Dr. Kristen Hutchinson grew up in Toronto, Ontario, where she completed her undergraduate studies in Biological Sciences at the University of Guelph before becoming a student at the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC). She graduated with honors from OVC in June 2012 and moved to Maryland where she completed a 1-year rotating small animal internship at VCA Veterinary Referral Associates. Because of her passion for emergency and critical care, she went on to complete a 3-year Emergency and Critical Care Residency at VCA VRA prior to moving to California. In addition to her passion for emergency and critical care, she has a special interest in anesthesia, pain management and kidney disease. In her spare time she enjoys kayaking, snowboarding, painting, cooking and traveling. She also enjoys spending time with her fiance, Phil, and her cats. She misses her family dog, Summer, who is enjoying life in Toronto with her mother but she hopes to rescue a dog from a shelter sometime soon.