Our Doctors

Dr. Alfred Benjamin, BSc, DVM, MS

Dr. Benjamin has been a prominent veterinary figure in the Cayman Islands for the past  35 years. A graduate of the University of Guelph, Ont. Canada, OVC '79, he has been the longest serving Chief Agricultural and Veterinary Officer of the Cayman Islands and has practiced both large and small animal medicine and surgery for over 3 plus decades. Following his retirement from Government Service, he returned to small animal private practice by founding The Veterinary Clinic and Specialty Pet Boarding in 2008. He served as Chairman of the Cayman Islands Veterinary Board for 23 yrs and has been instrumental in forging several valuable links between the local community and the schools of medicine at the St Matthews University, Grand Cayman. When he is away from the clinic, he enjoys spending time with his wife and children, grandchildren and their many pets.

Dr. Olivia Benjamin, BA (Biology) DVM

Dr. Olivia Benjamin has known that she wanted to be a veterinarian since she was a little girl and loves helping animals. She was born and raised in the Cayman Islands and spent lots of time with her dad, Dr. Alfred Benjamin, learning and being exposed to many aspects of the field of veterinary medicine at the family's small animal practice. She has also enjoyed Externships at the Cayman Islands Dept. of Agriculture, Veterinary Services Division, where she gained experience with large animal medicine and surgery; and does voluntary work with the Blue Iguana recovery program. Dr. Olivia graduated from St. Matthew’s University School of Veterinary Medicine. She completed her final clinical year at the University of Georgia, College of Veterinary Medicine in May 2016 and joined the family practice as a Clinician in July 2016.   She relishes being a general practitioner, at this time, and looks forward to a long career in this practice. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her young family and pets.

Dr. Jenna Charles, DVM

Dr. Jenna Charles is an Associate Veterinarian at The Veterinary Clinic and Specialty Boarding. Dr. Charles  earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Louisiana State University in 2015 and went on to obtain her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine in 2019. In addition to her education, Dr. Charles also completed a year-long rotating internship in small animal medicine and surgery at BluePearl Veterinary Partners in New York City in 2020. She then spent several years practicing in both Brooklyn, NY and her hometown of New Orleans, LA. Her areas of special interest include internal medicine, soft tissue surgery and dermatology. Dr. Charles values forming strong connections and trust with her pet patients and their owners in order to provide high-quality, reliable, and life-long medical care. In her free time, Dr. Charles enjoys exploring the island.

Dr. Shannon Carver, DVM

Dr. Shannon Carver originally from the Hollywood, Florida but fell in love with the Cayman Islands during her time at St. Matthews University School of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Shannon graduated from St. Matthews University and completed her clinical year at Mississippi State School of Veterinary Medicine. During her time in veterinary school, Dr. Shannon also obtained her master’s degree in business administration from Davenport University online. Dr. Shannon has known she wanted to be a vet since she was a young child, growing up with many different pets. Throughout high school and college she volunteered at various vet clinics in Florida and West Virginia. Dr. Shannon looks forward to continuing to learn and grow at this practice. In her spare time Dr. Shannon loves to take her dog, Daisy, to the beach with her fiancé.

Our Support Staff

Michelle Blake: Lead Veterinary Assistant

Michelle is originally from Montego Bay, Jamaica, but is proud of her Caymanian Status. She has been employed at The Veterinary Clinic since September 2010 and has worked elsewhere in the medical profession for over 14 years. Although quiet and reserved, she is hard working and extremely motivated to ensure the delivery of high quality health care to our patients. When she is not at the clinic, she enjoys going out and watching movies.

Katarina Kusikova

Born and raised in Slovakia, Europe, Katarina has always been passionate about animals. She graduated Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia in 2011, obtaining her master’s degree in cultural studies - Russian and Eastern European studies. However, her love for animals took her on a different journey. Over the following 7 years she has worked in 6 different animal shelters in Spain, Guatemala, Costa Rica, St. Kitts and Nevis, Curacao, and Grand Cayman in a variety of positions ranging from volunteer Kennel Assistant to Adoption Officer, Assistant Shelter Manager, Director of Animal Care to Shelter Manager. Katarina has also completed several online courses including Animal Shelter Management and Level 3 Diploma in Canine Studies. She joined the team in June 2022 as our Animal Care and Welfare Liaison Officer with some designated supervisory and management responsibilities. In her free time, she loves to take her young son to the beach, travel, drive and watch horror movies

Hannah Hydes

A proud young and intelligent Caymanian. Hannah’s journey, at The Veterinary Clinic, & Specialty Boarding, started with her coming here to do her High School work experience in 2017, and from there she volunteered on and off for 3 years. Hannah officially joined the team in July 2022 as a Student Veterinary Technician’s Assistant and has been subject to training in a wide variety of activities as well as a witness to a litany of interesting medical and surgical procedures. She has become one of our most informed lay employees. Hannah’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to, triage of incoming patients; collecting and running blood and fecal tests; cleaning and preparing sterilized surgical instruments; works closely with the doctors during medical appointments, as well as monitoring pets’ vitals during surgery. Together with Abigail and others, Hannah adores being able to cuddle all the cute furry friends that come in for treatment or boarding.

Abigail Powell

Abigail Powell, born in the Cayman Islands, started her journey at The Veterinary Clinic & Specialty Boarding in September 2021, she was a seventeen-year-old High School graduate when she joined the team and is loving the experience. She enjoys being in the presence of her amazing hardworking colleagues and loves the positive work environment in which she currently finds herself. Abi is our main receptionist who greets both our patients and clients with a warm and caring smile. She is our marvelous gatekeeper and usually is the first image contact with our customers. She successfully undertook a Communication Skills Course to help further her knowledge when communicating with both customers as well as colleagues at work. She has also gained a great deal of insight into other roles and responsibilities at the Facility. Abi is a unique multitasker whose work is greatly appreciated. She is kind, intelligent and enjoys working with animals. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with family and friends and going to the beach.

Krystal Dapiton

Krystal joined our team in October 2022 and holds the position of Kennel assistant. Additionally, she is involved in front desk duties and thanks to her background, she is also subject to and very receptive to training in several veterinary technician support areas. A native of the Philippines, she obtained her bachelor’s degree in Biology in 2015 from the Western Mindanao State University and proceeded to work for her country’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources within the Biodiversity Division where she learned and gained valuable experience in dealing with plants and animals. Between 2018 and 2022, Krystal has lived and worked in Dubai, most notably as an insurance coordinator and receptionist at a dental clinic. She also spent 1.5 years working as a full-time pet sitter. She is adventurous and in her free time she enjoys trekking, spelunking – exploration of caves - and taking photos of nature.

Kevin Henningham

Kevin joined our team in April 2022 and holds a position of Kennel assistant. He is originally from Clarendon, Jamaica. He graduated from Thompson Town High School at top of his class and was named valedictorian at his graduation. After finishing his studies, Kevin gained extensive experience in crop farming throughout the years and proceeded to aim higher, gaining one year of customer service experience working for AT&T. Since Kevin joined our team a year ago, he has been cultivating his curiosity and interest in animals and has learned a great deal concerning the care and welfare of the pets that he now handles in a very satisfactory manner.  He is also our designated handy-man and fixer upper when it comes to facility maintenance thereby ensuring the physical safety of our clients, pets, and ourselves. In his spare time, he likes to listen to audio books and watch documentaries.