University Place Veterinary Hospital

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Our Team

Veterinarians

Dr. Dave Luttinen

Dave Luttinen, DVM, DABVP, is a board-certified veterinary practitioner in Dog and Cat Practice, as a Diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners (www.abvp.com). He is therefore considered both an Expert and Specialist in the area of Dog and Cat Practice. He particularly enjoys helping pets with complicated medical, surgical, and dental needs! Dr. Luttinen owns both Wheaton Way Veterinary Hospital (Bremerton, WA) and University Place Veterinary Hospital (Tacoma, WA). He loves challenging cases, consults, and referrals!

Dr. Deanna Shafar

Deanna Shafar has been practicing veterinary medicine in the Tacoma area for 31 years focusing exclusively on avian patients. Dr. Shafar's only regret is that she did have the foresight early on to keep a list of the myriad of species she's encountered. She does not regret, however, that many of her clients have become dear friends. Dr. Shafar received bachelors degrees from both Seattle University and Washington State University where where she also received her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine. She is privileged to have many wonderful relationships with professional friends and colleagues and is an active member of several veterinary associations.

Dr. Kelli Smith

University Place Veterinary Hospital would like to announce the addition of Dr. Kelli Smith to our veterinary team. Dr. Kelli Smith, originally from Snohomish, WA recently relocated to the Pacific NW after completing a competitive 1-year small animal medicine and surgery internship at Iowa State University. She earned her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University. She and her husband, Tom, have two adorable kitties, Trinity and Zoey. Dr. Smith enjoys working on emergency and internal medicine cases! For fun, she enjoys traveling, wine, food, reading, and ballroom dancing!