Oak Tree Animal Rehabilitation - Our Staff


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Waka Blair, DVM, CVA, CVFT, CCRP
Dr. Blair is the owner of Acorn Veterinary Clinic. She worked as a veterinary assistant at Acorn and as a registered veterinary technician/Small Animal Renal Transplant Coordinator at UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital prior to attending veterinary school at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, where she graduated with honors in 2010. Following graduation, she trained through the small animal medicine and surgery internship at Texas A & M University as well as the small animal emergency and critical care specialty internship at UC Davis. She studied eastern medicine for animals while working at a busy after-hour emergency clinic and furthered her studies through Chi University in Florida by training in Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM). Her certifications include certified veterinary acupuncturist (CVA), food therapist (CVFT), and certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner (CCRP) from the University of Tennessee. She is currently in the process of obtaining a certification in Palliative and End-of-Life Care through Chi University. Her professional interests include animal physical rehabilitation and integrative medicine. She was born and raised in Japan and is fully fluent in both English and Japanese. She enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter and three furry children (two cats and a dog), gardening, skiing and working out.
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Arlene McKinstry, DVM, CCRP, CVA
Dr. McKinstry received her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Iowa State University in 1994. She fulfilled her lifelong dream of becoming a veterinarian after studying Animal Science at the University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez. Her experience and interests include internal medicine, surgery, geriatric care, physical rehabilitation, and pain management. Her passion is to improve the quality and enjoyment of life for all her patients. She has expanded her general practice experience by furthering her training with an interest in Integrative Medicine. Her certifications include Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner (CCRP) from the University of Tennessee and Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist (CVA) from the Chi University in Florida. She is currently working on obtaining her certification in veterinary Chinese herbal medicine. Outside of work she enjoys spending time traveling with family and friends, reading, photography, and scrapbooking. Her family includes her husband, children, dogs, and a tortoise.
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Emily McKay, PT, DPT, CCRP
Emily McKay grew up just outside of Sacramento, in Folsom, California. Emily always knew she wanted to work with animals, but it was in high school when she determined she wanted to be a physical therapist. After graduating with her B.S. in Applied Health from Azusa Pacific University, Emily moved to Denver, Colorado to complete her Doctorate in Physical Therapy in 2018, from Regis University. Emily was not going to give up on her desire to work with animals, so she completed her certification as a Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner (CCRP) from the University of Tennessee shortly after she graduated with her doctorate. Emily very quickly transitioned her career in physical therapy from humans to canines. She worked at a small outpatient clinic performing rehabilitation on canines for a short period of time before returning to her home state in 2019, accepting an opportunity to work as the small animal physical therapist at the UC Davis Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital. Emily learned a lot working alongside well known neurologists and orthopedic surgeons. After a couple of years at UC Davis, Emily found a new home here at Oak Tree Animal Rehabilitation. Outside of work, Emily and her husband are experiencing the new adventures of parenthood!
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Barbara Barajas, RVT
Barbara has been a licensed Veterinary Technician (RVT) since 1982. She worked at Woodland Veterinary Hospital for 18 years after which she spent 19 years working in shelter medicine. Through the combination of both “worlds” she has gained a lot of experience handling dogs and cats of all temperaments. She is excited to be part of the team at Oak Tree Animal Rehabilitation and feels privileged to assist in the rehab center to improve the lives of our “senior” fur kids.
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