Hi!  I'm Dr. Janet Gildner, one of the small animal veterinarians here at Whitewater Veterinary Hospital.  I have practiced for 31 years now, after attending the University of Wisconsin Madison for both undergrad and veterinary school.  I am a native Wisconsinite and enjoy animals (big surprise there!), plants, kayaking, camping, bicycling, and spending time with my three grown kids and friends.  I share my home with lots of pets, large and small, and still learn something from them everyday.  I feel fortunate to have the best patients in the world, and always look forward to trying to improve their lives as much as they improve ours. 

Dr. Matt is a graduate of Iowa State University.  Dr. Matt is a familiar face to our large animal clients and is eager to now be working with companion animals as well.  He has an interest in ultrasound and surgery. He and his wife Dixie (one of our CVTs) live in rural Elkhorn with their two cats Rizzo and Silas and their dog Lulu.  In his spare time he loves to ride his Harley, canoe, hunt and brew beer!

Hi!  My name is Ashley Young, one of the new mixed animal veterinarians at Whitewater Veterinary Hospital.  I was raised in a small rural town in Northern Illinois, but growing up I spent weekends and summers in Whitewater.  I received my veterinary degree from Iowa State University in 2022.  My special interests within veterinary medicine include calf health & lung ultrasound, dairy medicine and hospice care for small animals.  Outside of veterinary medicine, I enjoy waterskiing, spending time with family, hiking with my golden retriever, Stan, and Wisconsin winters (an unpopular opinion!).  I couldn’t be more excited to serve both the small and large animal clients of the Whitewater community that I love so much!  I feel so honored to be able to do what I love every day and strive to provide the best care for the ones that give us so much.

Dr. Tom Smithyman is a 1990 graduate of the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine.  Originally from Hartford, WI, he has practiced large animal medicine here since his graduation.  Tom is a vet credentialed in the monitoring of CWD in the deer and elk herds in our area.  He and his wife, Jennifer, have been married since 1988 and live in rural Fort Atkinson.  They have five adult children and several grandchildren.  Tom likes to hunt, make things with his hands, and loves a good joke.

Dr. Matt is a graduate of Iowa State University.  Our horse clients like Matt's quiet confidence and patience around the horses, and he is equally at home in dairy practice.  He and his wife, Dixie (one of our CVTs), live in rural Elkhorn with their two cats Rizzo and Silas, and a dog named Lulu.  In his spare time he loves to ride his Harley, canoe, camp and brew his own beer! 

Dr. Michael Miesen is a 2007 graduate of the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine.  He hails from a dairy/beef farm near Platteville and was captain of a collegiate soil judging team that won the national contest, twice.  He and his wife, Stephanie, have one son, Emil, and one daughter, Rosie.  Mike is a hunter-fisher-gatherer sort of guy who loves the practical joke!

Dr. Allenstein started the practice in 1955 when he purchased it from Dr. Marsh.  He is known throughout the dairy industry as a doctor specializing in foot health, as the first veterinarian serving the World Dairy Expo, as a regular contributor to Cowside Practice in the Hoards Dairyman magazine, and as a professor of dairy medicine at UW School of Veterinary Medicine. He also instructed several of our large animal veterinarians at WVH.  The dairy herd at the University of Wisconsin is funded by a foundation in Doc's name to train today's and tomorrow's dairy practitioners.  Dr. A passed away in October, 2011.

Dr. Fritz Engel joined Dr. Allenstein in 1958 and retired in 2000.  He enjoyed general practice, and thought veterinarians should be able to care for any animal in need.  While those days have been replaced by more intensive and specialized care by today's veterinarians, it is that James Herriott philosophy that endeared Dr. Engel to so many clients. Fritz and his dogs were inseparable. Besides making good cribbage board holders, they also helped him write his bills!

Dr. Rick Halvorson joined WVH in 1978 and retired in 2018.  He is a graduate of Oklahoma State and grew up in Rugby, North Dakota.  Most notably, he had the honor of being the official veterinarian for the World Dairy Expo in Madison each October, inheriting that honor from Dr. Allenstein.  Dr. Rick always had a smile on his face, a pep in his step, and was always eager to strike up a conversation.  Rick lives in rural Whitewater and has three grown children and several grandchildren.