The Machray Animal Hospital Team
Dr. Diane Keddie
Dr. Diane Keddie was born in Ontario, up grew up in Winnipeg. She has always enjoyed spending time with animals and decided at the age of seven that she wanted to be a veterinarian. To reach this goal, she obtained a chemistry degree at the University of Winnipeg and a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree at the University of Saskatchewan.
Dr. Keddie began working at Machray Animal Hospital straight out of college in 1994. She is especially proud of the impact we have in the community through our work with several rescue organizations. She considers herself a general practitioner and enjoys the problem solving necessary when her patients cannot speak for themselves.
Apart from work, Dr. Keddie enjoys cycling, family, time at the lake and travelling. She currently shares her home with two cats, Natalie, and Josie, rescued from local shelters.
Dr. Heather McDonell
Dr. McDonell was born and raised in Winnipeg. She completed her pre-veterinary studies through the faculty of Agriculture at the University of Manitoba and received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (Saskatoon) in 2004. She has worked at Machray Animal Hospital since August 2004.
As a life-long animal lover with very understanding parents, Dr. McDonell grew up surrounded by pets. She rode and trained horses for many years and worked at the U of M dairy barn as a summer student. She presently shares her home with Iorick the white cat and a community tank of tropical fish.
Dr. McDonell’s professional interests include dermatology, soft tissue surgery, abdominal ultrasonography, pain management and animal welfare. She enjoys all facets of general veterinary practice, and finds great joy in solving medical problems, no matter how big or how small.
Outside of work, Dr. McDonell spends her time training for and competing in triathlons and half marathons, cooking & eating delicious vegan food, travelling, concert-going, gardening, and volunteering.
Dr. Esther Hillonov
Dr Hillonov grew up in southern Ontario but now calls Winnipeg home. Her interest in science and medicine led her to become a veterinarian and she graduated from McMaster University with a Bachelor of Arts and Science before attending the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon to complete her veterinary degree.
Dr Hillonov’s favourite part of being a veterinarian is working alongside owners to develop a healthy life for their pets. She has specific interests in nutrition and dentistry but enjoys the diversity of all aspects of medicine and surgery.
She is proud of Machray Animal Hospital for being involved with many animal shelters and rescues, and often volunteers with CARE, a cat spay and neuter program for low-income families in Winnipeg.
In her spare time, Dr Hillonov enjoys running half marathons, learning the violin, volunteering at her church, traveling, gardening, baking, and spending time with her big black cats, Max and Mowgli.
Dr. Saskia Madick
Dr. Madick was born and raised in Winnipeg. Her love for animals began at a young age. She grew up with a variety of pets in her family home and went on to ride horses and compete in reining. She decided to become a veterinarian at the age of five and never looked back.
She completed her pre-veterinary education through the faculty of Science at the University of Manitoba. She then went on to receive her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in 2021. She joined Machray Animal Hospital shortly after graduation.
Dr. Madick enjoys many aspects of veterinary medicine, including soft tissue surgery and animal welfare, but her highest priority is always patient care. Between appointments or surgeries, she can be found snuggling patients in the back.
Outside work, Dr. Madick enjoys travelling, scuba diving, spending time with family and friends and playing hockey and soccer. She spends her time at home caring for her plants and snuggling with her tuxedo cat Caesar.
Dr. Jessica Buchel
Jessica was born in the USA and moved with her family to Winnipeg at six years old in 2004. She has called this lovely city her home ever since! It has always been her dream to be a veterinarian, and after high school, she nearly completed a degree in genetics at the University of Manitoba before being accepted into vet school in Saskatoon from which she graduated in 2024.
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Growing up with her family dog, Faith, and riding horses from a young age solidifed Jessica's love and appreciation for the human-animal bond and all the ways that animals bring joy and enrichment to our lives. She currently has two black cats, Milo and Otis, whose antics are a constant source of amusement in their family's lives.
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In her free time, Jessica likes going to the gym, reading, going for walks/hikes, and baking (she's not a great cook though...). She competed in squash in high school and loves to get back on the court from time to time as well. She is currently training for half marathons and hopes to one day run a full marathon! On weekends, Jessica likes to head out to the family cabin on Lake Winnipeg to spend time with friends and family.
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Jessica has interests in wellness and preventative medicine, behaviour, diagnostic imaging, and surgery. She looks forward to becoming established as a general practitioner and soaking up all of the knowledge that the wonderful staff at Machray have to offer!