Meet Our Veterinarian Team
Meet the veterinarians & team of Best Friends Animal Clinic. We’re pleased to provide exceptional vet care for your pets.
Get to Know Our Team
We are solely dedicated to your pet’s care. We look forward to getting to know you, and we hope you’ll take the time to scroll down and get to know us.
Meet Our Doctors
Meet Our Technicians
Meet Our Front Desk Team
Izzy
Isabel, or Izzy, as most of you may know her, was born and raised in S. Carolina. She grew up surrounded by animals, often attending rescue or dog-themed events. As a young child, her family adopted a sweet basset boy from Carolina Basset Hound Rescue. She became both aware and excited about helping animals, whether it be basic care, medical care, transporting rescue pets, or even sharing their story. Now in her twenties, she continues to find joy in helping and caring for all fur babies. Izzy’s hobbies include art, tattoos, and spending time with her own rescue cats, Patrick and Salem. We are grateful for her compassionate spirit and willingness to help out her team, and last but not least, Bertie and Billy appreciate her coming in regularly on her day off to make sure they get fresh food and extra snuggles.
Savannah
Savannah is one of BFAC’s finest kennel assistants. She was born and raised in South Carolina. Animals have been a part of her life for as long as she can remember. She grew up around a variety of animals- chicks, guinea pigs, fish, a sugar glider, and always pitties. It was no surprise to her friends, family, and teachers that she sought a job in the veterinary field as soon as she could. Her current goal is to continue to learn until she can one day become a veterinary technician. She always comes to work with a good attitude and always makes an effort to bring smiles to the faces of the people she works with. She believes all animals should have adequate care and is working towards being part of the solution. Outside of work, Savannah enjoys drawing, listening to audiobooks, and spending time with her furry friends. She clearly has Bertie’s stamp of approval! ❤️
Maria
My name is Maria Brown and I was born in Kansas City, Missouri, but I was raised in Charleston for most of my life. I graduated from Clemson University in December of 2023 with an animal science degree and am now in the process of applying to veterinary school! I have loved animals since I was a kid and I always knew that some day I wanted to be a vet. Working as a technician assistant at Best Friends has been a great way to learn all about veterinary medicine and I have loved being able to take care of everyone’s fur babies.
At home, I have a dog named Freddie, a cat named Mia, and a rabbit named Shocky. Other things I love besides animals are reading, painting, going to concerts, and anything related to sports, especially football, baseball, and volleyball.
Ella
Ella was born and raised in Summerville, SC. As a young kid she loved animals of all kinds. As she has continued to grow, so has her love for animals, leading her to pursue a job in the veterinary field. Ella started with Best Friends in 2022 and quickly learned the ropes, rapidly becoming a vet assistant we rely on. Although she is still in high school, she comes to work with hopes of learning something new, a drive to excel at her job, and provide the best possible patient care. Her long-term goal is to continue onto college, and ultimately become a veterinarian. The field is lucky to have her, and we are so grateful to be a part of her journey! In her spare time, Ella loves to read, listen to music, and spend time outdoors. Her favorite places include the beach or the lake, were she can relax and have some fun!
Bill
AKA Wild Bill or Bill Bill. Billy joined our office a little over a year ago after he was found wandering in the ‘tundra’ behind one of our technician’s houses. Despite his ear tip that marked him as a feral cat, he settled in rather quickly. He spent his first couple of days with us hiding in his kennel, then he started to meander down the hallway, then ventured up towards the front of the building. He now spends most of his days lounging in the sunshine and soaking up love from all of our employees as well as our wonderful clients. Ol’ Wild Bill loves kittens, and if there is one in the building for the day, he can usually be found nearby.
Bryanna
Bryanna was born and raised in Southport, North Carolina. She moved down to South Carolina in 2012 and finished high school. Bry has always loved animals and was interested in a job where she would be able to both help and spend time with them. Shortly after graduation, she began pursuing that dream and ultimately began working at Best Friends Animal Clinic as a receptionist. She quickly learned the job and enjoys interacting with our clients and snuggling their pets. She currently has her own dog, Athena, and a cat, Storm.
She doesn’t know what the future holds for her, and she is okay with that. Her goal is to stay in this field she loves, spend lots of time with her family, make a difference where she can, and see where life takes her. When she’s not working, she enjoys spending quality time with her family, going to the lake, and crocheting.
Wendy
Wendy was born and raised in New York. She was always the type of person to bring home strays- cats, dogs, birds, snakes- you name it, she would rescue it. She has always had a passion for helping animals. After a stint in Virginia, where she worked her way through nursing school and then decided she would rather work with animals, she moved to South Carolina. Once she settled in, she became involved with the SPCA and started taking every certification class that was offered. She still has a passion for shelter animals and rescue and is glad to be a part of a veterinary clinic that works with both. As Head Receptionist, she has great compassion for all of our clients and their furry families and enjoys being able to help however she can.
In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her grandbabies and, of course, her own two rescues, Babs the Boston and Ol’ Wild Bill. Many of you have had the pleasure of meeting Bill while he lounged around sunning in our lobby, but after a weekend at Wendy’s, they both decided it was time for him to be an apartment cat instead of a clinic cat.
Emmet Otter
Emmet Otter plays many roles at Best Friend’s Animal Clinic, from guard dog and mascot to therapist and muse. Emmet Otter came in as a very sick little puppy, and our veterinary team wasn’t even sure he would make it through the next few days. Dr. Mokos and her staff put their heads and hearts into it and nursed him back to health. When finally healthy enough and strong enough, they started looking for Emmet Otter’s forever home.
After a couple of tries at placing him, they finally realized Emmet Otter was already exactly where he belonged! Where else are you going to find a home where your mom is a doctor? She will keep him healthy, and he gets to go for rides with her every day. She even has her staff of minions to do Emmet Otter’s bidding! Not to mention all the adoring fans that pop in here and there just to say hello to him, and sometimes they even bring doggie friends! Thank you all for being our friends here at Best Friends Animal Clinic.
Linda
Linda was born in St. Louis, MO, but spent her life moving from place to place before settling down in Hanahan, SC, in 1985. This is where she raised her family- three lovely daughters that have given her six beautiful grandchildren. She also taught in Berkeley County schools for 28 years before retiring in 2015.
Aside from her grandchildren keeping her busy, she also has an adorable pack of doxies to keep her company at home. As an animal lover her whole life, it was an exciting new venture to enter the veterinary world and join our team as an office assistant! You would think that would be more than enough on her plate, but Linda also enjoys bible study, baking, crocheting, and Facebooking!
Shelby
Shelby was raised in TN on a farm and developed her love for animals at a young age. In 2017, she moved to SC with her family. She returned to TN last year to rescue two Great Dane mixes, Daisy and Harley, who now live a life of luxury. Shelby has worked in a variety of different positions, but in February of 2021, she made a move to veterinary medicine, where she quickly excelled from a tech assistant to a veterinary technician. Her eagerness to learn, great work ethic, and compassion for animals quickly endeared her to the BFAC team.
In her spare time, she enjoys reading, snowboarding, and spending time with her husband, son, and fur kids! We feel lucky to have her as part of our team and look forward to watching her continue to grow in this field.
Brittany
Brittany was born and raised in S. Carolina. She has loved being around and working with animals since a very young age. She loves being able to help animals in every way she can. She got into veterinary medicine a little over 5 years ago, much of it being shelter work. We were so excited to be able to recruit her to our vet assistant team and watch her grow and learn more about veterinary medicine. Helping animals is her passion, and she continues to strive to help them in all the ways. Next up, she is planning to go to school to become a licensed veterinary technician. At home, Brittany has 6 cats and 3 dogs, many of them rescue pets. While she laughingly confesses this may be a little crazy, she would not have it any other way. In her spare time, Brittany loves crafting, being out in the woods (especially on a 4-wheeler!), and spending time with her family! We love her creative personality and caring spirit and feel so blessed that she agreed to join our team!
Sarina
Sarina was born and raised in Summerville, SC, and has loved animals for as long as she can remember. She started the Veterinary Technician Program at Trident Tech in January 2018. Shortly after, she joined the staff at Best Friends Animal Clinic. She has shown great commitment to both learning as well as providing excellent care for our patients.
She has three dogs of her own, Ida, Mia, and Daisy, as well as one rabbit named Abigail. When Sarina finds herself with extra time outside of school and work, she enjoys knitting, baking, gardening, reading, and drawing.
D’onna
D’onna was born and raised in S.C. Because of her deep love of animals, her family often predicted that she would grow up and work with animals. In early 2017, she proved them all right and joined the team at Best Friends Animal Clinic. She has gotten an education in both veterinary technology as well as physical therapy. She has thoroughly enjoyed the experience of learning about both human and animal anatomy and physiology. She is so passionate about both fields that she is still undecided about where the future will take her and continues to learn about both. Her great attitude, strong work ethic, and love for animals show in her work, and we could not be happier to have her as part of our team.
In her spare time, she loves watching and/or participating in sports, especially basketball and softball. She also enjoys spending time at the beach or out in nature, and of course, spending time with her sweet Christmas fur baby, Noel.
Ginny
Ginny was born and raised in New Jersey. After her first daughter was born, the family loaded up and moved to Alaska, and spent 28 years living the Snow Life. About five years ago, she decided to trade in her snow shovel for flip-flops and moved to S.C., and is now living the Salt Life. Ginny has two daughters that she loves dearly, but her heart and soul are her grandbabies.
Ginny has loved animals for as long as she can remember. Some of her earliest memories include running over to her Grandpa’s Hayride Business next door and spending time with all the animals- including two rather large draft horses named King and Kate. Ginny has been a vet tech for approximately 20 years, dedicating a large portion of her life to the care of the animals who have made such great companions over the years.
When she’s not working, you will likely find her at the beach or cheering on the Bruins or Giants at her favorite sports bar. But her favorite thing of all (aside from spending time with her grandbabies) was spending time with the best golden retriever in the whole world, Charley Brown. She recently had to say her earthly goodbyes to him, but he holds a huge place in her heart as he watches over her from the Rainbow Bridge.
Kayla
Kayla grew up in the country outside of Chattanooga, Tennessee, with her parents, younger brother, and numerous animals throughout the years- dogs, cats, horses, goats, and chickens. She spent her childhood and teenage years helping her mother care for their animals, as well as for her mother’s many wildlife rehabilitation patients. For as long as she can remember, Kayla has had a deep, passionate love and understanding for all animals. Taking care of animals has pretty much been her job her whole life, and she loves every minute of it. In 2012 she moved to Charleston, SC, from Tennessee with her boyfriend (now fiancé) Dalton and their two dogs, Yeltsin (RIP, 9/11/2017) and Trotsky, and her childhood cat Cleo (RIP, 2/18/2018). They adopted their other cat Lil Beezy here in Charleston in 2013.
For the past six years, she has been a valued volunteer staff member at the Center for Birds of Prey in Awendaw with the Education/Husbandry department, caring for their many raptors and handling their working birds for daily maintenance as well as for their educational programs and events. She began working with animals on a professional level at Exotic Vet Care in Mt. Pleasant as their kennel technician in 2014 for two years, then worked at a local dog boarding and daycare facility for the next two and a half years before coming to BFAC as a technicians assistant in July 2019. She is very excited and grateful to be with BFAC, where she truly loves her job and her coworkers.
Gabrielle
Gaby grew up in southern Louisiana, just north of New Orleans. She always had a wide array of pets as a child, from goats to ferrets and everything in between. After attending Mississippi State University, Go DAWGS, she moved to S.C. with her boyfriend of four years and two fur children. Brees is a 10-year-old chihuahua who loves to nap, and Ahsoka is a 5-year-old golden retriever who loves nothing more than her “Chuck It” balls.
Gaby has been a veterinary technician for five years, beginning her career in a surgical specialty clinic. Her favorite thing to do at Best Friends is scrub in and assist our doctors with surgical procedures. Although she is fairly new to Best Friends, her hard work, dedication, and willingness to learn, quickly boosted her into the role of head technician, where she continues to thrive. When she isn’t caring for your fur babies, Gaby loves binge-watching “The Office” and painting. We already have some of her artwork hanging on our wall in memory of our much-loved Charley Brown.
Allison
Allison was born and raised in a small town in Nebraska. She has been an animal lover for as long as she can remember. Her parents taught her at a very young age to value and respect animals, both domesticated and wild. She considers this one of the most defining characteristics of her life. She moved to S.Carolina in 1998, where she first fell in love with the Lowcountry and then her husband, with whom she now shares two beautiful daughters. Her fur family includes three weenie dogs, AJ Longfellow, Theodore Von Scruffinator, and Nigel Barker, a pittie mix named Matilda, and two kitties lovingly referred to as the grey gluttons.
Since animals and their welfare has been a passion of hers her entire life, she decided to enter the Veterinary Technician program at Trident Technical College, where she graduated in 2013. Toward the end of the program, she became employed at Best Friends Animal Clinic, where she continued to learn and ultimately passed her National Boards. She has recently transitioned into the position of Office Manager and is enjoying learning a new aspect of the field. She considers herself lucky to be surrounded by so many supportive people, both at home and at work. She loves having a job she believes in. She also appreciates the connection with clients and the opportunity to help their best friends have a long and healthy life! In her spare time, she loves spending time with her animals, ‘playing’ in her kitchen or garden, relaxing with friends by a fire, and all things Game of Thrones!
Dr. Caroline Conrad, DVM CVA
Dr. Conrad grew up in Georgia and knew from an early age she wanted to work with animals. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia in Biological Sciences and a minor in Genetics in 2008. She attended Louisiana State Veterinary School and graduated in 2013. From there, she went on to complete a primary emergency rotating internship at the Regional Veterinary Referral Center in Springfield, Virginia.
After working exclusively in emergency medicine for four and a half years, both as a solo overnight doctor and as a part of a specialty hospital team, Dr. Conrad became a relief doctor (like a substitute teacher but for veterinarians). She works mostly around Charleston in general practice, emergency, and house call practices. She became certified in small animal veterinary acupuncture in 2018 and enjoys practicing integrative medicine. Dr. Conrad and her husband love living in Charleston and near the beach with their five cats and three dogs. Dr. Conrad also enjoys running, reading, and traveling in her spare time.
Dr. Kerry Stone, DVM
Charleston native Dr. Kerry Stone is a graduate of Clemson University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Animal and Veterinary Science and a minor in Business Administration. After graduation, she obtained her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree from Iowa State’s College of Veterinary Medicine.
Dr. Stone enjoys all aspects of veterinary medicine and has a special interest in surgery, physical rehabilitation, and immune-mediated diseases. She also enjoys the continual learning needed to stay current and provide excellent veterinary care for her patients.
When Dr. Stone is not working with your four-legged family members, she enjoys Clemson football and exploring the Lowcountry with her dog Oakley.
Dr. Meredith Borakove
Dr. Borakove was born on Long Island and had a love of animals and science from a very early age. She knew she wanted to work with animals, so she became an assistant at a veterinary clinic during the summers while she majored in Biology at the University of Pennsylvania. She continued at the University of Pennsylvania’s vet school and graduated in 2001, ready to go into the world of small animal medicine. She worked for ten years at a small animal hospital in Alexandria, Virginia, where she got a lot of great experience with medicine, surgery, and dentistry.
In 2011, she moved to Charleston, drawn here by the warm weather, beaches, friendly people, and delicious food! Dr. Borakove started filling in at various veterinary practices and also was able to fulfill her interest in studying acupuncture after a positive experience having her cat’s back pain treated with that modality. She began studies at the Chi Institute of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine in Florida, where she became certified in Small Animal Acupuncture in 2014. Then she became a certified Veterinary Chinese Herbalist in 2017. Dr. Borakove now splits her time between filling in at a couple of veterinary clinics in the Charleston area and treating dogs and cats in their home with Chinese herbs and acupuncture. She has a one yr old pointer mix and four cats who keep her very busy. She also enjoys traveling, watching movies, eating out, and going to the beach.
Dr. Melanie Mokos
While growing up on the south side of Chicago, Dr. Melanie Mokos realized that she loved animals, science, and helping people. Veterinary Medicine was an obvious career path, and she had thought of doing nothing else since the age of four. After getting her Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from the Loyola University of Chicago, she entered the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. She graduated in 1984 with her DVM degree.
The first two years after graduation, she was employed in private practice in the Chicago area. In 1986, she accepted a position at the Anti-Cruelty Society of Chicago and found a calling in shelter medicine. While employed at the shelter, she performed hundreds of spays and neuters, treated the pets of private owners in the low-income based clinic, and cared for the homeless animals. In 1992, she was promoted to the Chief Veterinarian of the shelter. In 1995, after nine wonderful and challenging years, she made the difficult decision to pursue other opportunities in veterinary medicine. However, she remains committed to promoting the plight of homeless animals and has a deep respect for those who continue to work daily in a shelter or rescue organization.
For the next six years, Dr. Mokos worked as a relief veterinarian in the Chicago area and practiced at over 30 clinics. This allowed her exposure to a variety of practice ideas and styles. From 2001 until April 2012, she practiced emergency medicine exclusively. From 2005 until 2008, she was the Medical Director of a high-volume, well-established emergency practice in the Chicago suburbs. The last two years, she was employed at the Veterinary Specialty Care in Mt. Pleasant, working closely with specialists in surgery, internal medicine, cardiology, and oncology. In the spring of 2012, she realized her lifelong dream of owning her own clinic. Her varied career path allows her to practice high-quality medicine, coupled with tremendous respect for the bond between pets and their owners and the impact that animals have in our lives. She considers herself lucky to work with animals daily and call it a “job.”
In 2009, Dr. Mokos left the snowy winter wonderland known as Chicago for kinder, gentler weather. Although she misses Chicago pizza and the Cubs, she feels at home in the warmth of South Carolina. She resides in North Charleston with her six furry friends – two dogs and four cats. In her spare time, she enjoys swimming, biking, long walks, and reading.
