Veterinarian in Brampton, Ontario

Dr. Aparna Thomas DVM, MVSc, MSc

Dr. Thomas has been working in veterinary medicine for over 10 years, including five years in research while completing two master’s degrees. Inspired by a childhood spent caring for dogs, cats, and farm animals with her grandparents, she has always felt a deep connection to animals. Her professional interests include internal medicine and soft tissue surgery, where she enjoys helping pets live healthier, happier lives.

At home, she shares her life with Rheo, a beloved Labrador she describes as her “first baby” and one of the most beautiful chapters of her life. Outside of the clinic, she enjoys hiking, stitching, and painting. What she loves most about working at Heart Lake Veterinary Hospital is being part of a passionate team dedicated to giving their very best every day. For her, the greatest reward is seeing the joy on a client’s face, and the tail wags and kisses from their furry friends, when a pet feels better.

Dr. Ashna Varma BVM&S MRCVS

Education: University of Western Ontario Bachelor of Science, University of Edinburgh: Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies; Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery, Member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons

Dr. Varma graduated from the University of Edinburgh Veterinary School in Scotland in July of 2014, where she took advantage and travelled around the UK for veterinary student volunteer opportunities during her veterinary studies. She began her full-time career at Heartlake Veterinary Hospital in May of 2019 but has done some relief work with us for several years! Her medical interests lie in internal medicine and dentistry. Her hobbies include running, reading, and spending time with her family. Dr. Varma also dedicates time annually to volunteering with First Nations Communities to provide veterinary care where needed.

Dr. Varma dearly misses her dog, Kenya, her first Golden Retriever puppy, and has since adopted a 9-year-old abandoned but very loyal German Shepherd, Sam, who sadly succumbed to an incurable bone disease. Dr. Varma now houses 2 kitty fur babies, Moshi and Kibo.

Dr. Varma believes in creating an important bond between client, patient, and veterinarian in order to ensure a great quality of life for our pets. By focusing on preventive medicine for each individual patient, she believes that our pets can live the longest, healthiest, most comfortable lives possible.

Erica – Registered Veterinary Technician

Erica joined Heart Lake Veterinary Hospital in July 2025 as a Veterinary Technician. She’s always had a passion for medicine, but her path truly shifted in college when her pet hedgehog, Loki, inspired her to pursue veterinary care, a moment she describes as life-changing.

Her professional interests include exotic medicine, animal behavior, anesthesia, and nutrition. At home, she and her boyfriend share what she affectionately calls their “mini zoo,” which includes two cats, Wolverine and Enzo, a Cane Corso mix named Mayhem, and five geckos: Houdini, Noble, Boba, Mando, and Echo.

Outside of work, she enjoys reading (and is building her own mini library), gaming, and playing music on a variety of instruments. As a recent graduate, she feels grateful to be surrounded by such knowledgeable, compassionate teammates at Heart Lake Veterinary Hospital. For her, there’s nothing more rewarding than working alongside people who love animals just as much as she does.

Dr. Vanessa McDonald DVM

Dr. McDonald graduated from the University of Melbourne in 2020. She joined the team at Heartlake in 2011 as a veterinary assistant before leaving for veterinary school in Australia in 2016. She rejoined our team in 2020 as a DVM. Her interests in veterinary medicine include small animal general practice, emergency medicine, behaviour medicine and working with exotic animals such as birds, reptiles and rabbits. When not at the hospital, she enjoys horseback riding, swimming and binge-watching horror movies. She currently shares her home with her fur family Bear (Doberman x), Brice (Chihuahua), Shiloh and Chandler (cats), Hannibal, Freddy (fancy rats) and Leo (leopard gecko). Dr. McDonald believes strongly in using fear-free principles to ensure a positive environment and positive interactions with animals during consultation. She believes strongly in the preservation of the human-animal bond and therefore recognizes that animals are an integral part of their humans’ lives. By making her patient’s health and well-being top priority, she can also help to better the lives of their human counterparts.

Dr. Yash Varma – DVM, MVSc

Dr. Varma graduated as a veterinarian in 1980 from the University of Nairobi (Kenya). At that time, his special interest was in African wildlife. He spent the next 3 years working as a wildlife research veterinarian in Kenya. This was “real” wildlife like hyenas, lions, water-buck, eland, and buffalo. In 1984 he received a scholarship to do a Master’s Degree in Veterinary Science at the University of Edinburgh (Scotland). Dr. Varma then immigrated to Canada in 1987 and worked for a few months at the Ontario Veterinary College while preparing for his Ontario licensing exams. He worked at various clinics in Toronto and Brampton before finally setting up Heartlake Veterinary Hospital in 1995.

Dr. Varma is proud to be a veterinarian and endeavours to give back to the profession by mentoring veterinary students and foreign graduates to acquire local licenses. He has held the following positions

• Past President of the Brampton Veterinary Association
• Past President of The Highway 10 & Wexford Emergency Veterinary Clinic serving Georgetown, Milton, Orangeville, Bolton, Caledon, and Brampton.
• Council member for the College Of Veterinarians Of Ontario, the regulatory body for the veterinary profession in Ontario.
• Treasurer of the Kenya Overseas Veterinary Association, whose mandate includes helping veterinary students and the profession in Kenya.
• He is a co-owner of the Erin Mills Pet hospital in Mississauga.

He shares his home with his wife, Poonam, and their two children, Ashna and Vishal.

When not at work, Dr. Varma likes to travel and spend his few free minutes at the gym.

Andrea – Registered Veterinary Technician

Andrea graduated from the Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT) program at Seneca College in 2004. She has been working in small aminal practice in Brampton for the last 20 years. She started at HLVH in November 2021. Her interests are divided equally between medicine and surgery. She considers herself fortunate to be as enthusiastic about her job today as she was when she began her career. She remains passionate about improving the quality of our pets’ lives and enjoys applying her wide variety of skills, experience and education to the ever-changing daily demands of being an RVT. In her leisure time, she enjoys spending time with family and close friends while being active outdoors. She has had dogs since she was young and is currently the pet parent of two incredible dogs.

Sydney – Registered Veterinary Technician

Sydney is a Registered Veterinary Technician with five years of experience in veterinary medicine and recently joined the Heart Lake Veterinary Hospital team. Her love for animals, science, and nursing came together naturally through her own experiences caring for her horses growing up, sparking her passion for veterinary medicine and leading to a fulfilling career as an RVT.

She has special interests in diabetes management, dermatology, and dental care, and loves seeing the difference her work makes in helping pets feel their best. At home, she shares her life with two rescue cats, Dutch and Mittens, a Golden Retriever named Juno, and her horse, Red.

When she’s not in the clinic, you can find her out on the trails riding Red or hiking with Juno. What she loves most about Heart Lake Veterinary Hospital is the warm, supportive team environment where everyone feels like family, and the joy of helping patients recover and thrive every single day.

Danielle – Registered Veterinary Technician

Danielle graduated from the Veterinary Technician program at Seneca College in 2021 and has been working as an RVT since then. Some of Danielle’s favorite interests in veterinary medicine include dentistry, surgery, and nutrition. Some of the things she loves most about her career are taking care of her furry patients and having continuous learning opportunities. Growing up, Danielle had many animals, ranging from snakes to rabbits, and has always been a huge advocate for animal welfare. Currently, she has three Holland Lop rabbits (Zelda, Juuzou, and JoJo), as well as a Rottweiler mix named Cannon. Outside of work, Danielle has many hobbies, including weightlifting, playing piano, playing video games, and reading Japanese comic books.

Chantel – Registered Veterinary Technician

Chantel graduated from Sheridan College Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT) program in 2018 and prior to that completed the Animal Care program in 2016. Chantel has worked in exotic animal medicine and Neurology prior to joining our team in 2023. She has a special interest in Animal Physical Rehabilitation, Surgery medicine and Nutrition especially allergy based cases. Chantel is really passionate in using a multi-modal approach to medicine which includes cold laser therapy, physiotherapy, natural supplements, diet in conjunction with medicine.

Chantel currently has two pups: Blue the Husky Lab from Texas and Kyla the Pekingese whom she loves dearly. In her spare time, Chantel enjoys gardening, yoga & meditation, and various creative projects. Chantel also spent many years’ prior as a French Pastry Chef before pursuing her second career in Veterinary Medicine!

Brigitte – Practice Manager

Leah – Veterinary Technician

Leah started with HLVH in September as a Veterinary Technician. She started with Animal Care in 2009 and worked her way up to a technician in clinics. She has 3 cats, Skittles, Peach, Moxxie, and a dog named Dori. In her spare time, she enjoys playing co-op-style video games.

Victoria – Receptionist

Victoria started at Heartlake Veterinary Hospital in September 2022 as a receptionist. She studied at York University and graduated with a degree in English with a minor in French. She has always had a passion for animals, even wanting to be a veterinarian growing up! She loves broadening her knowledge of all animals and catering to each creature’s unique and lovable personality. Outside of work, she likes classic cars, reading, and drawing.

Zelema – Receptionist

Zelema started Heartlake Veterinary Hospital in March 2021 and has since graduated from Sheridan College in Animal Care. She is currently studying to go back to school for Animal Physiology. Zelema has three pets – two cats named Joey and Raven and one rabbit named Imogen, aka Genie. In her spare time, she loves to go on hikes and try new food!

Riza – Veterinary Assistant

Riza has been part of the Heart Lake Veterinary Hospital team for 1.5 years as a Veterinary Assistant. Her love for animals began on her grandparents’ farm, where she learned the importance of compassion and care from a young age. That early experience inspired her to pursue veterinary medicine and become an advocate for those who cannot speak for themselves.

She plans to complete her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and specialize in Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care, with a particular interest in soft-tissue surgery. At home, she has an aquatic family of 15 fish but hopes to foster and adopt more pets in the future.

Outside of work, she’s a true crime enthusiast who enjoys podcasts like Rotten Mango and even took a forensic science course in university. She hopes to one day explore veterinary forensics to help in cases of animal neglect and abuse.

What she loves most about Heart Lake Veterinary Hospital is the strong bond she shares with her team and the joy of seeing pets and their families reunite after treatment — moments that remind her why she loves what she does.

Manya – Veterinary Assistant

Bio coming soon!

Anel – Veterinary Assistant

Anel has been part of the Heartlake Veterinary Hospital team since March 2022. Even though she recently joined the team, she believes Heartlake has already become her second home. Anel loves being the person responsible to hold and keep your pet comfortable and happy when they are feeling a bit nervous during their visit. She has always been passionate about animals and is very happy to work in the field of animal care. For the past few years, Anel has completed multiple pet care courses and has gained experience with animals in many different areas. She is thrilled to be studying Animal Welfare & Law while being part of the team, and she hopes to pursue a veterinary technology diploma in the future. In her free time, Anel enjoys crafting new things, going to the arcade, and spending time with her husband and furry babies: Maple Syrup the pug, Larry the mouse, and her Siamese cat, Sky.

Katherine – Veterinary Assistant

Katherine has been working with animals since a young age and she is passionate about all animals. She pursued her education as a Veterinary Assistant, and there is nothing else that she would rather do.

Linoy – Veterinary Assistant

Linoy joined the Heartlake Veterinary Hospital team in 2013 as a high school co-op student. Since then, she attended Trent University and obtained her Honors of Biology while working at Heartlake Vet during summer breaks.

During her university career, she learned to work with many different animals, such as cattle and small mammals, reptiles, and amphibians – providing animal care.

Linoy always had a passion for the veterinary field from a very young age. She aspires to support as well as further her passion with education and clinical experience. The most rewarding aspect of her job is assisting with treatment and being a part of her patient’s healing process.

When she’s not at work, she enjoys travelling, as well as spending time with family and friends.

You will most likely meet Linoy at the reception desk or in the treatment area, providing care for your furry family members!

Jasleen – Client Care Coordinator / Trainer

Jasleen is a dedicated professional with a strong passion for animal care. Currently enrolled at Ottawa K9 School, she is working towards her CCDPT certification to become a certified dog trainer. With a background in dog training, Jasleen has developed the ability to connect effectively with both animals and their owners, ensuring positive experiences and fostering an engaging learning environment.

She is a proud parent of an adorable Frenchie named Biggie who is her whole world! In her free time, Jasleen enjoys creating music, recording songs, traveling, and relaxing with a good book.

Chanel – Client Care Coordinator / Social Media Manager

Chanel has been a part of the team for 1.5 years as one of our Client Care Coordinators and Social Media Manager, bringing a blend of compassion, creativity, and connection to every part of her role. An animal lover for as long as she can remember, her experiences with family pets and caring for strays inspired her to become a voice for animals while supporting the people who love them.

She’s especially interested in general practice medicine and end-of-life care, finding fulfillment in helping families navigate every stage of their pets’ lives. Chanel and her partner have a Holland Lop bunny named Poppy who is a sassy but sociable little girl, and a Labrador retriever named Simba who is charming and silly, never failing to make us laugh.

What she loves most about working at Heart Lake Veterinary Hospital is the opportunity to learn something new every day while connecting with pets and their families. For her, there’s nothing better than seeing the relief and happiness on a client’s face when they know their furry family member is in caring hands.

Olivia – Client Care Coordinator