Meet Our Veterinarians

\Dr. Merrill is a 1980 graduate of Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine in Ames, Iowa. After practicing in Madison, Wisconsin in an emergency clinic for 4 years, Dr. Merrill moved to Portland, Oregon, where he practiced at Dove Lewis Emergency Clinic for 7 years. He then practiced at SE Portland Animal Hospital for 5 years. Dr. Merrill opened the doors of Sherwood Family Pet Clinic in 1996.

His veterinary interests include all areas of small animal medicine and surgery for dogs and cats. His special interests include orthopedic surgery including TPLO and TTA (these are surgical procedures to repair anterior cruciate ligament injuries), patellar luxation surgery, soft tissue surgery, dental care, dermatology, and patient well-care.

Dr. Merrill is a past president of the Portland Veterinary Medical Association and has completed the AAHA Veterinary Management Institute Program at the Kranert Business School at Purdue University. He is currently a member of the Portland Veterinary Medical Association, the American Veterinary Medical Association, and the Oregon Veterinary Medical Association.

Dr. Merrill enjoys spending his spare time with his 3 sons and his wife, Cathy. Dr. Merrill also shares his home with Daisy their Border Terrier;  Yoshi their Chihuahua,  and a cat named Kirby. Dr. Merrill's sons named their pets after Mario Brother characters!

Education: Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine

Dr. Schlimgen is a graduate of Texas A&M University for both his Bachelors in Veterinary Science and Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine. Areas of particular interest are dentistry, internal medicine, orthopedic and soft tissue surgery and dermatology. He has experience working at a referral facility in both the anesthesia and emergency medicine departments as well as general practice prior to his current role as associate veterinarian with SFPC.

Prior to veterinary medicine, he was a member of the military and deployed all over the world. Dr. Schlimgen lives in Sherwood with his wife and two daughters, along with his two dogs and two cats. In his off-time he enjoys spending time with family, various wood-working projects, fishing, snowboarding, riding motorcycles and hiking.

Education: Texas A&M

Dr. Wustenberg graduated from Oregon State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2011 after obtaining her Bachelors degree in Animal Sciences with honors in 2007.

She grew up in Germany in a bilingual family speaking German and Spanish, and is happy to help translate whenever there is an opportunity.  In Germany, she completed one year of veterinary school at the University of Hanover TiHo before transferring to the program at Oregon State.

During her initial years of practice, Dr. Wustenberg worked in a small animal clinic in Beaverton as well as her own ambulatory equine practice. She joined the SFPC team in January of 2015.

She is interested in all aspects of small animal medicine and surgery but especially enjoys internal medicine, wound management, patient well-care, behavior and dentistry cases. Dr. Wustenberg likes working on making our timid patients feel a little less scared during their visits.

Dr. Wustenberg lives in Carlton with her husband, son and daughter.   Her little hobby farm is home to all of her animals including her 3 dogs, 3 cats and 4 horses.  She enjoys horseback riding, spending time with family, dog training, swimming, sewing and gardening

Education: Oregon State University

Dr. Sitton is a 2015 graduate of Oregon State University College of Veterinary Medicine. She was born and raised in Southern Oregon, where her passion for animals and veterinary aspirations started at a young age.

Since then, Dr. Sitton began focusing her time and energy on learning as much as she could about animals. Prior to veterinary school, Dr. Sitton graduated cum laude, earning a Bachelor of Science with a minor in both Mathematics and Chemistry.

Throughout the years, Dr. Sitton has lived by the words of her favorite quote by Eleanor Roosevelt, “the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” She was previously a USFSA competitive figure skater and also spent over 5 years trialing in NADAC canine agility with her Papillon.

Dr. Sitton lives in Carlton with her husband, kids, and dogs. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, crafting, and spending time on the farm.

Dr. Kaitlyn Rudie joined the SFPC team after graduating from Oregon State University in 2019.

Dr. Rudie graduated 3rd in her class from the Oregon State University College of Veterinary medicine in 2019. Upon graduation she was selected for the AAHA Award for Proficiency in Primary Care. Dr. Rudie also attended OSU for her undergraduate degree, she graduated *Summa Cum Laude* with an Honors Bachelors in Zoology, and a minor in Chemistry in 2015.

Dr. Rudie has always had a passion for animals, but fell in love with veterinary medicine because of the human connection. She is grateful to be involved in a profession that provides care to animals and by extension, the people who love them. She has particular interest in internal Medicine and soft-tissue surgery

Education: Oregon State University 

Interests: Hiking