Dr. Lassett is a native of Tampa. He attended the University of Florida receiving a bachelors degree in microbiology in 1978 and a doctorate in veterinary medicine in 1982.
After completing a rotating internship in small animal medicine and surgery at Oradell Animal Hospital in New Jersey, Dr. Lassett returned to the Tampa Bay area. Dr. Lassett is Board Certified in Canine and Feline Practice and his areas of special interest include soft tissue and orthopedic surgery, oncology, diagnostic ultrasound, endoscopy, dermatology and cardiology.
Dr. Lassett has held board positions with the Humane Society of Tampa Bay and the Hillsborough County Veterinary Medical Society. He enjoys fishing, boating, and spending time with his dog, Cheyenne, and cat, Dakota.
Dr. Welborn was the valedictorian of his 1976 graduating class from King High School here in Tampa and as a President’s Scholar, he earned an undergraduate degree from the University of South Florida. Dr. Welborn graduated with honors from the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine in 1982. He is Board Certified in Canine and Feline Practice and is a Certified Canine Rehabilitation Therapist and Certified PennHIP Veterinarian.
He is past president of the prestigious American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) and served as Chairman of the AAHA Standards Enhancement Task Force that developed the most recent revisions and enhancements to the AAHA Standards of Accreditation for primary care small animal practices. He also served as Chairman of the Accredited Referral Practice Task Force that developed AAHA Standards of Accreditation for small animal specialty practices. He currently serves in several national veterinary leadership roles including being the Chairman of the AAHA Canine Vaccination Guidelines Task Force and serving as a member of the AAHA-AVMA Preventative Healthcare Guidelines Task Force.
Dr. Welborn has received the following honors:
- • 2022 AVMA Award
- • Prestigious AVMA President’s Award
- • American Animal Hospital Association Practitioner of the Year Award
- • University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine Alumni Achievement Award
- • Florida Veterinary Medical Association Veterinarian of the Year Award
- • Hillsborough County Veterinary Medical Society Outstanding Service Award
Underwater photography and attending Tampa Bay Buccaneer and Florida Gator football games are among his favorite activities. Dr. Welborn’s family includes: wife, Laura, daughter, Kaitlin, son, Christopher, furry friends, Jenner and Emma Rose, two birds, Harper and Connie, and a marine aquarium full of aquatic companions.
Dr. Borderieux grew up in Tampa (Leto H.S. class of ’93) and joined the Tampa Bay Vets Team in January 2007. She has been part of the Tampa Palms family since April 2023. She received her B.S. in biology from Florida State University before acquiring her DVM (magna cum laude) from University of Florida in 2003. Dr. Borderieux practiced small animal and exotic medicine for 4 years in California before moving back home to be closer to her family. Her medical interests are in internal medicine, soft tissue surgery, dentistry, and exotic mammal medicine and surgery.
Dr. Borderieux has adopted rescue rabbits for over 15 years (starting as a foster with Gainesville Rabbit Rescue in vet school). She shares her home with her husband, Scott, her son, Jay, and her daughter, Phoebe. Her fuzzy family includes her beagle mix Burt, and her bunnies and guinea pigs. During her free time she enjoys travel with as much hiking and bird watching as possible, yoga, reading, and crochet.
Dr. Garcia is from Valencia, Spain and attended the School of Veterinary Medicine at St. George’s University. He joined our practice in 2017 because he wanted to “work in a progressive practice”. His goals are to continue learning and becoming a better veterinarian every day. His dream is to own his own practice someday. He lives with his wife and two children. Dr. Garcia’s hobbies include sports, movies, music, family, and food.
Se habla español
Dr. Martinez was born and raised in Puerto Rico. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in Biology at the University of Puerto Rico in Ponce. Dr. Martinez graduated with honors from St. George’s University School of Veterinary Medicine in Grenada. She completed her clinical training at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, TN, where she was exposed to various clinical specialties, including physical therapy. After her clinical training, Dr. Martinez completed a Rotating Internship in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery at BluePearl Specialty and Emergency Hospital in Tampa, Florida.
Dr. Martinez’s special interests include surgery, neurology, and small animal medicine. She has a cat named Zeus. Her hobbies include scuba diving, painting, and salsa dancing.
Se habla español
Degrees: DVM, DACVECC
College of Veterinary Medicine: Michigan State University of Veterinary Medicine
Dr. Medora Pashmakova is a veterinary criticalist with experience in clinical case management, research, and teaching. During COVID, she also piloted a successful telemedicine emergency services platform. Dr. Pashmakova enjoys forming trusting relationships with pet owners, guiding them through difficult decisions, and restoring the human-animal bond. She also has a special love for helping shelter animals have access to care and live their best lives.
Dr. Brandee Baker is one of our wonderful veterinarians here at Pebble Creek Animal Hospital. She is also a Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist (CVA).
She attended Colorado State University where she earned her Bachelor of Animal Science. She also earned her DVM at Midwestern University, and has also obtained her Fear-Free Certification and her (CVA) in Acupuncture from Chi University.
Dr. Baker decided to become a veterinarian when she was 8 years old and her family veterinarian let her assist with a pregnancy check on a cow. It was such a neat experience she knew right away that she wanted to be a vet.
She and her husband share their home with their two horses (Patches and Chelee), and their two dogs (Jessi and Milo). Her pets are her best buddies. It brings her joy to cuddle up on the couch with them or spend the day in the barn.
Dr. Baker’s goal when walking into every patient care visit is to educate in a laid-back setting so people have the tools to care for their pets in a way that is best for them. Her philosophy is to always have an open mind.
When Dr. Baker isn’t caring for your sweet pets, you can find her running, working out, horse back riding, scuba diving, or reading.
Dr. Holly Schmalz is on our rock star team of veterinarians here at Pebble Creek Animal Hospital. She earned her B.S. in Animal Science from Aunt Cobleskill. She also attended Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine where she graduated with honors and completed her clinical year at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine.
When Dr. Schmalz was in High School her family adopted a bloodhound puppy named Junior. When they took him to their local veterinarian for his puppy visit, they found out that the veterinarian was an avid bloodhound owner who had a special interest in canine search and rescue. This veterinarian took her under his wing and showed her the ropes of search and rescue. After spending many weekends and completing a Search and Rescue seminar in Virginia, she began to shadow in that very same veterinary clinic. She began to shadow in that very same veterinary clinic where she went on to became a Veterinary Assistant and eventually a Veterinary Technician. She found her passion in the veterinary field.
Her large family consists of her father, John (who owns a European sausages/meats business), her mother, Holly (who she shares so many common traits with, including their love for animals), her two older sisters (Sara and Amanda), and her younger brother (Jason) who works alongside their dad.
Dr. Schmalz shares her home with her pets Willa (whom she adopted in veterinary school, and Twinkie (adopted during her first job as a veterinarian in Chicago.)
Her pets mean everything to her. The push her to do better in the field of veterinary medicine. She always thinks to herself for every patient she sees “What if these were my babies?”. She would want the very best care, and the very best medicine for them. That is what she strives for, for every single one of her patients.
Her goal when walking into every visit is to make her patients comfortable and to offer the best personalized treatment plan possible.
The philosophy she lives by is “Our life is what our thoughts make it.”-Marcus Aurelius
When Dr. Schmalz isn’t caring for your pets, you can find her outside exploring new places. She loves swimming, bringing her dogs to the beach, hiking, kayaking, and hitting up the local markets. She’s a big foodie, she loves cooking ad trying the newest and hottest restaurants around town.
Dr. Stephanie Perez is a member of our wonderful team of veterinarians here at Pebble Creek Animal Hospital.
She attended the University of Puerto Rico in Rio Piedras where she earned her BS in Biology
And then Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine with clinical year at Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine. She graduated with honors; and earned her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 2018.
Dr. Perez became a veterinarian because at a very young age her parents gifted she and her sister a beautiful Corgi puppy to whom she grew very attached to and sparked her interest in animal care and the veterinary field.
She shares her home with her two dogs: Lily, a Shih Tzu, and Camila, aYorkshire-Terrier.
Her pets are a very important members of her family and she would do anything and everything for them.
Her goal when walking into every patient visit is to be able to help each individual patient with their needs while making them fell cared for and loved. She also wants to make our clients feel comfortable and supported.
When Dr. Perez is not caring for her patients, you can find her watching movies or TV shows, spending time with her family and friends, and keeping active with boxing and cross-fit.
Dr. Perez was born and raised in Puerto Rico. She speaks both Spanish and English.
Dr. Colby Burns, a board-certified surgeon at North Tampa Veterinary Specialists, provides specialized orthopedic, soft tissue, neurologic and emergency surgical services to small animal veterinary practitioners. This service allows our veterinarians the ability to offer advanced surgical services in the comfort of our own hospital while maintaining direct contact with our clients and primary care for patients. Mobile surgical services are available six days a week (Monday through Saturday). Emergency surgical services are available seven days a week, including evenings and weekends.
Dr. Chris Ludlow is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. He established Veterinary Internal Medicine Diagnostics with a commitment to providing the highest quality internal medicine for pets and personalized service.
Dr. Ludlow earned his DVM with honors from Kansas State University in 1986. After graduation he worked in a busy small animal general practice in southern California for five years. He then returned to the KSU and completed a combined internal medicine/small animal clinical nutrition residency and Masters Degree program under Dr. David Williams.
Upon completion of his internal medicine residency, Dr. Ludlow then spent an additional year establishing a clinical nutrition service at KSU. After finishing his clinical nutrition training, Dr. Ludlow joined the internal medicine faculty at KSU for one and a half years before going into private specialty medicine at Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Center in Kansas City in where he served as a staff internist with this group of nine specialists for 6 years.
Dr. Ludlow has more than 16 years of experience in ultrasound and endoscopy in university and referral hospital settings. He practices at all 6 of our Tampa locations.
Raised on a working horse ranch Cassy has always had a strong love for all animals and a desire to improve the human-animal bond. She began working in the veterinary field at the age of 15 as an assistant in a veterinary hospital in Plant City, FL, and from 1993 to 2000 worked as an emergency and day-time veterinary technician. Since 1995, she has served our six hospital group, as our Practice Administrator.
Cassy graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry from the University of South Florida in 1998.
Cassy has been a member of the VHMA since 2001 and served on their Board of Directors for 2 years. Cassy earned her Certified Veterinary Practice Manager (CVPM) designation in 2005 and her Certified Canine Rehabilitation Assistant (CCRA) designation in 2008. She was the co-chair of the Bay Area Managers Network Group in Tampa for 10 years and is a past adjunct professor for Webster Veterinary University.
Residing in Valrico, Florida, Cassy shares her home with her husband, her 2 children, her cat, Gordy and her dog, Dolly Brown. Her interests are client advocacy, team building, physical rehabilitation, communication, and compliance. Cassy’s hobbies include reading, outdoor activities and her family.
