Meet Our Veterinarians
Our team of veterinarians and veterinary staff have accrued decades of experience when it comes to delivering exceptional, personalized pet health care. That’s why pet owners from Katy, West Houston, Fulshear, Cross Creek Ranch, Sugar Land, Richmond, Cinco Ranch and across the Houston, TX metropolitan area come to our animal hospital when they need access to reliable veterinary services.
Learn more about our team of veterinarians and staff and don’t forget to say hello when you see us next!
When he was five years old, Dr. Thurmond went on a hunting trip in the West Texas mountains. His father found him behind their truck whispering for the deer to run away! From that point on it was clear what Dr. Thurmond would do for a career. Now he cares for animals regularly as the Head Veterinarian and Owner of The WellPet Center.
Dr. Thurmond grew up outside of the San Antonio and Dallas areas, then moved to New Mexico during high school. In 1991 he graduated from New Mexico State University with degrees in Animal Science and Business Administration in Finance. He then went on to receive his DVM from the College of Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Medicine at Colorado State University in 1995. He opened The WellPet Center to offer compassionate care to the animals of the Katy, Fulshear, and Richmond communities.
Client education is an area that Dr. Thurmond especially enjoys. He also likes dermatology, as nothing seems to make a pet and their owner happier than when the itching and licking stops!
Dr. Thurmond met his wife Kim during their last year of undergraduate studies in New Mexico. They have two children; their daughter Kennedy is entering high school and their son Kaden is entering the 5th grade. They have a blonde Saluki mix named Dancer and a long-haired mini-dachshund named Bongo. During the warmer months they keep around eight show rabbits and a goat.
Outside of work Dr. Thurmond is an avid sports fan. His favorite teams are the Texans and the Astros, and he enjoys playing golf when he has the time. He also enjoys coaching his son’s church sports league.
Practicing veterinary medicine runs in Dr. Bryan Ping’s family—both his uncle and grandfather were veterinarians. Having grown up surrounded by animals of all kinds, only one choice made sense for Dr. Ping. Veterinary medicine is truly his calling!
Dr. Ping grew up in Fort Bend County and received his undergraduate and veterinary degrees at Texas A&M University. Since 1995, he’s been practicing small animal medicine in the area. In early 2015, Dr. Ping joined The WellPet Center family as Partner and a full-time Veterinarian. His professional interests include dermatology and internal medicine; both require investigative work, and Dr. Ping loves putting together the puzzle to make a pet feel better!
Dr. Ping’s wife, Amy, is a talented landscape designer who works in Fort Bend. They have two sons, Tyler and Trevor, one of whom is pursuing his own veterinary career path at Texas A&M University. The family is rounded out by two dogs named Dottie and Zoey.
The Pings enjoy traveling and spending time together at the coast as a family. Dr. Ping particularly enjoys golfing and spending time in his elaborate home garden.
From the time that she can remember Dr. Aswad has always worked towards the goal of becoming a veterinarian. When she was eight, Dr. Aswad created a drawing depicting her future aspirations. As a surprise graduation gift from veterinary school, her parents re-gifted this drawing to her 20 years later.
Dr. Aswad loves her life working as a veterinarian greeting each day with enthusiasm on her way to work. She is grateful for the opportunity to help pets develop and grow from the time that they are young throughout their lifespan, well into their senior years. Her cornerstone is the bond that develops over time with both the pet and their owner.
Dr. Aswad provides comprehensive education to each client on their pet’s condition so that they can fully understand the problem and the ins and outs of potential treatments. She emphasizes that if a condition is fully understood, including the significance of treatment options and follow-up, that these long-term conditions can be better tended to providing the best possible long-term outcome for the pet. Dr. Aswad focuses on making each visit as low stress as possible, creating a friendly environment that is full of positive reinforcement minimizing potential pet anxiety.
She and her husband have a daughter, son and a Golden Retriever.
Dr. Aswad treats each patient as if they were her own pet. Her approach to veterinary care involves recommending the best plan for testing/treatment while also remaining realistic in the possible outcomes associated with different treatment options. She educates each client individually on all possible outcomes so that collectively, a solution is found that (hopefully) makes everyone happy.
Dr. Bowling grew up in a small town where there wasn’t always a veterinarian available to help when needed. This instilled in her a compassion for pet owners and their loved ones. Dr. Bowling has always been enamored by the complexity of living things and how they function.
Her goal is for each client to leave fully understanding their pet’s situation with their health and that they trust her as their doctor.
Dr. Bowling’s family includes her husband, Jeremiah, and her cat, Trixie. She met her husband at Texas A&M at the Dixie Chicken while meeting with friends to play dominos. Her cat Trixie was a stray she found in College Station. Trixie enjoys being obnoxious, has a catnip problem and does tricks for treats.
Dr. Bowling adheres to the Golden Rule of always treating people the way that you want to be treated. Kindness is contagious.
From the age of 3 years old, Dr. Hessell knew that she wanted to be a veterinarian and her dream never changed. She always loved and enjoyed being around all types of animals.
She lives with her husband, Ken, whom she met while attending undergraduate school at Michigan State University. They have two daughters; Madison age 16 and MacKenzie age 13. They also have an English Bulldog named Bentley, a French Bulldog named Harlie, two cats named Sparty and Bruno and two rats named Piper and Maizy.
Dr. Hessell strives to provide the best quality of veterinary care while forming long-term relationships and friendships. She relocated to Texas with her family from Michigan in the summer of 2016 for her husband’s job. She worked at her previous clinic for 20 years specializing in small mammals.
Dr. Hessel’s philosophy is very simple; make every day count.
As a young child, Dr. Jessica Rivera grew up visiting and helping animals on her grandparents’ farm. At the age of 12 years, she witnessed a live birth on her uncle’s farm and it was then she knew veterinary medicine was her calling. It has been a passion of hers ever since, and she is grateful God chose her to care for His furry creatures, every day is a blessing. She loves medicine, problem solving and educating clients, but most importantly she loves helping pets and people.
Dr. Rivera’s goal with every visit is to listen and meet the needs of the pet and client. She has a passion for internal medicine specifically, geriatric medicine. Her goal is to make the patient as comfortable as possible while providing the utmost quality of care.
Dr. Rivera lives with her husband, Victor Porras, Jr. also a graduate of Texas A&M University. Victor owns and runs his own law firm. They have two children, Eliana their four year old daughter and Alexander their one year old son.
In her freetime, Dr. Rivera enjoys spending time with family and friends, camping, crafting, fishing and reading.
It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me. Galatians 2:20.
Graduate of Texas A&M in 2011 with a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine
Graduate of Texas A&M in 2006 with a Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences
Graduate team leader for the Michael E. DeBakey Cardiovascular Research Program
Graduate of Texas A&M in 2005 with a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Science.
I have wanted to be a veterinarian ever since I was a young child. I can remember going up to my dad’s animal clinic at all hours of the night and helping him with his patients. Being a veterinarian has always been my life goal and passion.
My goal is to develop great client relationships, make every patient feel loved and cared for, and to make both clients and patients enjoy coming to the veterinarian.
My house consists of a 1 year old lynx point Siamese cat which I adopted during my clinical year at Texas A&M. I have one brother who just started chiropractic school. My mom is a great landscape designer, and my father is a veterinarian as well as my mentor.
“When you feel pain at the sight of the suffering of another being, do not give in to the initial urge to hide from the sight of suffering and to flee from the victim, but on the contrary, rush to the victim and look for a way to help them.” – Leo Tolstoy
I grew up on our family farm and always enjoyed taking care of the animals. I have enjoyed treating my patients for the past 18 years.
My goal is to provide top quality veterinary care and client education. I also want to “help” each patient with whatever problem they may have.
My home consists of my wife, Jennifer, who is a teacher and my two children, Wyatt and Claire.
“Always put forth full effort and dedication to anything that you do.”
Meet Our Veterinary Staff
When she was nine years old, Kandis’s grandfather (a veterinarian himself) encouraged young Kandis to ask a vet at a new clinic in town if she needed help. The next day, Kandis was walking dogs, cleaning cages, and doing whatever was needed of her. By 14 years of age she was assisting with surgeries, examinations, and performing lab work!
Originally from Cameron, Texas, Kandis attended Tarleton State University in Stephenville to start working on her Bachelors of Business Administration in Management. She now lives in Katy with her husband Waylon. At The WellPet Center, Kandis wears many hats, from Vet Tech to Receptionist to Hospital and Practice Manager! Kandis enjoys being outdoors, fishing with her husband, and cheering on the Houston Texans and Astros. Kandis has a cat named Charlie that she rescued when he was two days old and a very active Jack Russell named Franny.
Sarah has always had a special place in her heart for animals. As a Veterinary Technician here at The WellPet Center, she gets to improve the quality of life for pets and their owners on a daily basis! Sarah is also the Technician Supervisor, she feels truly lucky to be a part of the team.
Born in eastern Texas, Sarah moved to Fort Bend County with her family as a young child and has been here ever since. She attended the Vet Tech Institute in Houston to receive her veterinary technology degree, and is particularly passionate about client education, vaccinations, and other preventative care measures. Sarah also loves to help out with surgeries.
Outside of work, Sarah enjoys crafting and restoring furniture, hunting and fishing, cooking, boating, and spending time with family and friends. She has a rescued Catahoula Leopard, Flinn, as well as two horses who are a huge part of her life.
Penny worked in the human medical field for years before realizing that her true passion was with animals. Her hope is for clients and patients to leave the hospital feeling as comfortable and satisfied as she did when she brought her own pets to the center.
Penny is thankful for her two grown daughters, her dog and grandkitty.
Erica has always held a deep passion for animals, feeling deep inside that animal health care has been her calling. She is appreciative for the opportunity to continue her career caring for animals.
She places emphasis on excellent customer service, superior animal care and a warm and friendly experience.
At home you can find her with her fiancé, three little boys, dog, two ferrets and a bearded dragon.
Erica’s life philosophy is simply to live, laugh and love hard.
Bio Coming Soon.
Bio Coming Soon.
Heather always told herself growing up that she wanted to work with animals. Becoming a veterinary assistant was a natural fit for her. She started her career working at an animal shelter, eventually moving her way up to the medical side of the field which she loves.
She aims to ensure the best care possible for both the patient and their owners.
Bio Coming Soon.
Bio Coming Soon.
Bio Coming Soon.
Bio Coming Soon.
Bio Coming Soon.
Bio Coming Soon.
Bio Coming Soon.