houstonian, Dr. Moss decided to come back to the Houston area to practice after college.
Shortly after graduation, he met his wife Amy, a local corporate attorney at Chamberlain, Hrdlicka, and they were married in 2000. They are proud parents of a daughter in high school and a son in middle school. They added to their family with a beautiful Brittany named Ponyo Natasha Moss (the kids picked the name).
Outside of the office, Dr. Moss enjoys running marathons, cooking, coaching his children’s Odyssey of the Mind teams, and rooting for the Astros. Dr. Moss has a special focus on ultrasound, surgery, and internal medicine. Dr. Moss is happy to have served the Houston community for over 20 years and is looking forward to continuing his practice at Meyerland Animal Clinic.
Dr. Lori Teller is a graduate of Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (TAMU CVM), and she is a board-certified diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners in Canine and Feline Practice. She has worked at Meyerland Animal Clinic for many years, starting at the age of 12, and continuing after graduation from veterinary school. Recently Dr. Teller joined the faculty at TAMU CVM as the Clinical Associate Professor of Telehealth. Dr. Teller has special interests in internal medicine cases, particularly those regarding GI diseases and autoimmune problems. She also greatly enjoys cytology as a diagnostic tool for lumps and bumps and working with senior animals to alleviate pain as they age. She is also very passionate about telemedicine and the role it can play in veterinary medicine.
Dr. Teller has been very involved in the veterinary profession and is a Past-President of both the Harris County and Texas Veterinary Medical Associations and was a recipient of the TVMA’s Recent Graduate of the Year Award in 1995 as well as the President’s Award in 2007, 2009 and 2016. She has served on several committees and task forces for the American Veterinary Medical Association, including the Animal Welfare Committee, and has also served in the AVMA’s House of Delegates. She currently serves on the AVMA Board of Directors from District VIII and chairs the AVMA’s State Advocacy Committee. In addition, she is a Trustee for the TVMA’s VPAC and helps to raise awareness and funds for political causes important to veterinary medicine.
Dr. Teller has also served as the Chair of the Board of Certification for the American Society of Veterinary Journalists and was a founding Board member of the Women’s Veterinary Leadership Development Initiative. She was named one of 14 Veterinarians to Watch in 2014 by Veterinary Practice News, and she has a monthly radio spot on Houston’s NPR radio station where she highlights the importance of veterinary care for dogs and cats. She serves as a mentor to many veterinary students, recent graduates, and young leaders, helping them navigate the complicated world of veterinary medicine and life beyond the boundaries of work.
Outside of the veterinary world, Dr. Teller was a founder and a Board Trustee for The Gateway Academy, a high school for students with learning differences and special needs in Houston, and she was recognized as an “Everyday Hero” by 740 KTRH for her volunteer work in the prevention of child abuse. She married her high school sweetheart, Dr. Craig Teller, and they have one son and several pets. In her spare time, Dr. Teller loves to hang out with her friends and family, exercise, read, and travel extensively to places where she can explore new things by day and enjoy great wine and food by night. She’s also a sucker for chocolate chip cookies, corny jokes, and puppy breath.
Dr. Vining has recently retired! Congratulations Dr. Vining! A 1976 graduate of the Texas A & M School of Veterinary Medicine. He is a native Houstonian. He has practiced his entire career at Meyerland Animal Clinic. Early on, he fell in love with Labrador Retrievers and now has four – one male and three females. These are his 9th thru 12th Labradors. He also has two sweet cats live with the dogs.
In addition to veterinary medicine Dr. Vining has many other interests including art, antiques, and gemstones. When not playing with his dogs, he can usually be found riding country roads on his bicycle with his partner of 20 years.
Dr. Karen Werner formally retired from working at Meyerland Animal Clinic in 2022. After dedicating over 40 years of her life to the care and well-being of all Houston pets, she is now enjoying time traveling and parenting her own furbabies. Dr. Werner’s legacy is virtuous. She graduated from the University of Illinois in 1980 and immediately moved to Houston in order to practice at Meyerland Animal Clinic. Dr. Werner became a half owner of MAC in 1982 with Dr. Vining, and spearheaded the growth of our clinic for the last four decades. During that time she helped train and develop many great doctors that continue to practice at MAC. Her special interests included managing skin infections, feline behavioral problems, endocrine diseases and dentistry. Dr Werner has always been a strong advocate for good pain control for all pets who need assistance. Dr. Werner especially enjoyed seeing generations of the same families as they grew up and obtained their own new pets.