Originally from a rural area in the Hudson Valley of New York State, Dr. Piwonka earned her DVM from Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. Her professional experience began in the fourth grade, when she worked for a veterinarian walking dogs and observing surgeries. She came to Massachusetts because of the “abundance of outdoor activities combined with a fun and progressive community.” Dr. Piwonka joined the team at Windy Hollow Veterinary Clinic in 2010 and purchased the practice in 2014.
WHAT MAKES HER INTERESTING
“Even though I practice veterinary medicine on mammals now, I love birds. I own chickens and parrots. I’ve worked with injured birds of prey, and I started a captive breeding program for threatened species of hawks at Cornell.”
WHY SHE LOVES HER JOB
Dr. Piwonka enjoys connecting with animals and their owners, and combining scientific-based Western medicine with traditional Chinese veterinary medicine.
WHAT SHE DOES IN HER SPARE TIME
Dr. Piwonka loves cycling, running, knitting, and playing with her children. She shares her life with her husband, two children, two cats (McLovin and Edith), a caique (Francis), a leopard gecko (Lightning), and 10 chickens.
OF NOTE
Dr. Piwonka has run two marathons, and the longest day-long bike ride she ever took was 180 miles.
Dr. Thompson grew up outside of New York City. Her mother was a practicing small animal veterinarian the first few years of her life, so it was the first and only thing she ever wanted to do. After earning her DVM from the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, Dr. Thompson fell in love with Massachusetts and decided to stay, joining the Windy Hollow team in 2017.
WHAT MAKES HER INTERESTING
“In high school and college, I was a competitive horseback rider. I wanted to pursue equine sports medicine until my second year of vet school. I discovered how rewarding I found small animal internal medicine and behavior after growing up with animals who had multiple medical and behavioral issues.”
WHY SHE LOVES HER JOB
Dr. Thompson’s favorite parts of veterinary medicine include alternative medicine, nutrition, behavior, and internal medicine. She loves the problem-solving aspect of veterinary medicine as well as the emotional aspect of the bond between people and their animals. She strives to help optimize the relationship between people and their pets by taking care of both their physical and mental health.
WHAT SHE DOES IN HER SPARE TIME
Dr. Thompson enjoys training her dogs and cats, hiking, reading, cooking, gardening, live music, horseback riding, and swing dancing. She shares her home with her cyclist partner; two older Australian shepherd mixes, Coda (an AKC Therapy Dog Excellent and competitive masters agility dog) and Sukie (a too smart for her own good escape artist); two young cats, Timo and Ramona; and two Lamancha wethers, Larry and Rutabaga (the groundskeepers).
OF NOTE
Dr. Thompson is slowly trying to learn how to grow, raise, and find her own food. She is our self-appointed cat and dog gear junkie.
Originally from Delaware, Jessi knew she wanted to work with animals at the age of 5, after a veterinarian helped her family’s sick dog. She earned a bachelor’s degree in pre-veterinary and animal science from the University of Delaware. As a certified and licenced veterinary technician with more than 20 years of experience, Jessi joined the Windy Hollow team in 2018.
WHAT MAKES HER INTERESTING
“I’m interested in animal behavior and internal medicine and I started doing Animal Reiki to help animals adapt to stressful or new situations.”
WHY SHE LOVES HER JOB
As an integral part of the management team she keeps our hospital running smoothly. She is also passionate about educating pet owners on how to take the best care of their pets.
WHAT SHE DOES IN HER SPARE TIME
Jessi loves reading, watching the Red Sox play at Fenway, and visiting thrift and craft stores. She lives with her husband, and her little dachshund TillieBelle, and her two cats ObiWan and Yoda (who is blind but uses the "force" to torment Obi).
OF NOTE
Jessi loves to sing karaoke, especially in the car on long road trips.
At a young age, Crystal could be found playing veterinarian with all her stuffed toys and soon found that she was enthralled with the vet and animal shows on television. With her love for animals and captivation by the medical field, she took the veterinary technician course at Holyoke Community College. She graduated with an associate's degree in veterinary science and mathematics in 2008. Since then, she has continued her career in a few veterinary hospitals locally accumulating over fifteen years of experience. She joined our team in 2023 as the head of our surgery team.
WHAT MAKES HER INTERESTING
Crystal has come to realize a talent for crocheting.
WHY SHE LOVES HER JOB
She loves heading our surgery team, managing the full spectrum of surgical care from the weeks of pre-op to anesthesia to care and pain management post-op. She loves helping animals feel better to live a long and healthy life. When not in surgery, she loves helping owners cultivate a strong bond with their pets.
WHAT SHE DOES IN HER SPARE TIME
Crystal loves spending time with her husband, two young children, and husky, Boomer (who can never decide whether he wants to be inside or outside). Whether it's on a four wheeler or crafting, as long as she is around family, she always has fun.