Dr. Michelle LaCoste, a Mason City native, received her Bachelor of Science degree in microbiology from North Dakota State University in 2001 before graduating from Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2006. Dr. LaCoste purchased Animal Medical Hospital on May 1, 2017. Her veterinary interests include soft tissue surgery and all varieties of medicine. Dr. LaCoste enjoys spending time with her husband and children, her many pets, and gardening.
Dr. Lorelei J. Kruse, born and raised in Osage, Iowa. She attended Iowa State University where she received both her Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science and her DVM in 2002. Following graduation, she practiced in Minnesota for 15 years. Her veterinary interests include wellness medicine and soft tissue surgery. She enjoys spending her free time with her family and pets. Her hobbies include attending her children’s sporting events and supporting their 4-H activities, the family hobby farm, flower gardening, and antiquing.
Dr. Nicole L. Drost, born and raised in Rockford, IA. She attended Iowa State University where she received a Bachelor’s degree in Animal Ecology and graduated from the Iowa State college of Veterinary medicine. Dr. Drost practiced in an Iowa mixed animal clinic for a year before joining Animal Medical Hospital. Dr. Drost likes to spend time running, gardening, crafting, and spending time with family and her cat Bell._
Technicians
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Theresa graduated from Omaha College of Health Careers as a Registered Veterinary Technician. She comes to Animal Medical Hospital with 20 years of previous experience. Theresa enjoys spending time with her cats Taz, Twofor, Tippy and Sparky.
Emily graduated from Des Moines Area Community College in 2008 as a Registered Veterinary Technician. She has been employed with Animal Medical Hospital since 2010. Emily enjoys spending time with her husband and sons, horseback riding, and spending time with her horse Caddy, her dog Storm, and her cat Taz.
Nikki joined Animal Medical Hospital as an assistant in 2020 with plans to further her education to become a veterinarian technician. She likes to go fishing, spend time with her family and friends and go horseback riding with her 2 horses, Hemi and Lady. She has 3 dogs at home and some aquatic life she enjoys caring for.
Assistants
Sara graduated from North Iowa Area Community College with a Medical Assistant Degree. She is a vet assistant and has been employed with Animal Medical Hospital since 1988. Sara enjoys spending time with her family and two black Labrador Retrievers Rya and Neeka.
Krista graduated from Iowa State with a Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science. She has been employed with Animal Medical Hospital as an assistant since 2014. Krista enjoys spending time with friends, family, and her cats Pancho and Squash.
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Kinzey joined Animal Medical Hospital as an assistant in 2024. She plans to continue her education in the veterinary medicine field. She spends her free time with her 3 dogs, Axl, Cruze, and Onyx, and her cat, Ziva.
Leo joined Animal Medical Hospital as an assistant in 2024. He graduated from Hagerstown Community College and has a background in managerial and customer service. He enjoys spending time with his dog Khaleesi, drawing, and participating in online games with friends.
Lindsey came to Animal Medical Hospital after an extensive career in veterinary medicine and animal behavior.
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Students
Kylie joined Animal Medical Hospital as an assistant in 2024. She is attending NIACC to get an A.S. in Agriculture before continuing her education at Iowa State University.
Madisen joined Animal Medical Hospital as an assistant in 2024. She is attending NIACC before continuing her education at Iowa State University.
Keira joined Animal Medical Hospital as an assistant in 2022. She is pursuing a degree in biology at Iowa State with intentions to continue her education to become a DVM. She loves to travel with her family, spend time with friends, and spoil her bunny Lucky.
Kate joined Animal Medical Hospital as an assistan. She is taking classes at Iowa State University with plans to continue her education to become a DVM.
Holden joined Animal Medical Hospital as an assistant. He is taking classes at Wartburg College with plans to continue his education to become a DVM.
Adri joined Animal Medical Hospital as an assistant in 2022. She is pursuing a degree in Agriculture from NIACC to work with animals. She enjoys spending time with her small herd of show dairy cattle and her flock of chickens. Adri is often mistaken for her mom, Dr. Kruse, as they are similar in many ways.