Meet Our Team

Dr. Michelle Thomas, D.V.M.

Veterinarian

Dr. Thomas was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. Her passion for animals led to a Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology at Washington State University in 1992 followed by a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine, also at WSU. After graduating with high honors in 1996, she moved to Fort Collins and began working at Mulnix Animal Clinic. She feels very privileged to have had Dr. Mulnix as her mentor, friend and colleague for so many years. She purchased Mulnix Animal Clinic in 2015 and values the compassionate, talented and loyal Mulnix Animal Clinic team and wonderful clientele.

Dr. Thomas continually strives to improve her knowledge and stay on the leading edge to provide you with the latest treatment options. Her ultimate goal is to help educate and guide you through individualized treatment plans that will provide your pet a long, healthy and happy life at whatever life stage they may be in. She has also established a network of trustworthy specialists to consult or refer to when necessary. Her family oriented approach and enthusiastic demeanor is welcoming to everyone. She looks forward to challenging cases and meeting new and old loyal clients every day. Dr. Thomas is a proud member of the American Animal Hospital Association, American Veterinary Medical Association and the Larimer County Veterinary Medical Association. She is also a certified cat friendly veterinarian.

When away from the clinic, she enjoys time with her family and all of their sporting events. With two grown kids, she spends more time outdoors, on veterinary CE and in her sunroom. Geraniums are her specialty. Her husband and high school sweetheart, Mike, has become an avid animal lover too. She can be found walking the dogs, snow skiing, listening to veterinary podcasts and webinars, reading or with friends.

Her furry family currently consists of “Bean” a rambunctious and snuggly golden retriever that is still trying to master the art of “retrieving” and 2 shelter kitties: “Duffy” aka ‘Duffer Fluffers’ a grey tabby and “Twix” the 16 pound ‘kitten’ that she and her kids came home with from the shelter.

Dr. Kelly Gaffney, D.V.M.

Veterinarian

Dr. Gaffney is passionate in her work with animals, both big and small. She has been a warm presence of the Mulnix team since 2015. Dr. Gaffney graduated from Colorado State University in 2013. Dr. Gaffney believes strongly in preventive medicine, educating her clients on the best care for their pets, and building a strong foundation between herself and her clients.

Dr. Gaffney always stays current on the latest treatment and medication options available in veterinary medicine. She believes that the best standard of care can only be given if we are constantly exploring what new strategies are out there to diagnose and treat our patients. She acknowledges the trend towards holistic medicine and readily incorporates both Eastern and Western medicine if that is what a client prefers. We have several Holistic Veterinarians in the area that we refer clients to and work closely with. She strives to be compassionate towards fearful pets. She believes a stress-free environment is essential for patients and has many strategies to help anxious furry ones. She considers the Doctor patient relationship a collaborative effort and can tailor treatment plans to suite both client goals and expectations as well as what is in the best interest of the pet. She takes time to answer questions and explain case details about your pet so that hopefully an understanding of what is going on and what options are available are clear so that confidence can be gained and ultimately pets succeed.

Since childhood Dr. Gaffney's passion has been her love for horses. She currently enjoys riding and caring for her own horse, Merlin. They take lots of weekend trips to the mountains and work some cattle up in Wyoming each summer. Helping her keep everyone in line are her pack of cattle dog pups. Adelaide is her craziest baby and is a bit of a cartoon in motion, hilarious, busy, and somewhat of a clown. Delilah is a little more introverted and challenging but keeps things interesting with her unique personality. Rip is the new addition to the family as a puppy and is the smartest, most thoughtful, and the most affectionate. Finally, Gunny, the dopey and fun-loving Labrador Retriever. Her husband John owns a local food truck in Fort Collins and together they enjoy live music, traveling, and getting away in nature with the dogs.

Dr. Gaffney loves to paint and draw using many mediums, and creates mosaics, pottery, and works with stained glass. Moving from South Carolina to Colorado in 2000, Dr. Gaffney loves to get back to the ocean, when possible, drink sweat tea, and visit her family.

Dr. Sarah Mc-Palmer, D.V.M.

Veterinarian

Dr. Sarah Mc-Palmer is a Colorado native born and raised in Golden where she grew up skiing, hiking, and enjoying the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Her passion for science and medicine led her to University of Colorado at Boulder for dual undergraduate degrees in Molecular Biology and Integrative Physiology. Dr. Mc-Palmer always wanted to be a veterinarian since she was very little and eventually moved to Fort Collins to pursue her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at Colorado State University alongside a Masters in Business Administration.

Sarah is passionate about her patients and providing the best care possible to each and every cat and dog who walks through the door, tailoring each experience to their and their owner’s needs. She strives to provide both excellent patient care and client care and education on the most up to date treatment options. She is excited to be a part of the Mulnix team as they have a tried and true reputation in the Fort Collins area for providing the highest quality care, having very friendly and accommodating staff, as well as a kind culture for her to grow and learn as a veterinarian. She has a special interest in general practice as it allows long-standing relationships with clients where she gets to see families and their pets grow throughout the lifetime of visits. She is also interested in the operational and financial aspect of veterinary medicine and works as a market consultant for Blue Heron consulting part-time to help veterinary hospital owners and veterinary-related business owners realize their dreams of running successful, healthy practices.

In her spare time, Dr. Mc-Palmer can be found in the mountains and canyons surrounding Fort Collins skiing, rock climbing, and adventuring with her husband Eric and dogs. She has two husky mixes, Marlon Brandog (husky/lab) and Penguin (husky/border collie), who keep her busy, well-exercised, and make life a lot funnier on the daily. When she isn’t outside enjoying the beauty of Colorado, she is likely to be taking a yoga class or hanging out on her patio with her plants or grabbing a good bite to eat in Old Town.

Dr. Kelly Barrett, D.V.M.

Veterinarian

I have enjoyed living with a variety of animals since I was very young growing up in Ohio. I moved to Colorado to pursue my dream of becoming a veterinarian and attended Colorado State University. I have lived with cats, dogs, guinea pigs, rabbits, aquatic lizards, frogs, and fish as well as parrots. Animals form a powerful connection with their people. Human and animal wellbeing are very interconnected and helping animals be as healthy as possible for their human family is the most important thing I can do!

Lowering the stress for our furry family members is important. I became Fear Free Certified many years ago. I continually learn new ways of reducing fear and stress in the clinic setting so we can offer our best medicine for our patients. Mind and body health for pets is just as important as it is for people. I am interested in several areas of medicine including dermatology, allergies, dentistry, pain management, internal medicine and surgery.

I find spending each day with my co-workers, helping pets, their families and each other is extremely rewarding. We are always learning new ways to practice medicine to help our patients, and really enjoy educating pet owners on how they can help their pets at home. I find it rejuvenating to collaborate with my colleagues on new and emerging therapies for our patients. I am proud to be at a compassionate, quality medical veterinary practice that cares deeply about helping animals. We are here to build a relationship with you to help you and your pets in a way that supports your goals for them.

I have the privilege to live with a sweet and very busy australian shepherd, a spirited chihuahua, a sweet domestic shorthair cat, a sassy tortie cat, and an amazon parrot that supervises the whole house!

In my spare time I love being outdoors with my animals, gardening, running, yoga, drawing and enjoying the sun.

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine: Colorado State University
• Small animal Internship: Ohio State University