Our Team at Ayers
Carings Hands and Loving Hearts
At Ayers Animal Hospital, we’re more than professionals in scrubs; we’re pet lovers excited to share smiles, stories, and compassionate care.
Discover the friendly faces behind the lab coats, as we aim to make each visit about health and building lasting connections with you and your beloved pets.
VETERINARIANS
Dr. Mark Ayers (He/Him)
Partner Veterinarian/Practice Owner – Medical Director
Dr. Mark A. Ayers is the founder and medical director of Ayers Animal Hospital. Dr. Ayers graduated from West Virginia University with honors and with a BS degree in animal science. He is a 1979 graduate of Auburn University School of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Ayers founded Ayers Animal Hospital after purchasing the practice of Dr. Harry ‘Bert’ Willet in 1983. Dr. Ayers decided at the young age of 6 that he wanted to become a veterinarian. His family was always surrounded by animals of all types. His family owned everything from milk cows, pigs and chickens to work horses, which his family used to plow the family gardens. Dr. Ayers always had a dog or two that he hiked with and were his pals following him on his bicycle or as he rode his horse through the back roads near his home.
Dr. Ayers has always had a keen interest in both human and animal medicine, and from a young age he loved the sciences. One of his most treasured Christmas presents was a microscope for which his mom and dad sacrificed to purchase for him. Because of his love of people, animals and science, he has devoted his entire academic career and life to veterinary medicine. Even now after over 45 years of private practice, Dr. Ayers still loves his profession as much as ever. He strives to stay abreast with the latest developments in his field. He has maintained a keen interest in dermatology, internal medicine, cardiology, ultrasonography, surgery and radiology.
What began as a solo practice has grown over the past years to a busy five-doctor practice. Dr. Ayers takes great pride in our facility. Dr. Ayers has been married to his wife Judy, for 45 years and has three children; Diana, Jeremy and Charity. Dr. Ayers and Judy currently share their home with their dog, Teddy Bear. They sadly miss their cat Cuddles, who shared their home for 15 years and Simba their Golden Retriever of 13 years.
Dr. Ayers is also an ordained minister and is the pastor of the New Hope Worship Center, Nitro, West Virginia.
Dr. Candie Baker (She/Her)
Associate Veterinarian
Dr. Baker joined the Ayers Animal Hospital crew in January of 2009, but has been a practicing veterinarian since graduating from Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine In 1993 (she’s one of our three Auburn University graduates!). Dr. Baker’s dream while growing up on a 200-acre farm in Olive Hill, Kentucky, was always to be a veterinarian. On the farm, she learned early on the value of caring for animals of many species, having raised chickens, goats, cows, horses, cats and several beloved canine companions. A Kentuckian through and through, Dr. Baker was valedictorian of her high school graduating class at West Carter and attended Morehead State for her BS in Pre-Vet. She holds current, active licenses to practice veterinary medicine in West Virginia and Kentucky. She also has experience in riding and showing horses, and her love of horses continues to this day!
Dr. Baker’s areas of interest within veterinary medicine are surgery (especially soft tissue surgery), internal medicine, endoscopy and exotic animal medicine. She loves that each day in practice is different, with all new challenges and learning opportunities. When asked what she loved about the field, Dr. Baker said, “I love that the field gives me the chance to serve my community, both our animal friends and their human families. I get the chance to help our patients and their families in both good times and bad, and I strive to keep up with the cutting edge of veterinary medicine so I can provide the best medicine and treatment possible.”
Dr. Baker’s home consists of her human family: her father, Carmel, and her partner of 16 years, Fran. She also loves spending time with her three nieces, two nephews, several great nieces and nephews, and a small army of cousins. She also has a furry family made up of her three cats, Allie, Lucas, and Storm. Outside of work, Dr. Baker enjoys fishing, hiking, traveling, Bible study, and spending time with her family and friends.
Dr. Amber Lilly (She/Her)
Associate Veterinarian
Dr. Lilly has been with Ayers Animal Hospital since 2011, giving her a total of 20 years of experience in the veterinary field! She graduated summa cum laude from Marshall in 2006 and went on to obtain her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Georgia in 2010.
Dr. Lilly has always had a love for animals and has known she wanted to be in the veterinary field since age 4. She has a strong passion for science and medicine, as well as the human-animal bond, and she loves knowing she can make a difference in the lives of her patients and their human family. She especially enjoys internal medicine, preventative medicine, ophthalmology, ultrasound/cardiology, and dermatology.
Dr. Lilly has four wild and wonderful human kiddos and one orange cat named Biscuit. Outside of work she enjoys spending time with them, traveling, yoga, going to concerts and musicals, and watching movies!
Dr. Julie Tackett (She/Her)
Associate Veterinarian
Dr. Tackett has been an Ayers Animal Hospital family member since 2018 but has been in the veterinary field for 28 years in all! She completed her undergraduate education at Eastern Kentucky University and obtained her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Auburn University (the same Alma Mater as Dr. Ayers!).
She has experience working in both small and mixed animal practices and is especially passionate about geriatric medicine, palliative and hospice care, preventative medicine, and surgical wound management and healing. She’s also an independent beauty consultant for Mary Kay, so if you’re needing help with your human skin-care regime, Dr. Tackett Is the one for you!
In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her daughter and husband, hiking with her doggos (Haun, Hedda, and Hattie- her trio of rottweilers. Her chihuahua, Bear, prefers a couch nap over a hike!), 4-wheeling, Bible study, herding her clade of feline friends (Max, Amy, Darcy, and Simmy), and directly from Dr. Tackett herself, “Y estoy apriendiendo Espanol!”
Dr. Rebecca Metz (She/Her)
Associate Veterinarian
Dr. Metz joined the Ayers Animal Hospital crew in 2021, bringing with her a full 36 years of veterinary experience! She received her undergraduate degree from WVU in 1984 and headed straight into vet school at the University of Georgia, graduating with her DVM in 1988. Dr. Metz especially enjoys surgery, nutrition, and is passionate about the role she plays in educating pet parents about various topics concerning their pets. Also, while she would never wish ill on a patient, she enjoys the challenge of emergency medicine, knowing that our timely intervention can save lives.
On her time off, Dr. Metz likes to spend time with her family: her two daughters, her son-in-law, and her granddaughter- especially in a quiet and relaxed place- bonus points if it’s outdoors! She also shares her home with her furry family, a small swarm of kitties and a brand-new standard poodle puppy!
SUPPORT STAFF/MANAGEMENT
Elaine (She/Her)
Elaine has 35 years of experience in veterinary medicine and has specifically been with Ayers Animal Hospital since 1999! She always knew she wanted to be in the veterinary field, even as a little kid growing up on the farm and learned about caring for the farm animals. She loves seeing how veterinary medicine has advanced throughout the years, leading to new and varied ways to help our patients. In her spare time, she spends time with her husband and pack of Australian Shepherd dogs (Copper, Blue, and Huckleberry), reading, fishing, antiquing, diamond painting, and making resin crafts!
Alyx (She/Her)
Alyx has been in the veterinary field for 10 years, 8 of which have been spent right here at Ayers Animal Hospital, where she joined our team in 2018. As our Practice Manager, Alyx strives to promote a kind and compassionate customer service experience and seeks that same level of commitment from her team. She works to curate a healthy working environment that best benefits our staff, pets, and pet parents. Alyx is also an Animal Behavior College certified positive reinforcement dog trainer, and really loves enforcing the human-animal bond through positive training and education. Alyx shares her home with 2 cats and her heart dog Finch, a German Shepherd/Husky mix who comes to work with her mom every day to greet our clients!
CLIENT RELATIONS/CUSTOMER SERVICE
Christine (Chris) (She/Her)
Chris has been with the Ayers Animal Hospital crew since 2006 in our client relations crew. She originally bounced between our facility and Animal Care Clinic on 3rd Avenue in Huntington when we were all affiliated, but has found her home here at Ayers Animal Hospital. Chris loves meeting our clients and strives to provide them with excellent and compassionate customer service. She shares her home with her own fur babies and loves to meet our patients!
Jamie (She/Her)
Jamie has been with Ayers Animal Hospital as a member of the Client Relations team since 2012 after retiring from the veterinary assistant world, but she’s been in the field since 1999! She loves greeting all the bright, beautiful faces of our clients and pets! Jamie shares her life with a varied fur family, including Beatrice (a shish-tzu dog), Mae (a cavalier King Charles Spaniel), Leonard and Sheldon (her two cats), and Sandy (a Tennessee Walking Horse), as well as her human daughter. Jamie loves photography and has been featured in a few magazines for her great eye in picture-taking. She also enjoys horse-shows, 4-H, riding and coaching!
Savannah (She/Her)
Savannah joined the Ayers Animal Hospital Client Relations team in September 2023 and has been a wonderful addition to the crew! She loves getting to meet all our wonderful pet parents, getting to know them and getting to know their fur babies. She loves hearing all the unique names people have come up with for their pets! Her own furry family consists of four cats (Jimmy, Lilly, Lucy, and Bubba), and one dog (Tater). She also shares her life with her significant other, Ryan, and enjoys reading, needlework, and logic puzzles outside of work!
Jackie (She/Her)
Jackie just recently joined the Ayers Animal Hospital team in June 2024 but has been involved in various aspects of veterinary medicine since 2018. She attended Marshall University and The Ohio State University for school and has worked as a veterinary assistant, kennel attendant and receptionist within the veterinary field. She enjoys general veterinary medicine, exotic animals, surgery, and the challenge of critical care- she loves it all! She shares her life with her fiancé, Matt, as well as her furry kids, Hank Kenodi (a Great Pyrenees/Aussie mix), Callypso (a calico cat), and Ned (a blue seal tabby cat). In her spare time she enjoys reading, watching any and all good shows, keeping up with the Marvel cinematic universe, fostering baby animals, and finding exciting things to eat.
MEDICAL TEAM
Elizabeth (She/Her)
Elizabeth has been in the veterinary field for 5 years but joined the Ayers Animal Hospital team in August of 2021. She enjoys working with all of our furry and scaly patients and is especially interested in critical care and dentistry. As our medical technician/assistant team lead, Elizabeth likes to ensure all our assistants and technicians are well-trained and ready to provide the best possible care to our patients and pet parents. In her free time, Elizabeth loves outdoor activities such as hiking and horseback riding; she also loves roller skating and working with her ACK Trick Dog Performer, Ember! In addition to Ember, Elizabeth also shares her home with 2 other dogs, 3 cats, one husband, and a small jungle of animal-safe houseplants.
Whitney (She/Her)
Whitney joined the Ayers Animal Hospital team in 2022- her first foray into the veterinary field! She has her Medical and Business Administration certificate from the Cabell County Career Technology Center and is currently enrolled in Penn Foster’s Veterinary Technician program, working toward her RVT license! Whitney really enjoys the hands-on and technical aspects of veterinary medicine, such as running diagnostic tests like bloodwork and ultrasounds. She also especially enjoys learning about the genetics of different breeds and the effects of genetics on breed health. Whitney has two daughters, Brookelyn and Kendall, and loves spending time with them outside of work. She also enjoys genealogy, crochet, and thrift shopping for antique glassware- which she’s careful to keep away from her furry family which includers Dio- an American Staffordshire Terrier/Bulldog mix, Ozzy- a Chihuahua/Dachshund/Miniature Pinscher mix, and 3 orange cats (Alvin, Simon, and Theodore)!
Molly (She/Her)
Molly started her career in veterinary medicine right here at Ayers Animal Hospital in 2006 after attending a dog training class provided by one of our technicians at the time. She knew she wanted to be involved in veterinary medicine from a young age and was constantly “doctoring” her stuffed animals and pets- thank goodness they were tolerant! She worked at Ayers’ all throughout her college career at Marshall University, completing her BS in biological science in 2009 and MS in biomedical science in 2012 with minors in chemistry, Latin, and Classical Literature, and plans to pursue her veterinary technician licensure. Molly has worked in every area of the hospital, from reception to kennels, medical rooms to surgical assisting and management. She especially enjoys surgical assisting, critical and emergency care, exotic animal medicine, and takes great pride in her abilities as a tech/assistant. She also strongly values the role she plays within the practice and strives to improve veterinary medicine through compassion for her teammates, patients and pet parents. Molly shares her home with a small menagerie of pets, including 3 dogs (Nugget- a toy poodle mix, Link- a chow chow mix, and Fitz- an Australian shepherd), 3 cats (Mia, Maggie, and Minnie), 3 ferrets (Dante, Chloe, and Luci-Ferret), and an Eastern Box Turtle named Shelley. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, playing tabletop role-playing games (like Dungeons and Dragons), singing, playing video games, marathon reading sessions, and binge-watching her favorite shows and movies.
Maddie (She/Her)
Maddie has been in the veterinary field since 2022 and started her journey with Ayers Animal Hospital in August of that same year! She’s currently enrolled in Penn Foster’s Veterinary Technician program, pursuing her RVT license. Her passion in veterinary medicine is being able to advocate and speak for her patients. Outside of work she loves to spend time with her mom and dad and her furry family: Ares, Oaklynn, Precious, Teenie, Silas, Stella, Tito and Mimo. Maddie is also a big fan of fishing, kayaking, and making t-shirts in her free time!
Kailey (She/Her)
Kailey came to us at Ayers Animal hospital in 2022 after doing a couple of years of shelter work with the Cabell-Wayne Animal Shelter. Her current plan is to obtain her education for Emergency Medical Services and Vet Tech. When asked about her favorite aspects of veterinary medicine, she said that taking care of patients is very rewarding and that she really enjoys seeing the role our team plays in getting those pets that come to us sick to be able to leave healthy again. She also enjoys geriatric medicine and emergency care. In her free time, she enjoys reading, hiking, a good binge-watch of TV shows or movies, and spending time with her furry family.
Cole (She/They)
Cole started working in veterinary medicine with some volunteer work in 2016 and joined the Ayers Animal Hospital team in June of 2023. Cole attended Southern Regional Technical College and St. Petersburg College in Florida for 4 semesters of coursework toward her RVT licensure. Cole loves advocating for patients and educating owners about veterinary medicine. They love spending time with their spouse outside of work as well as their crew of fur kids: Remi (a chihuahua/miniature schnauzer mix), Zelda (a brown tabby cat), and Tilly (a black cat). Cole also enjoys drawing, singing, reading fiction novels, and playing video games!
Katie (She/Her)
Katie has been involved in veterinary medicine since 2021 and came to Ayers Animal Hospital early in 2024! Katie loves learning new things in veterinary medicine as well as honing her technical skills and learning new techniques. She also enjoys the fast-paced environment, which allows her to see many different cases every day! In her free time, she enjoys giving horseback riding lessons, trail riding, and showing American Saddlebred Horses. Her furry family consists of her heart horse, Quest, Hancock, her American Saddle Bred horse, Sasha end Esme, her Dobermann pinschers, and Nellie, her new Blue Heeler puppy. She also lays claim to one husband, Kaleb.
Kristen (She/Her)
Kristen joined the crew here at Ayers in April of 2024 and came with 3 years of additional veterinary experience. She’s currently enrolled in the Penn Foster Veterinary Technician program to obtain her technician licensure. She loves getting to help all kinds of different animals and loves learning new things every day! Kristen has 3 human kiddos and 5 fur-kids (3 dogs and 2 cats). She loves to take her human kids fishing in her free time, as well as doing other fun outdoor activities like hiking, exploring outdoor areas, and horseback riding.
SURGICAL TEAM
Meagan (She/Her)
Meagan joined the Ayers Animal Hospital team in 2020, making 2024 her 8th year in veterinary medicine. She obtained her AAS in Veterinary Technology from Mountwest Community and Technical College, and especially enjoys surgery and dentistry. She has several furry family members, including her cats (Rigby, Mordecai, Margaret and Annie), and one dog (Eileen). In addition to her fur-kids, she loves to spend time with her human family, including her husband and son. They enjoy spending time outdoors, doing arts and crafts, and checking out really cool cars.
Aaron (AJ) (He/Him)
Aaron has been with the Ayers Animal Hospital crew since 2015, after completing his RVT externship with us that same year. AJ has been in the field since 2012 and attended Carver Career Center to obtain his AAS in the Veterinary Technician program; he’s been a registered veterinary technician since joining the Ayers team! Aaron enjoys helping to educate pet parents on how to better understand and care for their animals, furthering the human-animal bond. In his free-time, Aaron enjoys playing video games and spending time with his menagerie of furry and scaly friends, including his dog, Francine McFancypants, and cat, Me Hani Ika Hali Ka Po the Tripod (…”Po” for short.).
Kaitlyn (She/Her)
Kaitlyn started her veterinary career right here at Ayers Animal Hospital in 2014 after obtaining her Veterinary Assistant Certification from Ashworth College! Kaitlyn is dedicated to caring for her patients and really enjoys nutrition, emergency medicine, and educating pet parents on the importance of quality veterinary care and its role in supporting the human-animal bond. Kaitlyn shares her home with a dog (Bear), a cat (Cinder), and one husband. She also enjoys being active in the community and playing video games with her husband, Adam, hiking with her dog, Bear, spending time with her family, and being a Disney adult (her favorite movie is The Lion King!)!
Savannah (Savvy) (She/Her)
Savannah joined the Ayers Animal Hospital team in 2018, but she has been in the veterinary field since 2009! She graduated from Morehead State University with a 4-year Bachelor of Science degree in Veterinary Technology and is currently pursuing her RVT license. In her spare time, she enjoys arts and crafts, traveling with her fiancé, and indulging her inner movie buff. She also loves to spend time with her furry family, which includes her two pups, Nadia (12) and Peanut (7), and the funniest feline, Bob Saget (9)! When asked what she loves about veterinary medicine, Savannah said she enjoys knowing that she can be there for her patients and pet parents during end-of-life care, providing compassionate support and comfort during a family’s most trying times. She also enjoys surgery and anesthesia, as well as pet parent education!
Dakota (She/Her)
Dakota has been with us here at Ayers Animal Hospital since 2020 after joining the veterinary field in 2018. She’s currently in the Penn Foster Veterinary Technician and Technology program with the intent to complete her AAS and veterinary technician licensing. When asked about the things she loves in the field, Dakota had a long list! She enjoys critical care and helping to comfort sick patients- watching them heal and head home healthier than they came in is a true joy. She also appreciates the ability to help keep patients and owners comfortable and informed when it comes to making end-of-life decisions to help make those last days as comfortable as possible. She loves surgery and aftercare, learning new things and passing that knowledge along to her patients and pet parents. Outside of the hospital, Dakota shares her life with her partner-in-crime, her 12-year-old human son, as well as her furry family, Fredy the dog, and Victoria and Meows the cats.
KENNEL TEAM
Cambria (She/Her)
Cambria joined the Ayers Animal Hospital team at the end of 2023 after learning and working in the field for the previous 4 years (she started in vet med in 2019!). As the team leader of our kennel team, she loves seeing our new boarding pets come out of their shell under our team’s care as they learn to trust us. She especially enjoys making those bonds with her patients and their parents! Cambria shares her home with her mother, Kathy, who’s been instrumental in supporting her through her veterinary career thus far, as well as her furry family: Tessa (a hound-mix), and 3 cats (Cinna, Katara, and Lusy Goosey). In her free time, she enjoys TTRPGs (like Dungeons and Dragons), reading, and playing video games!
Samantha (Sam) (She/Her)
Sam started her career right here at Ayers Animal Hospital back in 2012 and has experience working several areas of our hospital! She loves taking care of animals and helping our boarders and hospitalized patients feel comfortable. She shares her own home with her dog (Justice), cat (Bugzy), ball python (Athena), and bearded dragons (Clifford and Osiris). In her spate time, she likes to play video games!
Chico (They/Them)
Chico has been with Ayers Animal Hospital since the inception of their veterinary career in 2015 and after completing their bachelor’s degree from Marshall University. They have worked with the kennel team and the medical team and really enjoy taking care of our patients and providing them extra comfort. Chico also really enjoys learning about canine and feline allergies, since one of her kitties is basically allergic to the world. Chico has 2 kitties at home: The Chip Cats, Pringles and Ruffles (a.k.a. “Pingoos” and “Roofles”). They enjoy reading and playing video games in their spare time.
Sarah (She/Her)
Sarah has been with Ayers Animal Hospital since 2017 but joined the field in 2015 after receiving her license for veterinary assisting and kennel care from Collins Career Center. Sarah enjoys spending time with all of our patients but has a special passion for working with elderly animals. She’s always interested in learning more about veterinary medicine, and especially about more technical skills such as diagnostics and blood draws. She loves meeting and working with our clients and getting to know them as regulars. Outside of work, Sarah loves spending time with her family, including her husband, Kenny, her son, parents, niece and nephew. She also enjoys taking walks, listening to music, and shopping for fun finds!
Alaina (She/Her)
Alaina started her veterinary career right here at Ayers Animal Hospital in January of 2023! She joined the team to work through her college career- she’s currently enrolled at Marshall University, majoring in Natural Resources and Recreational Management with a minor in Criminal Justice. She’s passionate about wildlife rehabilitation, specifically big cats, and loves seeing animals who have come to us sick regaining their strength and personality through compassionate veterinary care. Her own furry family consists of three dogs (Zeus, Hades, and Roxy) as well as two cats (Moosh and Mercury (“Freddie”)). When she’s not working, she loves taking her dogs to the local dog park, traveling, hiking, reading, baking, and makeup!
GROOMING
Leticia (She/Her)
Leticia has been our wonderful groomer since 2017 and brings 37 years of veterinary experience with her! Leticia graduated with her degree in Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics from the Universidad Autonoma de Tlaxcala in Mexico and obtained her Licensed Pet Grooming Certificate through Penn Foster in 2018. Leticia also passed all her testing and earned her United States Citizenship in May of 2022! She shares her life outside of work with her husband, Anthon, and her furry dachshund son, Stewart. Leticia especially enjoys working with geriatric patients, providing care for them as they experience the challenges that come with older age, and she’s proud to work somewhere that emphasizes pet parent education and teamwork to give them the best quality of life. Leticia loves veterinary medicine and working with animals because she loves spending time with their furry faces every day. Right from the horse’s mouth, Leticia says, “The unconditional love they give me makes me want to give them the best of me in patience, understanding and respect. Working in the veterinary field has made me a better human being.” Leticia also loves to learn new languages, teach Spanish, make art through drawing and painting, traveling, gardening, Zumba, salsa dancing, hiking, listening to rock music and learning guitar!