Our Veterinarians
Shaylene Snyder, DVM
Dr. Shaylene Snyder grew up in the mountains of North Carolina in a small town called Hendersonville. She enjoyed growing up on a farm and learned the value of hard work from her parents. She worked all through high school at WNC Veterinary Clinic in Asheville. She also volunteered at the WNC Wildlife Rehabilitation Center and local animal shelter. She moved to Raleigh in 1991 to attend NC State where she majored in Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine. She worked in a small animal emergency clinic throughout college. After graduation in 1999, she worked for several years in the Triangle area obtaining experience in internal medicine, surgery and emergency care. In 2001, she became the Chief Medical Supervisor at Hemlock Bluffs Animal Hospital.
Dr. Snyder holds special interests in laser surgery, allergies, dermatology and geriatric medicine. She holds advanced training certification in both laser surgical techniques and restorative dental procedures. She and her husband have lived in the Triangle area for over 20 years. They have a daughter, Taylor, and enjoy spending time with her and their pets Leo, Little Cat, and Gracie. In her spare time, Dr. Snyder enjoys horseback riding and scrapbooking with friends.
Martina Midkiff, DVM
Dr. Martina Midkiff has over 14 years of clinical experience in small animal internal medicine. She was born in Vienna, Austria but at the age of 4 she moved right here to Cary, NC. She graduated from Cary Senior High school and then went on to receive a Microbiology degree from NC State. She graduated from NCSU College of Veterinary Medicine in 1994. Dr. Midkiff then obtained an advanced degree in Acupuncture therapy from the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society.
Dr. Midkiff's extensive experience in both traditional and acupuncture therapies allow us to offer our clients a wider variety of care options. Acupuncture therapy has proven to be an incredible addition to the practice. Dr. Midkiff uses acupuncture as an additional modality for long term pain control in a lot of our arthritic patients. Often times the addition of acupuncture allows us to significantly reduce the need for pain medication and provides an increased quality of life in our senior orthopedic patients.
When Dr. Midkiff is not hard at work at Hemlock Bluffs, she unwinds by spending time with her husband David and their "furry" children, Roger, Casper, Mukie, Gordan and Nellie. She also enjoys camping, hiking, gardening, skiing and woodworking.
Hanna Cook, DVM
Dr. Hanna Cook's lifelong dream was to become a veterinarian. Dr. Cook’s passion is treating dogs and cats, but she also has a special interest in exotic animal medicine. The exotics she treats includes small birds (i.e. parakeets and cockatiels, but large birds soon to come) reptiles and turtles, and small mammals to include rabbits, guinea pigs, mice, rats, hamsters, gerbils, ferrets, sugar gliders, and hedgehogs.
Dr. Cook grew up a Navy brat, but spent most of her childhood in Downeast Maine. She moved to Mississippi in 2004 to attend Mississippi State University with hopes to one day earn acceptance into their College of Veterinary Medicine. She did so in 2007, and graduated in 2011.
Dr. Cook and her husband have had long-standing plans to move to the Triangle area of North Carolina, so they traveled this way soon after her graduation. In their spare time, they love water sports and trips to the beach. They have four pets: Cami – a Lab, Ginger – a Toy Poodle, Gizmo – a Devon Rex, and Grace – a Weimaraner.