Meet the wonderful people who work at Cimarron Animal Hospital!

Meet Our Team

DR. DEBRA BONKE

Dr. Debra Bohnke with flamingo

Debra Bohnke turned down the path of veterinary medicine when she was 9 years old and decided to be a Veterinarian. She worked as a veterinary assistant in small animal clinics in Tucson from the time she was 15 years old until she went to Veterinary school in Fort Collins, Colorado. She even did a stint of small animal work in up state New York during veterinary school.
Dr. Bohnke graduated from Colorado State University in 1991. The last 14 years that she has spent with the pets and pet owners of Tucson gives Dr. Bohnke unique expertise in treating common ailments of our region such as Tick Fever, Valley Fever, Rattlesnake Bites, and heat induced illnesses.

Dr. Bohnke strongly believes in the Cimarron Animal Hospital's tradition of providing high quality medicine with equal amounts of compassion, empathy, honesty, and integrity.

Being the owner of two cats, an African Grey Parrot, two salt water crabs and a Damsel fish, herself, Dr. Bohnke knows that support and sincerity are just as important as medicine when it comes to making healthcare decisions for pet members of the family.

Dr. Bohnke is an avid scuba diver with a passion for all things ocean. She’s been known to hug a flamingo, save a spotted sea snake’s life, and dance underwater eye to eye with sea turtles. She also belly dances and has won a couple of cowboy action shooting awards. She and her husband, Tom, watch Star Trek Next Gen. and Northern Exposure tirelessly. Besides her work, though, Dr. Bohnke’s greatest hobby of all is raising 6 year old son Celyn, Egyptologist in the making and Toy Manager for Cimarron Animal Hospital.

BRITTANY KEPPLER, Veterinary Assistant

Brittany Keppler, Veterinary Assistant, holding "Hayden" one of our foster cats.

We have known Brittany since she was six years old, accompanying her parents on hospital visits with the family pets. Brittany started working with us as a volunteer when she was sixteen years old. She attends the University of Arizona and upon graduation, plans to become a veterinarian. Today, the Keppler pets include two domestic short haired cats, "Kally" & "Mindy", and a rescued American Eskimo mix dog named "Holly."

DENISE CHESSER, CVT
Denise

Denise hails from the state of Michigan, where she is a graduate of the Veterinary Technician program at Michigan State University. As a certified technician, Denise has diverse experience in the field. She has worked in the animal research department at the U of A, was an instructor at Pima Medical Institute in the veterinary assistant program, spent a number of years in a veterinary surgical practice, and cared for both large and small companion animals. Denise is married to Steve, and their two children, Ian and Kara, are in college. They also have two dogs and five cats.

CELYN JACOBS, Toy Manager

Celyn manages the toys