Our Team

Heading up your pet’s healthcare family are our veterinarians. Our vets have over 100 years of combined experience, and hold memberships in multiple veterinary and public health organizations. While each brings a unique set of interests, experience and expertise, all share a deep care for our clients and patients and their wellbeing. Working alongside our veterinarians is a caring healthcare team of certified veterinary technicians, assistants, customer service and administrators. This wonderful, talented group work with our clients and patients and behind the scenes, caring for patients, assisting veterinarians with appointments and procedures, educating pet parents and providing quality customer service.

Primary Care Physicians:

Dr. Patrick Jennrich, DVM, is an Associate Veterinarian and Medical Director at Como Park Animal Hospital and 24 Hour Care, with 32 years of experience caring for pets and supporting the people who love them. Having grown up in the Como Park area, Dr. Jennrich is proud and dedicated to serve the same community that shaped him and to take care of friends and neighbors with compassionate, high-quality veterinary care.
Outside of work, Dr. Jennrich has been married to his wife, Patty, for 30 years and is the proud parent of two grown children, Victoria and Michael. He shares his home with two Golden Retrievers, Samantha and Callie, and three cats, Walter, Frank, and Binx. In his free time, he enjoys cooking, traveling, and spending time outdoors.

Dr. Guzik was born and raised in a suburb of Chicago, IL, but has since made the Twin Cities, and now Como Park Animal Hospital, a second home. She received her undergraduate B.S. degree in Animal Science from the University of Minnesota (‘04), and her Veterinary Doctorate from Ross University in 2008. After completing a veterinary internship at Como Park Animal Hospital, Dr. Guzik worked for several years at VCA Bloomington Veterinary Hospital (previously Bloomington Animal Hospital). In July 2010, we were lucky enough to have her return to Como Park Animal Hospital.
Dr. Guzik’s special medical interests include surgery, pain management, exotic medicine, and client education.
When she isn’t at Como Park Animal Hospital, she loves spending quality time with family in the great outdoors including, but not limited to: paddle boarding, hiking, camping, reading, and going to the beach. Dr. Guzik and her husband, Kris (who is also a veterinarian), have three beautiful children – Liam, Paisley, and Piper, 2 cats — Phoebe and Bagheera, 2 dogs — Gordie and Blue, and 2 turtles — Mikey and Leo.

Bio and Picture coming soon...

Dr. Casey’s special interests include general medicine, dentistry, surgery, ophthalmology, and elder care for all dogs and cats while helping his clients plan the best care for all life stages of their beloved pets. He also enjoys the myriad of exotic pets helped at the clinic over his more than 25 years of service.
When he isn’t at Como Park Animal Hospital, Dr. Casey enjoys spending time with his wonderful wife Christa (who is also a veterinarian) and three busy kids. His family pets are continually evolving and have included cats, dogs, avians, reptiles and aquatic animals. Currently his family cares for Dodger the Springer Spaniel and three rescued cats Wheels, Rascal, and Betty.
Dr. Casey spends much of his free time cheering on his kids during their theater, dance line, hockey, and orchestra activities. His personal hobbies include playing hockey, canoeing in the Boundary Waters, shore fishing around Minnesota and Wisconsin, reading good books, and playing board games with family and friends.

Dr. Sweeney grew up in St. Paul and attended Central High School. He joined Como Park Animal Hospital in 2009 when he worked as a veterinary assistant between his graduate school studies and veterinary school. He left us for a short while to pursue his Veterinary Doctorate in Illinois, and returned in 2014 to make St. Paul, and Como Park Animal Hospital, his home. He has a B.S. degree in Animal Science, a Masters degree in Geology, a Masters in Public Health and received his Veterinary Doctorate from University Illinois at Champaign-Urbana in 2014.
Dr. Sweeney’s special interests include primary care medicine, disease prevention, public health, and surgery. He also enjoys the opportunity of working with a variety of species.
When he isn’t at Como Park Animal Hospital, he enjoys spending time with his wife Jessie who is from North St. Paul and their two kids, Brenden and Annika. His hobbies include hiking, biking, camping, canoeing, board and card games, reading history and science fiction, enjoying craft beers, and exploring parks with his kids.

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Emergency Care Physicians:

Dr. Todd has been with Como Park Animal Hospital Urgent Care since 2012 and is our current Emergency Medical Director. She has been practicing emergency veterinary medicine in Michigan and the Twin Cities for over 25 years. She received her Veterinary Doctorate from Iowa State University in 1991. She is an active member of VECCS, AAV, AMVA and MVMA.
Dr. Todd’s special interests include emergency surgery and internal medicine. When she isn’t saving pet lives, she enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter and her pet family including a variety of dogs, and an Amazon parrot named Mozart. She enjoys
the sport of flyball with her dogs and has been competing since 1992. Her other hobbies include gardening, any fitness class and relaxing on a beach by the ocean.

Dr. Pereira has lived far and wide between growing up in Michigan, attending vet school in the West Indies, and spending some time on the east in New Hampshire and Boston before making her way to Minnesota in 2016. Prior to joining our team at Como Park Animal Hospital full-time in 2017, Dr. Pereira provided emergency relief work at other clinics in the area. Dr. Pereira received her bachelor degree from Michigan State University and completed her veterinary education at St. George’s University in Grenada, West Indies in 2014. After completing her clinical year at the University of Minnesota, she went on to pursue an internship in a mixed animal medicine at Myhre Equine Clinic in Rochester, NH (2014-2015) and completed a small animal emergency and critical care internship at Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital in Woburn, MA (2015-2016).
Dr. Periera’s special medical interests include emergency medicine, critical care, and wound management. When Dr. Pereira isn’t saving pet lives at Como Park Animal Hospital & Urgent Care, she is hiking with her husband (who is also a veterinarian), their son, Oliver, and their Corgi, Quinn. They also have an orange tabby cat, Tigre, who does not enjoy hiking! Dr. Periera additionally enjoys spending time with her retired horse and her riding/driving horse.

Dr. Yacout graduated from the College of Veterinary Medicine, Alexandria University, back in 2014 and has enjoyed working in various roles ever since. She has worked in food safety, chicken hatcheries and as a primary care and emergency care veterinarian in 3 different countries!
Dr. Yacout moved from Canada to the USA late 2025 with her husband, Pet-Ra (her half-chicken, half-Malinois puppy), Pumpkin (her dog-in a cat's body) and Panther (her handsome, no-brain-cells cat).
Dr. Yacout enjoys working as an emergency veterinarian and appreciates the challenges and growth everyday provides.
She is fond of internal medicine, critical care and surgery.
When not working, Dr. Yacout enjoys reading (with a nice cup of tea!), hiking, exploring new places and cooking for friends and family.

Dr. Torfin has been with Como Park Animal Hospital Urgent Care since 2012. Prior to that she practiced emergency medicine for over 10 years in the Twin Cities. We were lucky to meet her for the first time when she chose Como Park Animal Hospital as a site for an in-clinic veterinary preceptorship during vet school. She received her Veterinary Doctorate from the University of Minnesota in 2002. Following graduation, she chose to continue her education with an option 1 year internship in Emergency
and Critical Care. She is an active member of VECCS, AMVA and MVMA.
Dr. Torfin’s special interests include wound management and critical care. When she isn’t saving pet lives, she enjoys spending time with her husband and their dogs, reading, and traveling. She’s climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro!

Dr. Anna Ries is also a Twin Cities native. She started working for Como Park Animal Hospital in 2017 as a veterinary technician and continued through her undergraduate and veterinary studies. In 2019 she obtained a B.S. in Biology with a minor in business practice from Hamline University. Dr. Ries then obtained her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Minnesota in 2023. After graduating from the University, she signed full time as an emergency associate veterinary for Como Park Animal Hospital.
Dr. Ries’ special interests include emergency and critical care medicine, exotic medicine and increasing access to veterinary care in these species, and client communication and education.
When she is not at Como Park Animal Hospital typing notes, Dr. Ries enjoys spending time with her whole family and her two cats- Bats and Handsome. Her other hobbies include reading, relaxing, and movies with the family.

Dr. Becker grew up in Roseau, Minnesota, and has been part of the Como Park Animal Hospital family since 2018 when she started as a veterinary technician. After earning her DVM from the University of Minnesota in 2025, she was thrilled to continue her journey with the clinic—this time as a veterinarian!
She has a passion for emergency surgery and exotic species, and she’s even a published researcher in veterinary nutrition and the canine urinary microbiome.
When she’s not caring for patients, Dr. Becker can be found traveling, mountaineering, or spending time outdoors. Some of her favorite adventures include climbing Mount St. Helens and backpacking through the Andes to Machu Picchu. At home, she and her partner share their lives with a lively crew of 13 pets—ranging from a dog and cats to a three-toed box turtle, freshwater puffer fish, and a few other fish and snail species!

Support Staff:

Katie learned early on that caring for animals held a big place in her heart. As a kid she always had numerous animal pets at a time. Not long after graduating high school, she started her veterinary career in 2007 working as a receptionist for Wolff Animal Hospital. Not long after, she moved to Keller Lake Animal Hospital where she was trained on the job as a veterinary technician, caring for dogs and cats. From there, she worked with various species at the University of Minnesota as a lab animal attendant. While working at the U of MN, she started pursuing her Veterinary Technology Certification at Argosy University in 2012.
With exotic medicine being her highest passion, she completed her internship at the Minnesota Zoo in 2014, and extended her learning by completing a 6 week externship with the Denver Zoo.
Katie was hired at Como Park Animal Hospital in fall of 2014 as a Veterinary Technician, then extended her title as Certified Veterinary Technician later that year after passing the VTNE. After simultaneously working relief for the Minnesota Zoo and full time at CPAH briefly, she decided to focus her attention fully at CPAH where she worked both primary care and emergency care.
Katie worked just as a CVT for 5 years before being promoted to Clinic Supervisor in 2019. Katie has now been promoted to Assistant Practice Manager as of June 2025.
Katie’s passions still remain in exotic medicine & husbandry, while also education for clients in how to care for their pets safely. She loves greeting the animals and their owners waiting in the lobby, and is always happy to snuggle any of the puppies, kittens, or rabbits waiting for their exams.
When Katie is not working, she spends time at home with her family, loves to venture outdoors going on walks and camping, or snuggling up with a good book!

Since entering the veterinary field in 2015, she has been dedicated to delivering compassionate, high-quality patient care. She joined Como Park Animal Hospital in 2019, where she works in both primary care and emergency departments. Lauren is also a lead technician and functions as the clinic’s Boarding Coordinator. She has a special interest in animal behavior and is passionate about supporting the human–animal bond through individualized care. Outside of work, she enjoys life with her husband, three cats, and spending time watercolor painting.

I have been a customer service representative for 15 years and working at Como Park Animal Hospital since 2022. I truly enjoy talking with clients about their pets and helping them address their pets' needs.
I am a Minnesota transplant, and live here with my husband Jeff. We have three children and four grandchildren. Our home is also full of pets, including four cats and one dog. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my family, gardening, cooking, and watching movies.

Kelly joined Como Park Animal Hospital in 2018, bringing over 20 years of experience across clinical practice, emergency medicine, referral medicine, and educational facilities. Kelly began her career as a kennel assistant at a primary care practice, later transitioning to emergency medicine after college. She then took a role in the surgery department at the University of Minnesota Veterinary Medical Center for many years and also served as an instructor for a local veterinary technology program.
Kelly joined Como Park Animal Hospital in 2018 as an emergency technician, was promoted to lead ER technician in 2023, and then became Hospital Supervisor in 2025.
A graduate from MIM/Argosy University in 2001 with an AAS in Veterinary Technology, Kelly took the VTNE and became a CVT in 2002. She later earned a BS in Veterinary Technology in 2011 and an MBA in 2013.
An outgoing team member, Kelly is known for her enthusiasm for the veterinary field, whether she is working with clients and patients or developing training and mentorship protocols. While she is proficient in many areas, her favorite specialties include anesthesia, surgical assisting, and emergency medicine. She particularly enjoys the wide variety of exotic and domestic species treated at Como Park Animal Hospital.
Kelly lives in Minneapolis and spends her free time outdoors with her dog, Zelig. She is also an avid traveler and photographer who enjoys documenting her trips across the U.S. and abroad.
Kelly Noyes, MBA, CVT

Bella is a Lead Technician at Como Park Animal Hospital, where she works in both Emergency and Primary Care Services. She also serves as the hospital’s Surgery Coordinator.
Bella studied Biology, Ecology, and Evolution at DePaul University. Her passion for animal health began in field research, working in wildlife studies with Lincoln Park Zoo and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources throughout her undergraduate career. Those experiences gave her a strong foundation in animal biology and a deep appreciation for the complexity and resilience of the natural world.
She has been in the veterinary field since 2020, starting as a kennel assistant and working her way up through scribe and veterinary assistant roles before becoming a technician. Her diverse background and hands-on experience allow her to confidently support both long-term primary care patients and urgent emergency cases.
Bella’s favorite part of working at Como Park Animal Hospital is the variety of cases she encounters — from caring for lifelong patients and building meaningful relationships with their families, to helping stabilize and treat complex emergency situations. She values the opportunity to make a difference at every stage of a pet’s life.
At home, Bella shares her life with her two dogs, Daffodil and Violet, and her two cats, Amber and Agate — who are a daily reminder of why she loves what she does.

Mckenna joined the CPAH team in May of 2024 as an Overnight ER Technician, bringing with her more than a decade of experience in the veterinary field. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Animal Science from the University of Minnesota and has since built a diverse background working with companion animals of all kinds.
Throughout her career, Mckenna has worked in animal rescue and shelter medicine, where she discovered a special love for “bully breeds.” She also has experience in primary care, giving her a well-rounded skill set and a deep understanding of patient care across various clinical settings.
Mckenna has always had a passion for animals — growing up, she was known for bringing home dogs and cats in need, whenever she had the chance. Today, she shares her home with her young pitbull, Finnegan, who enjoys a good game of fetch followed by plenty of well-earned couch snuggles.
Outside of work, Mckenna loves spending time at a family cabin, relaxing on the boat, and enjoying time with loved ones.