Doctors

Dr. Hunter Vandenberg – Owner

Dr. Hunter Vandenberg grew up in Ankeny, Iowa. He graduated with a degree in Biology from Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa. He attended Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine and received his DVM in 2016. His special interests include surgery, dentistry, preventative medicine, and the itchy dog (dermatology).

In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with family, traveling, biking, and anything involving the great outdoors. He also enjoys aquaponic gardening, a mixture of aquaculture and hydroponics. Dr. Vandenberg resides in Ankeny with his wife Anna, daughters Sloan and Sutton, and their dogs; Enzo (Scottish Terrier/Chihuahua Mix) and Beesly and Riggs (Mini Goldendoodles).

Dr. Dana Danks

Dr. Danks is a graduate of Iowa State University. She received her Masters in Animal Behavior in 1979 and her DVM in 1984. She started work at Ankeny Animal Health Clinic in 1996. Along with working at our clinic, Dr. Danks had a successful 30 years in Animal Behavior practice from which she has recently retired.

Dr. Danks lives in Slater with her husband, Jim, Willow the dog, and 5 cats. They have two sons who are grown and 3 granddaughters. She enjoys the outdoors and reading.

Dr. Betty Grim-Newton

Dr. Betty Grim grew up in southeast Iowa and attended Northeast Missouri State University and graduated with a degree in Animal Science. After working for 2 years for the 4-H program in Illinois, decided to return to school and pursue a veterinary degree. She graduated from ISU College of Veterinary Medicine in 1994.

Dr. Grim and her family enjoy trail riding and competing in Competitive Mounted Orienteering. She lives on a small acreage in Madrid with her husband and son, 2 dogs, 4 cats, and 5 horses.

Staff

Heather Osborn

Surgical and Technician Staff

Heather joined the Ankeny Animal Health Clinic staff in 2000 after attending Southwestern Community College where she played softball. Heather currently lives in Mitchellville with her husband Jeff, kids; Jade and Josie, and her menagerie of pets; Radish and Alfie (Pugs), Billy and Marsha-Mella (Cats), Peter (Leachianus Gecko), and many chickens, ducks, and fish. When not working She enjoys gardening, coaching her daughter in softball, gathering with family, and traveling.

Jessica Hans

Office Manager

Jessica first joined the Ankeny Animal Health Clinic staff in 2001 as part of the technician staff while attending Des Moines Area Community College. In 2017 she stepped away from our full-time staff while her kids were in their crazy busy years only filling in when needed. In August of 2021, she rejoined our regular staff as our Office Manager. Jessica lives in Ankeny with her husband Derrick, kids Lily and Austin, dogs Trixie (Weimaraner) and Cholula aka Lu (Pug), and cats Goose and Maverick. Jessica loves road-tripping with her family to National Parks and spending her weekends watching her kids play ball.

Christa Schroeder

Surgical and Technician Staff

Originally from the East side of the state, Christa migrated to central Iowa to attend Iowa State University and pursue a career in Engineering. After a few years in the field, a drastic change in career path led her here. She lives in Ankeny with her family: Marshall, a Math professor at DMACC, and Linus, a Border Collie/Norwegian Elkhound mix. Rain or shine, they can be found walking the High Trestle Trail, running and swimming at the dog park, playing frisbee, attempting to hike all National and State Park and Recreation areas, and barking at emergency sirens.

Courtney Pontious

Registered Veterinary Technician

Courtney started in 2014 as a kennel attendant while she attended the DMACC veterinary technician program. After graduating in 2016 she became a full-time RVT at the clinic. She lives in Ankeny with her husband Tim. Together they have a chaotic household of three children, three dogs, and one cat. In her free time, she enjoys making memories with her family and friends, shopping at Target, and binge-watching a variety of shows on Netflix.

Ali Hopkins

Client Care Specialist

Originally from Minnesota, Ali moved to the area to pursue a degree in Animal Science at Iowa State University. She started with Ankeny Animal Health Clinic in 2019 working part time while finishing her degree. After graduating in 2020, Ali joined our team full time as a veterinary assistant. These days you’ll find Ali’s smiling face at our front desk working as our full time Client Care Specialist. Ali enjoys living in Ankeny with her high school sweetheart, John. Together they have two black labs named Benny and Cash, and a chinchilla named Hank. In her free time, she enjoys camping trips to Minnesota, hunting, fishing and spending time with friends.

Ashlyn Brungardt

Veterinary Assistant

Ashlyn grew up in Ankeny, IA but now lives in Alleman with her fiance, Matt, 2 dogs; Hemi (Beagle) and Pluto (Lab Mix) and her flock of 8 Chickens. Ashlyn joined our team in 2018 working part time while in high school. After graduating from Iowa State University with a degree in Animal Science, she now works full time at the clinic. In her free time, you can find her camping, hiking, fishing, hanging out with her animals or doing anything outdoors.

Quentin Vandenberg

Veterinary Assistant

Quentin is an Ankeny native who graduated from Centennial High School in 2017. He is an avid gamer and splits his time between that and taking care of his special needs cat named Stubbz. Quentin’s dream career would be to open a cat hospice facility and give all the old and sick cats great medical care and snuggles.

Payton Kingery

Veterinary Assistant

Payton grew up on the East side of Des Moines and attended Southeast Polk High School, graduating in 2022. She joined our team in 2021 working part-time while finishing school then became full-time after graduation. In her free time, she enjoys going to her family farm riding dirt bikes, fishing, and spending time outdoors. Payton lives in Runnells with her three dogs: Annabelle (American Bully), Shorty (Pitbull/Beagle), and Tiger (Pitbull).

Michaella Nolin

Veterinary Assistant

Michaella Nolin grew up in Ankeny IA and graduated from Ankeny High School in 2022, she is the newest member of the team and joined in 2023. She has two cats and two dogs: Truly, Kujo, Bellamy (Saint Bernard), and Chico (Pomeranian). In Michaella’s free time, she enjoys snuggling with her cat Truly while watching TV or going on adventures with her pets. She also enjoys traveling and going to her favorite song artists concerts.

Mildred

Supervisor of All Things

Millie joined our staff as a supervisor in June of 2020. She keeps everyone on their toes letting us know when it’s time to feed her and when we’ve missed her afternoon treats. You can often find her keeping watch from one of the clinic’s windows or napping in the sun in her bed.