Veterinary Assistants
Our veterinary assistants are also vital to the success of our hospital! These dedicated staff members support the veterinarians and veterinary technicians in their daily tasks. They obtain and record medical histories about your pets; assist with our patients’ examinations, bloodwork, surgeries and x-rays; provide comfort and reassurance to your pets; help manage inventory; provide client education; fill prescriptions; perform clerical duties; clean kennels & cages; walk dogs; share your joys and sorrows, and much more.
Kim Avalos, Training Coordinator / Client Communications Coordinator
Born in Alliance, Nebraska, and raised on a farm in Blue Hill, Kim has lived in the Omaha metro area since 1993. She studied biology at Dana and Wayne State colleges, and spent three weeks in southern Australia studying Fairy Penguins in the wild. One of Kim’s most exciting experiences was working at the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium, where she raised, fed, and swam with the penguins! We welcomed her to the BAH family in February 2005. Kim loves making personal connections with our clients and their pets, and her favorite thing to do here is starting your pet’s appointment off right: discussing the patient’s history and reason for the visit, and making sure you have everything that you need for your pet and are completely comfortable & satisfied.
In addition to her other roles, in August 2023 Kim also took over the important duty of contacting our clients to relay and explain their pets’ laboratory test results and other important patient care information. She works closely with each of our veterinarians, who give her detailed interpretation of test results for each individual patient, as well as any instructions and / or recommendations for further diagnostics or follow up care.
Kim is also a highly recommended pet sitter, operating under the name “Cozy Critters” since 2008. In her limited free time, Kim enjoys relaxing at home with her husband Jose’; dogs Aldo, ChaCha, D’Jango, Ollie, and Tramp; and her cats, Buttercup and Chunky Monkey!
Patty Wulff, Senior Veterinary Assistant
Born and raised right here in Bellevue, Patty has been a part of the Bellevue Animal Hospital family for 21 years! She holds two bachelor’s degrees from Bellevue University, one in Environmental Science and the other in Sociology, but she loves BAH so much that she decided to stay! Patty excels at training new team members, and truly enjoys teaching the “newbies” how to succeed at the wonderful job of veterinary assistant. She has an amazing son named Connor, a sweet senior Basset Hound named Nana, two wonderful cats named Isla and Sawyer, and a Basset Hound youngster named Dugan – all of whom are the absolute lights of her life! In her time off, Patty likes to spend her leisure time reading, as well as playing with and teaching her son.
Allyah Rayyan
Allyah has lived in Nebraska for 22 years and most of that time has been in Bellevue. She became an enthusiastic member of our team in July 2021, and later took on the role of Client Communications Coordinator, which she enjoyed very much. In August 2023, she passed that torch to team mate Kim Avalos, and began studying at Creighton University towards a new career as a dental hygienist. She continues to work part time for us during urgent care hours, and does our staff schedules.
Allyah is an alumnus of the College of Saint Mary in Omaha; she graduated with a degree in biology and a minor in natural science. During her college days, Allyah played tennis and she still enjoys playing now in her free time. She also likes to read and knit, likes watching all different types of movies, and enjoys hanging out with family and friends. Allyah said she enjoys a good joke, so if you have any to share, be sure to let her know!
Maggie Best
Originally from Lake Wales, Florida, Maggie came to our practice in March 2021 after moving to Omaha in 2020. Maggie grew up on a ranch in Florida, and has been riding horses and working cows since she was just eight months old! She has seven younger brothers, but her daddy always said that Maggie was the toughest son he ever raised. A homeschool graduate, Maggie is now working on her veterinary technician degree through Ashworth College. Maggie enjoys cooking and baking, and she also has some amazing crafting skills: our client education boards are now filled every month with the eye-catching products of Maggie’s diligent research (and hours of cutting and pasting) on topics such as pet dental health, parasite prevention, working dog and K9 officer appreciation, and pet diabetes awareness. Along with her many cows and horses, Maggie also has two dogs: a Blue Heeler named Punchy, and a Golden Retriever named Silas Boone.
Aubrey Anders, Lead Veterinary Assistant
Aubrey grew up in a military family and says she is “from all over!” She has lived in Nebraska for about 8 years now. A 2019 graduate of Bellevue West High School, she put in a year towards an athletic training degree at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, before coming to work for Bellevue Animal Hospital in December 2021. As you might guess, Aubrey loves sports and working out! She also enjoys just hanging out with friends and bingeing Netflix; however, Aubrey spends most of her free time these days with her adorable son Hunter, born in April 2022. Aubrey’s family also includes a Chihuahua-Dachshund mix named Cocoa Butter.
Miranda Price
Miranda joined our team of veterinary assistants in March 2023, and is currently studying to be a veterinary technician through the Penn Foster program. Miranda says that her claim to fame here at our hospital is being “the bird lady” and she loves working with our feathered friends. She has a very furry friend at home, a bouncy young Bernese Mountain Dog named Scarlett; Miranda and Scarlett enjoy taking road trips together! Miranda is also a devoted mom to her two children.