Our caring and compassionate veterinary care team!

Meet the Veterinarians & Team of Carter Pet Hospital in Lake St. Louis! We’re pleased to provide exceptional vet care for your pets!

Please call us at (636) 639-9999 to speak to one of our caring veterinary staff members!

Our Team

Angie Frese, Shift Lead

Angie has always had a passion and interest in animal care. As a child, she wanted to be a veterinarian. After 22 years as a dental hygienist, she decided to pursue her lifelong dream in a slightly different capacity. She loves to be able to learn and grow in the field. Angie feels as if it is truly a blessing to be doing what she loves, and we feel blessed to have her on our team! Angie has three children with her husband Tim named Austin, Tristan, and Abigail. They have a dog named Gunner and two cats named Echo and Flash who are littermates! Angie has her Associates degree in Applied Science and has been in the field for five and a half years. She has owned animals her whole life and has rescued numerous scared, abandoned strays throughout the years. In Angie`s limited amount of spare time she enjoys reading, putting together puzzles, baking, and spending time with her family- furry members included! Angie is interested in anything Boxer related, nutrition, and learning new things. Her favorite things about pets include wiggle butts, special needs, their unconditional love, connecting with them and providing them with a fear free experience. Angie keeps our prescription diets stocked and handles our special orders for our patients!

Ciara Pacult, Shift Lead

Ciara decided to join the field of veterinary medicine because she wanted to help strengthen the bond between pets and their owners through education and make a real difference in pets’ lives. Ciara will celebrate her five-year anniversary with us this fall. In her time with us, she has worked every position from monitoring surgery to coordinating rooms and can usually be found helping clients or cracking a pun. She also runs our Facebook page! Ciara previously worked for a boarding facility and got to take part in daycare, grooming, training as well as working as a shift manager in the kennel. Her special interests include behavior and body language, creative grooming, and genetics. Ciara and her husband Christopher have one son, Cavren, and several pets including four dogs, seven cats, koi fish, snails, and ghost shrimp. In the past, she has had guinea pigs, a pair of keets, a ferret, and even a frog. She especially enjoys caring for the misfits and special needs animals and finds satisfaction in comforting the most anxious pets. Ciara has been known to take in kittens to bottle feed or animals who are missing an eye or a paw. In her free time, Ciara enjoys reading, exploring, spending time with her family, and taking road trips. Her favorite thing about animals is their innate connection to the universe around them and their ability to sense and react to energy alone.

Billi Dickey, Shift Lead

Billi has been with the Carter team for two years now. She joined us for puppy cuddles, helping animals, and the ability to grow within our company. Billi helps us communicate with company representatives regarding heartworm and flea and tick prevention for our patients, doing what she can to keep us fully stocked! Her favorite dog breed is the Labrador, especially the chocolate kind, and she just adores the amount of love they give. Billi and her high school sweetheart, Dakota, are expecting their first baby this summer! They also have 3 fur babies at home: Callie, Gracie, and Oaklyn. Billi’s favorite thing about animals is butt wiggles!

Brooke Slivinski, Technician

Brooke has always had a passion for animals and helping them feel better! She also enjoys educating clients to help them give their pets the best life possible. Brooke and her boyfriend, Cody, have two dogs named Butkus and Maggie. They also have a cat named Audrey and a bearded dragon named D`artagnan (Dart for short). Brooke has been at Carter for about three years now and in the field for five. She has had animals her entire life and owned chinchillas and hamsters. She likes to pet sit all kinds of animals including reptiles, house birds, chickens, turkeys, dogs, cats, and ducks! Brooke especially likes to study parasitology and behavior. She also has a special interest in foreign body surgeries and amputations. In her free time, she likes to hike and craft and notes that she is a professional napper. When asked what her favorite thing about pets and animals is, she states “The bigger the head, the better!”. She is also a sucker for tail wags, hugs, head butts, and kisses from kittens!

Ashley Arbesman, Technician

Ashley has been visiting Carter for longer than she can remember. Her mom is our Medical Director, Dr. Arbesman! She became a part of the team when she turned 16, and in the past 5 years, she has worked multiple positions from receptionist to technician! She is most interested in anything related to cats or Australian Shepherds. Ashley is recently engaged to her fiancé, Justin, and they have 3 cats together named Han, Luna, and Genevieve. Ashley has her Associates’s Degree in Elementary Education and likes to spend her free time watching movies, reading books, and playing board games with her family! Her favorite things about pets are soft ears, fluffy butts, and dogs that walk themselves by holding their own leash!

Kaytlyn Woods, Technician

Kaytlyn has always loved animals and likes being able to help animals and owners along the way. Kaytlyn has been part of our Carter team for three years now! She previously worked as an adoption counselor at the Humane Society and has an Associate of Arts degree. Kaytlyn and her husband, Jake, have four dogs named Duke, Gypsy, Lily, and Rusty. They also have one cat named Dahlia and six chickens! Kaytlyn loves learning new things and has a special interest in dentistry. Kaytlyn can usually be found taking adorable photos of our even more adorable patients or snuggling one of them after surgery! In her spare time, she likes to craft and spend time with her family. Her favorite thing about animals is the endless pure love they give and how amazing they all are!

Jamie Ottinger, Technician

Jamie has her Associates’ Degree in Veterinary Technology from Midwest Institute. She graduated in 2019 and is back in school to get her bachelor’s from Mizzou, aiming to graduate in 2023. Jamie has been in the field for three years, two of them with the Carter team as a technician. Jamie`s love for animals is only topped by her ability to light up a room and put a smile on your face! Jamie has 3 fur babies of her own. Ranger Boy is a lab-pit mix who is 3 years old, and she also has two cats, Apollo, and Noel. In her free time, she enjoys shopping and experimenting with hair and makeup. When she is out on the town you can expect to find her with a microphone in her hand, no matter where she is! Growing up, Jamie always tried to bring home every stray pet she came across and she always knew she wanted to be in the veterinary field. Her interests in the field include anesthesia and surgery. She dog sits for members of her community and her favorite part about pets is puppy breath and when pets hold their own leash to walk themselves!

Jessica Arbesman, Technician

Jessica has been surrounded by veterinary medicine her whole life. Her mom, Dr. Arbesman is our lovely medical director! Jessica officially joined our team two years ago because she loved to see all the happy and furry friends that come through the doors, and she wanted to help clients save their best friends. She also says that the amazing people who are in the field drew her into veterinary medicine. Jessica’s favorite thing about pets is their fluffy wiggle butts and her favorite dog breeds are the Beauceron and Australian Shepherd. She has two pets she calls her own. One is a mini–Australian Shepherd named Baxter, who she took through obedience and agility training over the course of three years. Her other pet is named Ginni! Ginni is a Dutch Rabbit. In Jessica’s free time, she loves taking naps and going out to eat.

Sam Gibson, Receptionist

Sam has always had an interest in animals and spent a lot of time studying them and volunteering for different organizations. She focused on Wildlife Ecology and Conservation while in college and in high school she volunteered for the St. Louis Zoo and was employed there for two years. She did an internship at CoMo Zoo and Conservatory in St. Paul, MN, and took classes at Gulf Coast Research Lab. Sam has a dog of her own, Moose, who is a Great Dane and German Shorthair Pointer mix. Sam has been with us at Carter for two years now and she helps us make sure that all our St. Charles County rabies certificates are filed correctly with the county and keeps us stocked up on rabies tags! In her free time, she likes to read and her favorite thing about animals is their unconditional love, and of course – butt wiggles!

Brittany Howell, Receptionist

Brittany has always loved animals and wanted a career caring for them. She has been in the field for eight months and in that time has become a valued member of our team. Brittany grew up with many animals such as horses, fish, hamsters, cats, and dogs! She has two doggy siblings, Neveah, and Gus. She and her spouse, Cole, have five cats together. Quincy, Alfred, Jack, Lucipurr, and Ember! Brittany has her Master’s degree in Professional Writing and in her free time, she enjoys reading, writing, playing video games, and spending time with her spouse and her cats. She hopes to begin training to become a veterinary technician very soon. Brittany’s favorite thing about animals is seeing all the different personalities shine through!

Alyssa Weidinger, Receptionist

Alyssa joined our team in August of 2021 and in that time, she has truly blossomed! Alyssa’s mom worked in the field, and she used to go to work with her when she was younger, so she has been around animals in a clinic setting for quite some time. Alyssa previously worked as an animal care technician at Petropolis for four years, and her experience there taught her a lot about animal behavior and helped her realize she wanted to further her knowledge in veterinary medicine. Her favorite thing about pets? Butt wiggles! Alyssa has recently enrolled in classes to become a veterinary technician. She has one cat named Bandit and her favorite dog breeds are dachshunds and (yellow) labradors. In her spare time, she enjoys bonding with her significant other, Jack, and her other friends and family. She also likes to read and spend time in nature! Alyssa is truly one of a kind.

Christopher Pacult, Receptionist

Christopher has always had a special interest in animals and their overall health and happiness. From a young age, he was surrounded by them, and getting to help them brings him joy. Christopher’s mom has a knack for taking in all animals who need help. He has gotten to experience pigs, chickens, rabbits, turkeys, hamsters, birds, fish, and countless cats and dogs. Christopher loves learning about animals’ behavior and interaction. He previously worked for a boarding facility and got to participate in daycare, some light grooming, and caring for the pets that stayed overnight. Christopher has been coming in to help us at Carter for a few years now and officially became a part of our team in the fall of 2021. He finds himself outdoors as much as possible and loves to spend time with his family watching a good movie. Christopher and his wife Ciara have a son named Cavren and a houseful of pets! They have four dogs named Karma, Skye, Bumble, and Aura. They also have a “clowder” of cats. Their names are Stormie, Luna, Achilles, Athena, Whiskey, Lumos, and Uno. They have two kois named Echo and Cora as well as countless snails and ghost shrimp! Christopher’s favorite things about animals are how happy they are to see him, face rubs, and knowing he can give his pets the best life possible and keep them safe!

Sandy Ottinger, Kennels

Sandy has always been around animals and can’t imagine living without at least one pet. Her daughter Jamie is the one who truly introduced her to the field! She has been an employee of ours for a year and a half now. Sandy has been with her husband Scott for 38 years! They have children Jack, Jamie, and Dani who gave Sandy a son in law named Braxton and are expecting to bring Sandy her first grandchild, Charli Rose, very soon! Sandy has three dogs named Tommy Woodrow and Punkin, and three cats named Deets, James and Newt! She lists her other pets as her grandoggy, Ranger, and her grandkitties Cesar, Milo, Apollo and Noel. Sandy especially loves caring for fearful or aggressive pets and offering them love and affection so that they know they are loved and that not everyone is bad. Sandy is looking forward to spending time with her granddaughter and when asked what her favorite things about pets are she lists “The Zoomies”, their unconditional love and snuggles!