MEET OUR SPECIALISTS
Board-Certified Expertise. Collaborative Care.
Our specialists work closely with referring veterinarians to provide advanced diagnostics, consultation, treatments, and treatment recommendations while keeping the primary care veterinarian involved throughout every step of the patient’s care.
Dr. Kirk Sears
DVM, DACVIM (Small Animal Internal Medicine) Board-Certified Small Animal Internal Medicine Specialist)
Dr. Kirk Sears is a board-certified Small Animal Internal Medicine Specialist who has been providing advanced specialty veterinary care for more than 15 years. A native West Texan, Dr. Sears was born in Amarillo and raised in Lubbock. He graduated with honors from Texas Tech University, earning a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science before receiving his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine. Following veterinary school, Dr. Sears completed a rotating internship at Fifth Avenue Veterinary Specialists in New York City, followed by an Internal Medicine internship at Garden State Veterinary Specialists in New Jersey. During this time, he also practiced emergency and primary care veterinary medicine, further broadening his clinical experience. He then completed a rigorous Small Animal Internal Medicine residency at the Veterinary Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, one of the nation’s premier veterinary teaching hospitals. In 2011, he achieved board certification through the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM).Throughout his specialty career, Dr. Sears has collaborated with specialists across numerous disciplines including cardiology, oncology, neurology, critical care, genetics, dermatology, ophthalmology, soft tissue surgery, and orthopedic surgery.
Prior to founding West Texas Veterinary Specialists, he practiced specialty medicine in Dallas for six years and Southern Colorado for four years. Although he greatly valued the outstanding colleagues and practices where he trained and worked, West Texas always remained home. Dr. Sears returned to Lubbock with a vision of expanding access to advanced veterinary specialty care throughout the region. Today, he is proud to serve pets, families, and referring veterinarians across West Texas, the Texas Panhandle, Eastern New Mexico, the Big Country, Permian Basin, Northwest Texas, and Western Oklahoma through a collaborative referral-based approach. Outside of veterinary medicine, Dr. Sears enjoys spending time with his wife and three sons. His interests include the outdoors, Texas Tech athletics (Wreck ‘Em!), playing guitar, learning foreign languages, traveling with his family, soccer, and just about any outdoor activity he can fit into his schedule.
Dr. Avenelle Turner
DVM, DACVIM (Oncology)
Dr. Avenelle Turner is a board-certified Veterinary Medical Oncologist who has partnered with West Texas Veterinary Specialists for the past five years, providing advanced teleoncology consultation and collaborative cancer care for referring veterinarians and their patients throughout the region.Originally from Colorado Springs, Colorado, Dr. Turner earned her Bachelor of Science in Microbiology from Colorado State University before receiving her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine. She then completed a rotating internship in small animal medicine and surgery at Garden State Veterinary Specialists in New Jersey, followed by a three-year residency in Medical Oncology at Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists in Texas.
After achieving board certification through the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM), Dr. Turner served as Head of the Oncology Service at Fifth Avenue Veterinary Specialists in New York City. In 2010, she relocated to Los Angeles to join one of the world’s largest veterinary oncology practices, where she served as Senior Oncologist and Principal Investigator for multiple clinical research trials.Dr. Turner has authored numerous scientific publications and has been featured in national veterinary and pet publications. She is a frequent speaker for both veterinary professionals and pet owners, with professional interests including lymphoma, comparative oncology, clinical research, chemotherapy, metronomic therapy, palliative care, and integrative approaches to cancer treatment.Her philosophy is centered on providing exceptional cancer care while preserving each pet’s quality of life. Dr. Turner believes cancer treatment should be compassionate, individualized, and focused on both the patient and the family.
For the past five years, Dr. Turner has partnered with West Texas Veterinary Specialists, providing teleoncology consultations for referring veterinarians throughout the region. As West Texas Veterinary Specialists expands into its outpatient specialty referral center, she is excited to continue delivering collaborative oncology care while working closely with primary care veterinarians and pet families.
Outside of veterinary medicine, Dr. Turner enjoys traveling, wine tasting, reading, yoga, and exploring Southern California with her dachshunds, Sookie and Romo, and her cats, Dill Pickle and Gilligan. She is also actively involved with CLEAR (Canine Lymphoma Education Awareness and Research), where she provides community education on canine cancer and has been featured in the award-winning documentary My Friend, Standing Strong.
Board-Certified Veterinary Surgeons
Advanced Surgical Care Through Collaborative Partnerships
West Texas Veterinary Specialists partners with board-certified veterinary surgeons to provide advanced surgical care for dogs and cats throughout West Texas, the Texas Panhandle, the Permian Basin, the Big Country, Eastern New Mexico, and Western Oklahoma. Our surgical specialists are Diplomates of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons (ACVS), having completed advanced specialty training and board certification in small animal surgery. They provide expertise in complex soft tissue, orthopedic, neurologic, and oncologic surgical procedures, utilizing modern surgical techniques and state-of-the-art technology to achieve the best possible outcomes for patients. Through our referral-based model, our surgeons work closely with referring veterinarians to provide comprehensive surgical consultation, treatment, and postoperative care while maintaining continuity with each patient’s primary care veterinarian. This collaborative approach allows pets to receive advanced specialty surgery closer to home while preserving the trusted relationship between families and their local veterinarian. Individual surgeon biographies will be added as our surgical team continues to grow.