FRONTIER VETERINARY HOSPITAL - Key Persons
Meet Dr. Gina Hoppe, one of our veterinarians. Dr. Hoppe joined our team in May of 2021
Hi Dr. Hoppe! Do you have any nicknames?
Dr. Giselle Tolson received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Western University of Health Sciences in 2013, and her undergraduate degree at University of California Merced in 2009. She is originally from Los Angeles, California and moved to Portland in 2014.
Her areas of interest include feline medicine, dentistry, ultrasound, and dermatology. She particularly enjoys senior cats (both medically and as creatures), and has significant experience managing hyperthyroidis. She loves the educational aspect of being a veterinarian, as well as helping cats live a better, more comfortable, and if possible, longer life. She's not all cats, though, and relishes any pit bull who comes into the clinic or any dog who is too affectionate for their size, as well as comprehensive care for allergies and asthma.
She shares her home with five senior cats: Ken, Charlie, Bobby, Mimi, and Hannah. She aspires to have a dog someday, but is certainly busy enough with her current clowder. Outside of work, she loves cooking, baking, camping, hiking, running, and generally existing outdoors.
Do you have any nicknames?
At work, I've been GAT (my initials), Dr. T, Dr. Gigi, Eeyore, G Unit, SuperVegan, cat lady, cat doctor, and probably innumerable others. I tend to go by Dr. Tolson, but at this point I'll pretty much respond to anything. I seem to be prone to nicknames… I'm beginning to wonder whether it's an affliction.
In your words, what is your job at Frontier?
My job as a veterinarian is to advocate for the health of cats and dogs, whether that means finding and treating an illness, or advocating for preventative steps to preserve their wellness; this could be as simple as recommending vaccines and prescribing heartworm-preventing medication, as tedious as treating advanced dental disease in a little dog, or as weird as removing a piece of grass seed from an ear or assuring someone that it's OK that their kitten likes to sprint around the house at night. As a part of the veterinary team, I also help to create an environment where both cats and dogs feel comfortable in an otherwise unfamiliar environment, both to reduce their stress as well as better enable us to help them.
Job Titles:
- Medical Director
- Veterinarian
Dr. Lucas Budden received his DVM degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison after graduating from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign with an undergraduate degree in Animal Sciences. He chose to pursue veterinary medicine as a career because of his love and fascination with animals as well as his desire to help people have the strongest bond possible with their furry loved ones.
Lucas originally grew up in the suburbs of Chicago where all the land was flat and corn could be seen for miles and miles outside of the city. He developed a love of the outdoors and after finishing his DVM degree in Wisconsin decided to move to Las Vegas, Nevada to enjoy the easy access to nature in the area. After a couple years he decided to move up to Portland because he missed greenery and felt he needed a lot more rain. He joined the Frontier Veterinary Hospital team in October 2021.
His main medical interests include internal medicine, behavior, ultrasound, neurology, and pain management. Ophthalmology is a slowly growing area of interest for him as well.
In his free time, Lucas enjoys rock climbing, hiking, cooking, reading, and basically any other outdoor activity. He has a 17 year old domestic long-haired black cat named Lance at home that seeks out any available human lap to curl up and sleep on.