About Us

Get to know WellHaven Pet Health Downtown Vancouver!

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Stop by our state of the art hospital.

WellHaven Pet Health in Downtown Vancouver was built with every single detail meant to provide a calm and caring experience for your family. Our team is here to make every single visit a positive one.

Dr. Clifton Hashimoto, Associate Veterinarian

Dr. Clifton Hashimoto graduated from the College of Veterinary Medicine from Texas A&M University in 1997. After graduating vet school with full honors, Dr. Hashimoto went to work in Hawaii. Initially intending to stay for only a 1-2 years, his stay extended to 18 years. During that time, he worked at two very busy full-service 24-hour practices, caring for everything from puppy and kitten wellness exams, to cancer patients, to critical medical and trauma emergency and hospitalization cases as well exotics and non-traditional pet species. Dr. Hashimoto also served on the board of the Hawaii Veterinary Medical Association for 6 years – 2 years as its President. In 2015, Dr. Hashimoto moved to Vancouver to live in the beauty of the Pacific Northwest with his wife and 5-year-old daughter. In addition to spending his spare time being a full-time father and husband, he loves to be outdoors reaping the bounty Washington has to offer – gardening, fruit picking, fishing, and clamming. He is also a fanatical rock climber.

Dr. Christina Palena, Associate Veterinarian

Born and raised in Washington, Dr. Palena graduated from Washington State University in 2004. She is committed to providing compassionate, high-quality care and has a passion for internal medicine, research, and teaching families how to keep their pets safe and healthy. She has also volunteered with local rescue organizations and earned a graduate certificate in public health from Eastern Washington University in 2023. Married with two children, Dr. Palena enjoys going on adventures with her family, supporting her children’s extracurricular activities, and relaxing with music, a movie, or a good cup of coffee. Her family shares their home with their rat terrier, two cats, chickens, and a variety of fish.

Cynthia, Practice Manager

Hi, I’m Cynthia and I am the Practice Manager at the Downtown Vancouver WellHaven. Coming to the doctor can be stressful to our pets and our families. My goal at WellHaven is to build a trusting relationship with each of our pet families. I hope to alleviate that stress by welcoming you into our Fear Free hospital with warmth and understanding. I first stepped into the field of vet care by answering a job ad in 1996. It read, “Do you love pets?” I said “Yes!” and the rest is history.

On my off time, I enjoy writing, listening to music and running. My Redbone -Treeing Walker Coonhound adopted me many years ago. He’s now 11 years old and is my bestest friend in the world. Thank you for getting to know me! Feel free to stop by our WellHaven to say hi. I look forward to getting to know all about your best friend!

Josie, Veterinary Assistant

Hi, I’m Josie and I’m a Veterinary Assistant at the Downtown Vancouver WellHaven. I started working in the field in April 2021 but I’ve always been interested in the veterinary field since I was a kid. I love that I can help animals in need & provide good care. I have my wonderful and amazing companion named Toothless; she is 1 years old. In my free time, I enjoy listening to podcasts, watching movies & going out to explore.

Jennifer, Veterinary Assistant

Hello, My Name is Jennifer.

I was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. My veterinary medicine journey started back in 2016, when I started volunteering at the Oregon humane society as a youth volunteer. In 2019, I started working in a veterinary ER/ICU. I did that for 4 years. Working with animals has always been a dream of mine. After taking my personal pet to the ER, I realized that there was a lack of representation of the latino community. I wanted to bridge the language barrier between English and Spanish. Growing up, I never had any pets. Currently, I have 6 pets (3 cats, 3 dogs).

In my free time, you will see me with all my pets going on adventures like paddleboarding or going to the beach. You can also find me at the gym powerlifting.

Amber, Veterinary Assistant

Hi,

My name is Amber and my dog’s name is George. I have been in the vet field since 2020 originally getting my start back in the Bay Area as a receptionist and worked my way up while I was in Vet Assistant school. I have my Vet Assistant certificate and I love helping all types of animals. My favorites are small fluffy animals.

In my free time, you will see me with all my pets going on adventures like paddleboarding or going to the beach. You can also find me at the gym powerlifting.

Beth, Receptionist

Beth got her start back in 2015 after earning her certification as a veterinary assistant at PIMA Medical Institute. She started working at a small, 2 doctor practice for 2 years in Wheat Ridge, CO until her and her boyfriend decided to pack up and make the journey all the way out to the PNW!

Although she is a proud owner of exotic pets, after working through a variety of hospitals, Beth prefers working at a small animal practice with cats and dogs. Although she takes gratification in many aspects of her work and enjoys helping her furry patients, she’s ultimately decided to take a break from the technical side of things and now does reception full time!

Outside of work she enjoys spending time in nature, music festivals and traveling.

At home she has 4 companions: 1 pitbull/boxer named Zaeda, an orange tabby named Hashbrown and 2 ferrets named Binx Button and Huey.

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(Please note we are a dog and cat clinic only)

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