Our Staff

Meet Our Staff

Our Pet-loving, Highly Skilled Veterinarian
Dr. Amanda Dykstra, DVM, MPH, DABVP

Dr. Dykstra grew up in rural area and and served in the Army prior to graduating from veterinary school in 2003. She completed a Fellowship in Shelter Medicine at UC Davis, earned a Masters in Public Health at the University of Tennessee, and is a board certified specialist in shelter medicine practice. Dr. D moved to Tennessee in 2014 to teach at the UT College of Veterinary Medicine, where she became increasingly aware of the problems associated with the lack of access to affordable, high quality veterinary care in East Tennessee. The Gentle Doctor is the product of two years of work and research into finding a way to bring affordable care to more Tennessee families. Dr. Dykstra works hard to help her patients while at the clinic, but is also protective of her time with her husband, three children, two dogs, and two cats so she does not see emergency appointments. She is a bit of perfectionist and has OCD, but everyone at the clinic puts up with it because we like our jobs.

Our Clinic Staff

Angela - Office Manager-We are a bit scared of Angela even though she is truly a wonderful human being and keeps this place running smoothly so we avoid barbing her with silly jokes. Her grandbaby is a thing of perfection, and Angela is often with her when not keeping us all out of trouble.

Keisha - Keisha is a full time tech and busy mother of three. She loves pibbles and is a bit of a big dog whisperer. Keisha is most likely to be found helping people or hugging a pibble. She's easily distracted, and this is often used for our entertainment when the clinic is slow. She takes our jabs in stride, and we love her for it. She could use some microscope lessons.

Matthew - Matthew is an occasional receptionist, our garbage/recycling man, lawn mower, and co-owner. He is a middle school teacher and generally just likes being around adults sometimes.

Alex - Alex works full time elsewhere but graces us with her lovely presence when we need help on Saturdays. We're not sure how she puts up with us, but we're glad she does.

Tiny Cat--Tiny is the real boss around this place and enjoys relaxing in the middle of the floor to force people to walk around her, making square holes in the blinds so she can casually gaze outside, and opening drawers so she can steal treats. She also occasionally finds it entertaining to gently place cotton swabs all about the building while the humans are away.

Crystal - Crystal is a full time tech and part time pre vet student. You're most likely to find her singing to a scared dog or laughing so much that it resonates through the building. Someday she hopes to own a low cost vet clinic herself to help underserved pets and people. She speaks fluent Spanish and helps us communicate with many of our clients. We like all of these lovely traits enough that we let it slide that she's from Florida.

Breanne-Breanne is a part time assistant and Dr. D's eldest daughter. She benefits from nepotism and can often be found taking pictures for the 'gram, wearing gym clothes, and helping with puppy visits between returning texts and snaps.

Alyssa-Alyssa is a part time assistant that is often away for college but helps us out when she's in town. You'll often see her about with her casual college student demeanor. She's a hard worker and helps us out a lot on her breaks so we let her casual attire slide.

The Gentle Doctor of East Tennessee
3629 Neal Drive
Knoxville, TN 37918
(865) 377-3236
gentledoctortn@gmail.com