Staff

Dr. Josh Ettlin earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree at the University of California, Davis.  Most mornings you will find Dr. Ettlin working at local area farms and ranches. He has a passion for working with livestock as he spent the earliest part of his career working predominantly on large cattle ranches and dairy farms. However, sheep, goats, and pigs are also some of his favorite animals to work on. When Dr. Ettlin is not in the field, he takes pride in caring for the dogs and cats in the community. In the fall of 2018, Dr. Ettlin purchased Sierra Oaks Veterinary Services (previously Pleasant Valley Vet Center).  This made it possible for Dr. Ettlin to pursue his dream of owning a veterinary practice that served the needs of both small and large animals.

Dr. Ettlin is a 5th generation native of Nevada County dating back to the 1800's. He most enjoys spending time with his family; his beautiful wife, Kaytie, and four children Paisley, Jaedyn, Quinci, and Bryson. Outside of family time, Dr. Ettlin is an avid outdoorsman. The family also has a small farm with sheep, goats and chickens that keep him busy. He is a big supporter of 4-H, FFA, and the local agricultural community.

Mimi Vishoot grew up Los Gatos, California, on the oak woodland hillsides of the Santa Cruz Mountains. She obtained her undergraduate degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology with a minor in Chemistry from Humboldt State University in 1985. After working in a San Francisco Bay Area biotechnology company on the development of a vaccine against mycoplasma pneumonia of swine, Mimi was accepted into the School of Veterinary Medicine at UC Davis. She graduated with her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine degree in 1994.

Dr. Vishoot honed her skills as a small animal veterinarian working with dogs and cats at Midtown Animal Clinic in Davis before purchasing a home in Nevada City, California, in 1999 with her husband Steve Nicholson. After working at clinics in the area for six years, she and Steve took the plunge in 2005 and purchased a small animal clinic in Penn Valley, California. Dr. Vishoot and the caring staff at Pleasant Valley Veterinary Center nurtured the practice, clients, and their beloved pets until transferring ownership to Dr. Josh Ettlin and Sierra Oaks Veterinary Services in October, 2018.

Mimi continues to care for dogs and cats at Sierra Oaks. She and Steve live in Nevada City with their 2 dogs, Winnie and Jemaine. Patrick, the clinic cat, still lives at Sierra Oaks. Ruby, Mimi’s Quarter Horse mare, lives in Nevada City. In her spare time, Mimi enjoys hiking, skiing, trail-riding, singing (along with Steve) in Sierra Master Chorale, culinary endeavors (along with Steve), and practicing tai chi and qi gong. 

Dr. Lester graduated from UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in 1994. Her
first job was at an all women large animal ambulatory practice in the Central
Valley. This was a great time, but she is glad to no longer be doing 6 am dairy
calls!
Since that time Dr. Lester has been in mixed and small animal practice in
Northern California. She enjoys helping people keep their pets healthy by being
proactive with preventative care. Dr. Lester has been a proud member of the
team at Sierra Oaks Veterinary Services and Pleasant Valley Veterinary Center
since January, 2009.
Prior to veterinary medicine, Dr. Lester earned a Masters degree in marine
biology and did research on marine invertebrates in Bermuda. Her early years
were spent growing up near Folsom Lake, attending Sierra College, and
completing a Bachelor’s degree in Biology with minors in Chemistry and Music
Literature from UC San Diego.
Dr. Lester enjoys gardening, attending local theater and music events, reading,
and spending time with 2 cats, Robbie and Henry.

Dr. Fossum was born and raised in Southern California. She completed her undergraduate
education at the University of California, Davis, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in
Zoology in 1975. She returned to UC Davis, earning her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in
1981.
After being involved for several years in small animal practice in the Glendale area of So.
California, Dr. Fossum relocated to Nevada County in 1988. Dr. Fossum worked for many
years in general practice in Auburn and Grass Valley prior to joining Pleasant Valley Veterinary
Center (Now Sierra Oaks Vet) in 2016. Her professional interests include preventive care, feline medicine, behavior,
dermatology, and low stress handling. She enjoys client education and encouraging positive
interactions that enhance the human animal bond. Dr. Fossum is grateful for the opportunity to
provide compassionate care and to learn from her patients, who have so much to teach.
In her spare time away from veterinary medicine, Dr. Fossum enjoys spending time with her
four dogs and three cats. She also enjoys gardening, music, and participating in K-9 Nose
Work with Munch, her Norwich terrier and Clover, her Shih Tzu mix.

Since she was 3 years old, Dr. Byers always wanted to be a Veterinarian. She started working in a vet clinic at the age of 15 through the local ROP (Regional Occupational Program). Eventually she was hired and became a vet assistant/technician. After High school she went to Sierra College and then transferred to UC Davis to finish her bachelor's degree in Animal Biology. She was then accepted at St. George’s University College of Veterinary Medicine were she lived on the small island of Grenada. Her final year of vet school was completed at Oregon State University. After obtaining her DVM from SGU, Dr. Liz returned to her hometown of Grass Valley as a small animal practitioner.Dr. Liz has interest in cardiology, anesthesiology, clinical pathology and small animal surgery. 

Dr. Liz loves being a veterinarian and even on her days off always seems to be doing something animal related. Both Dr. Liz and her husband Cam were competetive dog sled mushers and enjoy playing with their three Northern breed dogs (Diesel, Neya and Maverick). Their hobbies also include skiing, traveling the world,  and wake surfing.  

Caitlin was raised in Truckee, CA. She received her bachelor's degree in Animal Science from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo in 2007. She joined the team at Pleasant Valley Veterinary Center in 2007 and has continued on to join Sierra Oaks Veterinary Services. She received her Registered Veterinary Technician license in 2015 after completing a program through Veterinary Allied Staff Education. 
 

Caitlin lives with her family on a small ranch in Penn Valley. In her free time she enjoys spending time with family and her border collies, running, hiking, riding horses, and running a small commercial cow herd.

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Vet Assistant