Meet the Team
Our Equine Vets
Dr. Emma Webster
Emma Webster spent her veterinary externship with us in 2008, and so we knew we were very fortunate to have her join our team when she graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College in 2009. In addition to an admirable level of general veterinary knowledge, she has taken a comprehensive course in ultrasound and dentistry and has a special interest in Ophthalmology. Outside of the clinic, Emma enjoys horseback riding, painting, and spending time with her family on their hobby farm in Drayton. Emma shares the farm chores with her husband Rob, three children (Miles, Sidney, and Samantha), their dog Kajun, their cat Spencer and about 20 chickens.
Dr. Melanie Thompson
DVM
Melanie grew up in rural Flamborough near her grandparents’ dairy farm and began riding horses at a young age. She attended the University of Guelph for her undergraduate degree and graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College in 2018. During her time at the veterinary college, Melanie worked in the OVC Large Animal Clinic, which gained her lots of valuable experience in complicated cases. After graduating, Melanie worked in her hometown as a large animal veterinarian for her first year of practice. Melanie joined the large animal team at Heartland in 2019 for both food animal and equine practice. She enjoys ruminant medicine and surgery and working with farmers. Melanie also enjoys equine practice, with an interest in primary care, emergency care, and equine reproduction.In her free time, she enjoys running, riding horses, playing the piano and painting. Melanie lives in Drayton with her husband Will, and their cat “Mimi”.
Dr. Mary Walker
Mary Walker graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College in 2011 and is happy to be splitting her time between Heartland Animal Hospital of Listowel and Drayton. Mary grew up in the city of Brampton and is enjoying the more rural lifestyle that Listowel offers. Mary has an interest in pain management in her surgical and medical cases. This past spring, she participated in a comprehensive course on abdominal ultrasound and just completed a similar course for horses. Mary loves to travel, read, and relax with friends and family at her family cottage in her free time. She lives in Listowel with her loveable but mischievous dog Wiley “The Coyote.” He is a rescue from a Northern Ontario native reserve and is a constant source of entertainment (and trouble) in his efforts to be an indoor dog!
Dr. Laura Michalovic
Her special interests include public health, food safety and emergency medicine. Laura loves travelling, playing volleyball, hiking, and painting. She also enjoys spending time with friends and family and with her black and white cat named Moomoo.
Dr. MacKenzie Klapwyk
Mackenzie graduated from Ontario Veterinary College in 2021. After graduation, he made the journey to Alberta to pursue an Equine internship. He joined the Heartland team in August 2022, where he is happy to split his time between equine and small animal work. Mackenzie enjoys equine dentistry, lameness, and small animal surgery.
Outside of work, Mackenzie enjoys camping, fishing, and hiking. He can also be found on the family farm or riding his horse, Jack. He looks forward to the new adventures in Listowel with his English springer puppy Sam.