AUSTIN VET HOSPITAL - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Managing DVM / View Profile

Dr. Lott was born in Louisiana, and spent the first half of her childhood there before moving to Katy, Texas, so she claims both Louisianan and Texan heritage. She has always loved animals and science and knew from a young age taking care of animals was her calling. She earned her undergraduate degree at Baylor University before going on to Texas A&M for vet school. Throughout high school, college, and vet school, Dr. Lott held a wide array of animal related jobs and internships. She worked in her neighborhood vet clinic, a boarding kennel, a rat and mice research lab, a zoo, a deer ranch, and even with dairy cattle in France, all before deciding on a career in companion animal medicine upon graduating from vet school. She especially likes dentistry and dermatology. Dr. Lott and her husband have two young daughters and are down from their peak pack size of four dogs to just one miniature poodle mix at the moment. In her free time, Dr. Lott enjoys baking gourmet layer cakes, sewing and quilting, and camping and hiking, especially in the Big Bend region.

Dr. Ashley Somers was born and raised in San Antonio. From a young age, she knew that she wanted to care for animals and help people. She volunteered at the zoo, animal shelter, and participated in international mission trips. Dr. Somers completed her undergraduate work at Austin College with a degree in biology. She went on to graduate from Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine. Before joining Austin Vet Hospital, Dr. Somers practiced for many years in San Antonio. Her areas of interest include dermatology, internal medicine, and public health. Dr. Somers enjoys creating treatment plans tailored for patients. When she is not busy at the clinic, Dr. Somers enjoys hiking, cooking, and spending time with her husband and their two dogs, pointer-mix Liberty and boxer-mix Brutus.

Born and raised in Houston, TX, Dr. Christine Cao has always had a special bond with animals from an early age. She began her pursuit of veterinary medicine by obtaining an Ecology, Evolutionary and Behavioral Biology degree from the University of Texas at Austin. While in school, Dr. Cao was a research assistant, biology and chemistry tutor, and spent her free time volunteering at the Austin Humane Society. Dr. Cao completed her veterinary degree at Texas A&M and swiftly made her way back to Austin where she joined Austin Vet Hospital in 2012. In 2017, she became the medical director at Century Animal Hospital. At Century AH, Dr. Cao expanded her veterinary knowledge to include small animal reproduction, commonly performing progesterone testing, trans-vaginal and surgical artificial inseminations, as well as C-sections. After two years at Century AH, she returned to Austin Vet Hospital in 2019 to continue her veterinary practice. Dr. Cao strongly believes that her life has been enhanced by practicing all aspects of veterinary medicine, but feels a particular connection to internal medicine, client education, preventative care, and helping to strengthen the human-animal bond. Dr. Cao also serves on the One Health committee of the Texas Veterinary Medical Association (TVMA), and is a member of the Capital Area Veterinary Medical Association and American Veterinary Medical Association. She volunteers her services with TVMA's Pets Assisting the Lives of Seniors program of Meals on Wheels and the Street Dog Coalition. Dr. Cao shares her Hyde Park home with her husband, young son, and a rescue dog and rescue cat. When not at work, she enjoys Muay Thai kickboxing, cooking, recipe developing, hiking around town, or watching a movie at the Alamo Drafthouse.

Dr. Deniece Wade was born in Beaufort, SC, but she spent most of her life in Gulf Breeze, FL and considers it home. She attended Florida State University where she earned her bachelor's degree in biology. She then attended Auburn University's College of Veterinary Medicine where she earned her DVM degree. Dr. Wade feels lucky to practice veterinary medicine and particularly enjoys dentistry and dermatology. She spends her free time with her two sweet dogs, Raven and Walnut and loves to be outdoors. Dr. Wade looks forward to exploring everything Austin has to offer!