Meet Our Veterinarians
AnimERge is staffed with a team of experienced, compassionate veterinarians to care for your pet when it matters most. Click on the names below to learn more about our team, and let us know if you have any questions.
Medical Director
Dr. Barbara Guy
Dr. Barbara Guy
DVM, Medical Director | Emergency Clinician
Since the age of 12, Dr. Guy knew she wanted to become a veterinarian, after being inspired by grandfather, who also wanted to be a veterinarian as a child, but could not afford to go to college. His love for animals stirred her love for animals. She combined this love with her caregiving personality and intellect in her decision to pursue veterinary medicine, fulfilling her dream and that of her grandfather. She earned her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Minnesota.
Dr. Guy’s veterinary career began with her own private practice, where she specialized in equine medicine, but she eventually shifted toward emergency veterinary care and joined the team at AnimERge in 2007. To stay current on the latest in veterinary medicine, she holds affiliations with the American Veterinary Medical Association and Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association. She has also completed continuing education courses at North American Veterinary Community Conference and Atlantic Coast Veterinary Conference.
Dr. Guy is the proud mother of three, which she considers one of her greatest accomplishments. She is also a pet mom of three cats named Bunny, Peter, and Oliver and a dog named Phoebe. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling to new places for the many new visual splendors and meeting new people. She also loves Disney and has visited many times without ever tiring of it.
Dr. Dean Newton
Dr. Dean Newton
DVM, Medical Director
Dr. Dean Newton is a 1976 graduate of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State University. He worked in general practice in upstate NY for several years. He then continued his education with a residency in theriogenology at Michigan State University, followed by employment with the New York State College of Veterinary Medicine in the department of pathology.
Dr. Newton came to the Garden State as the chief veterinarian of Lana Lobell Farms, a large Standardbred nursery where he was responsible for the care of 1,200 animals, comprising the breeding program, reproductive pathology and microbiology, and foal and yearling care. He has participated in many clinical trials, including the use of innovative vaccines and treatments in horses. He brings his wealth of experience in all aspects of veterinary medicine to AnimERge, where he has enjoyed being an emergency clinician since 1989.
In 2006 Dr. Newton spearheaded an ambitious expansion and remodeling project, transforming AnimERge into a 24/7 facility in May of 2007. With the enhanced technologies and additional medical space available, he helped AnimERge add specialty services by bringing on a full-time board certified surgeon and two part-time ophthalmologists with others soon to follow.
Dr. Newton is a member of the AVMA, NJVMA, NJ Metropolitan VMA, AAEP, and the Society of Theriogenology. He has four children, one of whom is preparing for a career in veterinary medicine. His wife, Dr. Karan Oberhansley, has a successful small animal practice. His interests include biking, fishing, and aviation, and he is also a part-time flight instructor.
Emergency
Dr. Andrea Freeman
Dr. Andrea Freeman
VMD, MS | Emergency Clinician
A native of Hunterdon County, NJ, Dr. Freeman obtained her bachelor’s degree from Washington University in St. Louis. While in college, she worked as a veterinary technician in small animal and equine general practice as well as at a small animal emergency and referral practice. She also raised and assisted in the training of service dogs. Dr. Freeman then completed a master’s degree at Columbia University with a focus on wildlife health and parasitology.
Following graduate school, Dr. Freeman moved to Philadelphia to continue her research in parasitology at the University of Pennsylvania for two years prior to obtaining her veterinary degree, also from the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Freeman’s veterinary parasitology research conducted at field sites in Africa and Argentina for the Wildlife Conservation Society and Smithsonian Institute, at the Bronx Zoo, and at the University of Pennsylvania has led to a number of publications in peer-reviewed veterinary journals.
After veterinary school, Dr. Freeman practiced at a busy small animal practice in Middlesex County, NJ, prior to joining the staff at AnimERge full time. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, traveling, playing the piano and spending time with her pets, including visiting hospitals with her certified therapy dog, Annie.
Emergency
Dr. Ada M. Guzman
Dr. Ada M. Guzman
DVM | Emergency Clinician
Dr. Guzman knew she wanted to become a veterinarian when she was just 8 years old. She has always been a caretaker at heart, and with her love for animals, pursuing a career in veterinary medicine was the natural choice for her. She earned her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from Cornell University. Since graduating from veterinary school, she has worked primarily in emergency medicine and critical care at practices throughout the mid-Atlantic region and in Puerto Rico.
She joined the AnimERge veterinary team in 2003, and with her years of experience as an emergency veterinarian, she has grown to love the pace and adrenaline rush of the practice. She also loves her nursing staff and spending time with animals and the people who love them.
To stay updated on the latest in emergency veterinary medicine, Dr. Guzman is affiliated with the American Veterinary Medical Association, Cornell Club of New York City, and New Jersey Veterinary Medical Association. She also completes continuing education (CE) courses regularly at the Atlantic Coast Veterinary Conference and North American Veterinary Conference, and she attends CE lectures at Blue Pearl Veterinary Partners in New York City.
Dr. Guzman has had many memorable experiences in the field, but one that stands out to her is the summer that she completed the Practitioner-in-Residence program at Cornell University Hospital for Animals. During that program, she taught fourth-year veterinary students and joined in multi-speaking rounds and lectures.
When she is not caring for animals in the ER, she spends time with her husband, son, and their cat Toño. She also loves to travel, spend time at her “hoods,” volunteer at her son’s school, paint with acrylics, and speak four different languages at home with her family.
Emergency
Dr. Peggy Hauck
Dr. Peggie Hauck
DVM | Emergency Clinician
Dr. Hauck began working at AnimERge in 1993 as an assistant while obtaining her undergraduate degree at Cook College, Rutgers University. She received her veterinary degree from the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1997 and then completed a small animal rotating internship at the Animal Medical Center in 1998. After her internship, she practiced as an emergency clinician at both AnimERge and the Long Island Veterinary Specialists before becoming full-time at AnimERge in 1999.
Dr. Hauck lives in Pennsylvania with her husband Matt, son Nathan, and three cats: Indy, Benjamin, and Oreo. She enjoys the outdoors and getting away to the beautiful 1000 Islands/St. Lawrence River whenever she has the chance.
Emergency
Dr. Brett Newton
Dr. Brett Newton
DVM | Emergency Clinician
Dr. Brett Newton is originally from Hunterdon County, NJ, where he grew up on a small farm as the son of two veterinarians. He has spent the last 10 years in Florida, first working as a veterinary technician at a small animal and exotics hospital in the Florida Keys, where he often worked overnight as an emergency technician. He received his bachelor’s degree in animal science from the University of Florida in 2010 as well as his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 2014.
Dr. Newton is an avid bicyclist. He and his father recently cycled 450 miles across the state of Iowa in his third RAGBRAI. He enjoys hiking, boating, scuba diving, wake boarding, and snow skiing. Having spent 10 years in Florida, he has become a salt-water aquarium specialist and has a large beautiful tank with numerous species from the Florida Keys. His personal pets include a golden retriever, Scarlet, and a Siamese cat, Guinevere.
Emergency
Dr. Danielle Lee
Dr. Danielle Lee
DVM | Emergency Clinician
Dr. Lee has been part of the AnimERge team since August 2015 with special interests in surgery and internal medicine. Originally from East Brunswick, she earned her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from St. George’s University in Grenada while performing pharmaceutical research. She also received a certificate for completion of a rotating small animal medicine surgery internship from Red Bank Veterinary Hospital. It was during this one-year internship that she discovered her love for emergency medicine.
Dr. Lee is affiliated with the American Veterinary Medical Association, Metropolitan New Jersey Veterinary Medical Association. As one of our emergency veterinarians, she enjoys working with a motivated, passionate support staff and providing support and guidance to owners when their pets are unwell.
When she is not caring for pets at work, Dr. Lee spends time with her own pet, a toy Maltese named Brooklyn, and with her family and friends. She also enjoys hiking, occasionally spending the day in New York City to try new foods or enjoy a Broadway show.
Dermatology
Dr. Ian Spiegel
Dr. Ian Spiegel
VMD, MHS, Diplomate ACVD | Dermatology
Dr. Spiegel received his veterinary degree from the University of Pennsylvania, School of Veterinary Medicine in 2002. Previous training included completion of a master’s degree in health sciences from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and Hygiene. To further his veterinary education, Dr. Spiegel completed a one-year internship at Cornell University and a three-year residency in dermatology and allergy at the University of California, Davis, in 2005, becoming board-certified later that year. A noted author and contributor to many prestigious veterinary publications, Dr. Spiegel also serves as a consultant for the Veterinary Information Network (VIN).
Surgery
Dr. Roxane Collins
Dr. Roxane Collins
DVM, MS, Diplomate ACVS | Surgery
Dr. Collins spent her formative years on the open plains of Colorado where among many other unusual skills she learned how to milk cows by hand. It was her experience on the farm, interacting with cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys, dogs and cats that led her to choose a career in veterinary medicine. Once in the veterinary curriculum at Colorado State University she fell in love with surgery; every day was another opportunity to remove disease or mend a bone. Dr. Collins focused her veterinary education specifically on small animal surgery in 1994. She did a rotating internship at The Ohio State University in Columbus, OH, and was invited to become a surgical resident. After her residency she was asked to stay at the veterinary teaching hospital as a clinical instructor for one year. Dr. Collins moved to New Jersey with her husband in 1999 at which time she ran a mobile surgery service in northwestern New Jersey for one year before joining the surgery team at Garden State Veterinary Specialists. Dr. Collins started the Animerge surgery service in 2007 and could not live without her two indispensable surgery technicians, Cyndi and Christie. In the summer Dr. Collins can be seen riding her bike to and from the Animerge hospital.
Ophthalmology
Dr. Michael H. Brown
Dr. Michael H. Brown
DVM, MS, Diplomate ACVO | Ophthalmology
Dr. Brown became a veterinary ophthalmologist at AnimERge in September 2007 and has enjoyed with his professional colleagues who share his goals of helping pets and the people who love them ever since. His decision to become a veterinarian stemmed from his ability to combine surgery with medicine and to play with various medical devices, and thanks to his first dog Burt, he learned the value of the human-animal bond. He earned his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from Kansas State University, where he also received several awards in toxicology and surgery proficiency.
Dr. Brown is affiliated with several veterinary organizations, which allows him to stay current on the latest changes in veterinary ophthalmology. These include the American Veterinary Association, American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists, International Society of Veterinary Ophthalmologists, Northern New Jersey Veterinary Medical Association, and Metropolitan New Jersey Veterinary Medical Association. He has also completed continuing education courses in toxicology, cataract surgery, and business management.
One of his most memorable experiences in the field was when he performed an eye exam on Shamu the whale at Sea World. In his free time, Dr. Brown enjoys biking/spinning, hiking, camping, listening to live music, attending comedy shows. He also cares for his own dog, a boxer named Newton.
Cardiology
Dr. Ryan Keegan
Dr. Ryan Keegan
DVM, Diplomate ACVIM | Cardiology
Dr. Keegan is a proud life-long New Jersey native. After attending the University of Notre Dame, he received his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from Colorado State University. He then completed a one year rotating internship at Oradell Animal Hospital. Dr. Keegan’s love for cardiology came after adopting an amazing little poodle named Boo with heart disease during veterinary school who eventually lost his battle after 5 years of friendship. He thankfully contributes the quality of Boo’s wonderful life to the expertise of several cardiologists and veterinarians over that time. So with a fascination for cardiovascular physiology and improving the quality of life of animals with heart disease, Dr. Keegan completed a 3 year residency in cardiology at Red Bank Veterinary Hospital and received Board Certification (Specialty of Cardiology) in 2014. His goal is to provide the most accurate diagnosis, prognosis, and quality-of-life tailored treatment for your pet’s heart condition. Dr. Keegan enjoys swimming, the beach, and participating in rescue/shelter work. He resides with his wife, a cat, and a loving pack of dogs.