Dr. Bonnie H. Shope
Board Certified Veterinary Dentist®
Dr. Bonnie H. Shope is a Board Certified Veterinary Dentist®. She is a Diplomate of the American Veterinary Dental College® and the past-President. In 2019, she received the AVDC® Peter Emily Service Award, being honored for her service on the Board of Directors, and as past Chair of the College’s Examination Committee and the Training Support Committee. She received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1997 and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brown University in 1991. She completed a residency program in dentistry and oral surgery in 2008.
Dr. Shope frequently lectures to veterinary professionals and the public on subjects related to dentistry in animals. In her early career, she practiced small animal medicine and surgery, then joined Veterinary Dental Services in 2000. From 2002 to 2007, she also worked as a clinical assistant professor of dentistry at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. She is a member of the Foundation for Veterinary Dentistry, the American Veterinary Medical Association, and serves on the board of reviewers for the Journal of Veterinary Dentistry. She has co-authored several scientific papers and recognized an inherited form of enamel dysplasia in the Samoyed dog, working with genetic researchers to confirm this and develop a genetic test. She enjoys teaching, and in an effort to broaden awareness about veterinary dentistry, welcomes veterinary students, technicians, and veterinarians to shadow in the practice.
Dr. Shope is passionate about veterinary dentistry and is guided by her goal to make all of her patients’ mouths “free of infection, free of pain, and one that can be maintained.” When not working, she enjoys spending time outdoors with family and friends, on the water and in the woods, skiing, road and mountain biking.
Dr. Suzanna Hatunen
Board Certified Veterinary Dentist®
Dr. Suzanna Hatunen is a Board Certified Veterinary Dentist® and Diplomate of the American Veterinary Dental College®. She joined Veterinary Dental Services in the summer of 2021. She completed her Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Sydney (Australia) in 2017. She then completed a Shelter Medicine and Surgery Internship at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) in 2018, followed by a small animal rotating internship at the University of Sydney, School of Veterinary Medicine in 2019. After this, she worked as a small animal general practitioner in Massachusetts prior to joining our team. Dr. Hatunen is a member of the Foundation for Veterinary Dentistry, the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Australian Veterinary Association, and is on the American Veterinary Dental College® Credentials Committee. Dr. Hatunen was also awarded the “Dr. Robert Wiggs Outstanding Candidate Award” in 2024 from the American Veterinary Dental College®, and serves on their Credentials Committee. In her free time, Dr. Hatunen enjoys spending time with friends and family outdoors. She especially enjoys swimming, hiking, and skiing.
Dr. Paul Mitchell
Board Certified Veterinary Dentist®
Dr. Paul Mitchell is a Board Certified Veterinary Dentist®. He is a Diplomate and past President of the American Veterinary Dental College®. He graduated from Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1991 as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Mitchell worked for five years in equine and small animal practices and developed an interest in veterinary dentistry. He completed a dental residency at the Dallas Dental Service Animal Clinic with Dr. Robert Wiggs and has served on the American Veterinary Dental College Exam Committee and Board of Directors. He worked for Veterinary Centers of America from 1999 to 2006 as a dental specialist and as their national dental educator. Dr. Mitchell received the “Peter Emily Service Award” in 2012 from the American Veterinary Dental College®. He joined Veterinary Dental Services in 2009. Dr. Mitchell enjoys spending his free time with his family, which includes a French Bulldog named Hershey.
Dr. Hannah Kaplan
Resident, Veterinary Dentistry and Oral Surgery
Dr. Hannah Kaplan graduated with a Bachelor’s in Animal and Veterinary Sciences from the University of Rhode Island and is a 2021 graduate of The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine. During vet school, she was the president of Buckeyes for Greyhounds and K9s, which strengthened her love of greyhounds and nurtured her desire to understand the idiosyncrasies of greyhound medicine. Dr. Kaplan worked in general practice as an associate veterinarian, focusing on small animal medicine for 3 years before joining our team. During this time, she developed a special interest in dentistry and is very excited to grow her passion here while learning the skills and techniques necessary to become a specialist. Dr. Kaplan is a member of the Foundation for Veterinary Dentistry and the American Veterinary Medical Association.
In her free time, Dr. Kaplan enjoys doing projects around her new home and spending time with her husband and their three cats, Caramel, Smokey, and Biscuit.
Dr. Sarah Klein
Board Certified Veterinary Anesthesiologist
Dr. Sarah Klein is a Board Certified Veterinary Anesthesiologist and a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia. She received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Missouri in 2020. She then went on to complete a rotating internship at Angell West in Waltham, MA, in 2021 and then an anesthesia residency at North Carolina State University in 2024. She will be working with us 1-2 days a month to provide specialized anesthetic care to higher-risk cases. She is passionate about veterinary medicine in general and strives to provide a pain-free, stress-free, and nausea-free anesthetic experience for all her patients. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and Labrador retriever, Axel. She loves to cook, try new restaurants, hike, and travel.
Dr. Mahdi Haghighat
Associate, Veterinary Dentistry and Oral Surgery
He completed his Veterinary Dentistry and Oral Surgery training in Towson, Maryland, with advanced training in the diagnosis and treatment of oral and maxillofacial conditions in companion animals. Dr. Haghighat initially earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Azad University (Kazeroon, Iran) in 2006, and once he immigrated to Canada, he completed the North American Veterinary Medicine certification in 2015. He co-founded a veterinary practice in 2016 in Toronto, where he practiced small animal medicine, followed by completing a small animal emergency and referral internship training at the VCA Emergency and Referral Hospital 2019 to 2020. This clinical exposure to complex dental and surgical cases inspired him to pursue advanced specialty training later in his career.
His Veterinary Dentistry residency research focuses on the use of Cone Beam CT technology for the diagnosis of otitis, highlighting his interest in advanced imaging and evidence-based care. Dr. Haghighat is a member of the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association and the American Veterinary Medical Association.
Dr. Haghighat has dedicated his adulthood to a committed and continuing education and the advancement of veterinary dentistry. Outside of his clinic time, he enjoys staying current with emerging dental research and surgery advancement, spending time outdoors with his family, playing and watching soccer, hiking, and exploring the outdoors—often guided by Choco, his energetic Chihuahua.