Our Careteam | Crystal Mountain Animal Hospital

Sheri Vandermause

Practice Owner, Client Care

Sheri was hesitant when her husband—owner and chief veterinarian here at Crystal Mountain Animal Hospital, Dr. Vandermause—first asked her to use her client-service and business background to help run the clinic. After all, she didn’t know anything about veterinary medicine. It didn’t take long for her doubts to melt away; it quickly became clear to Sheri that building relationships with the area’s pets and animal owners was key to the business model! She’s played an active role in the hospital’s success since 2000, and is proud to have taken on a full-time role since 2017.

Sheri is originally from Lakewood, California, and earned a Bachelor’s degree in journalism from California State University, Long Beach. She spent several years in the customer-service and business worlds, and those skillsets have served her well over the years here at Crystal Mountain Animal Hospital. Sheri makes it her mission to create a welcoming clinic environment not only for pets, but for human visitors as well. Her favorite part of the job is learning more about her clients and their families—she never ceases to be reminded of the hospital’s core values of family and community!

In her spare time, Sheri likes watching football, dancing—she even took a tap class last year!—and spending time with her family and pets. She and her husband have two grown sons, a granddaughter named Lily, and a grandson named Niko. The Vandermauses currently share their home with two grand-cats, Domino and Stella.

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Ronnie McGill

Practice Manager

Ever since he was young, Ronnie has wanted to serve as a voice for those who can’t speak for themselves. For him, advocating for animals is a lifelong pursuit! Ronnie is the Practice Manager here at Crystal Mountain Animal Hospital and has now been a veterinary professional for more than 16 years.

Ronnie is originally from Austin, and lived with his family in Oklahoma, New Mexico, North Dakota, Texas, and Mississippi before settling back in this area in the late 1980s. He joined the Crystal Mountain Animal Hospital team in October of 2000; within a year and a half, he had become the Practice Manager. Ronnie has been here ever since!

Ronnie and his wife, Kristen, have a beautiful young daughter named Jade. As a family, they enjoy swimming and boating, visiting local parks, and seeing movies. Ronnie also likes to watch football and car-racing whenever he gets the chance.

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Muhammad Sakthi

Veterinary Technician

Muhammad grew up near the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan, where animals were a natural part of life since his earliest days. He always had an innate passion for science and learning, and his mother encouraged him to become a veterinarian. When the opportunity arose for him to study veterinary medicine, Muhammad jumped at the chance. That set in motion a journey that continues to this day—Muhammad is now a Veterinary Technician with the Crystal Mountain Animal Hospital family and will soon be a licensed veterinarian here in the United States!

Muhammad earned his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences in Lahore, Pakistan. He was one of only five students accepted from foreign countries! There, he was able to study and work with both companion animals and livestock species, further deepening his passion for the world of animal care.

Following his schooling, Muhammad served as an interpreter alongside United States military forces in Torkham, Afghanistan, and also worked with a pair of organizations dedicated to teaching women how to start and operate their own poultry businesses. When it became necessary for Muhammad’s safety and the safety of his family to leave Afghanistan—Taliban forces targeted him in retaliation for assisting United States troops—he resettled in the United States and made his way to Texas.

Muhammad first became connected with Crystal Mountain Animal Hospital when his United States sponsor reached out to the Capital Area Veterinary Medical Association. Dr. Vandermause offered him the opportunity for mentorship guidance and to help Muhammad prepare for study and licensing here in the United States—Muhammad gladly accepted, and he’s been caring for the pets of the Austin area ever since! He especially enjoys watching Dr. Vandermause in action, and he likes to assist with surgical work and run laboratory tests in order to further hone his veterinary skillset.

Away from work, Muhammad is an avid soccer fan and enjoys both playing and watching games whenever he can. He and his family—Muhammad is married and has two wonderful young sons—love exploring Austin and enjoying their new lives in the United States, and they hope to add an animal companion to the household in the near future!

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Jennifer Berry

Veterinary Assistant

When she was two years old, Jennifer wanted to become a doctor. The instant she learned that there was such a thing as a doctor for animals—around the age of three—her mind was made up: she knew that she wanted to work hands-on with the earth’s creatures in whatever way she could. Jennifer’s passion simply hasn’t quit; she’s thrilled to serve the area’s pets and animal owners as a Veterinary Assistant with the Crystal Mountain Animal Hospital family!

Jennifer is an Austin native and grew up as the only child of two animal-loving parents. After dipping her toes in the world of pet care by pet-sitting for family, friends, and neighbors, she took a job at a local doggie daycare and boarding facility—that experience only made her more certain that she wanted to work in veterinary medicine. Jennifer joined the Crystal Mountain Animal Hospital team in the fall of 2018, and couldn’t be happier to expand her skillset and spend time around the pets of Austin on a daily basis. Ultimately, she would like to become a veterinarian for endangered animals, and travel the world working for rescue zoos and wildlife sanctuaries.

Around the clinic, Jennifer loves to socialize new puppies and kittens after their initial rounds of vaccinations, and she’s also fond of completing medical procedures like X-rays and blood-draws. Her favorite part of her job, though, is getting to see pets regain the pep in their step and leave the clinic feeling happy, healthy, and healed.

When she’s not at work, Jennifer enjoys long-distance running—she’s completed a number of half-marathons and just recently conquered her first full marathon!—and spending quality time with her friends, family, and pets. She has a Belgian Tervuren/Shepherd mix who acts more like a person than a dog; a Black Labrador mix puppy named Satori; and a needy white cat, Cassie, whose favorite pastime is napping in a cozy lap.

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Jessica Bennett

Veterinary Assistant

Jessica grew up in Crosby, Texas, where she frequently helped her father run his miniature-Dachshund breeding business. When a few of the dogs fell ill, Jessica realized that she wanted to know more about the medical side of the animal-care world—that way, she would be able to keep as many pets as possible happy and healthy! She hasn’t looked back since, and is now proud to serve as a Veterinary Assistant here at Crystal Mountain Animal Hospital.

After beginning her collegiate studies while living in Tomball, Texas, Jessica moved to Dripping Springs with her future husband. Seven months after graduating from college, the couple were married! Having previously worked in the retail and restaurant industries, Jessica knew that she wanted to secure a position doing something that made her truly happy—veterinary medicine was the perfect answer. She joined the Crystal Mountain Animal Hospital team in September of 2018, and has enjoyed every moment since.

Around the hospital, Jessica likes the challenge of radiology work, and she’s also fond of comforting nervous or anxious patients; she makes it her mission to ensure that every animal visitor to the clinic feels as comfortable as possible. Most of all, Jessica loves working alongside a caring, talented team of professionals that all love animals just as much as she does!

Away from the office, Jessica enjoys fishing, camping, hiking, road-tripping, making ceramic art—she was one of the youngest “pro-rated” artists in the ceramic community in past years!—and spending quality time with her family and pets. Along with her husband, Josh, she shares her home with two dogs: Daisy, a Golden Retriever mix who loves tagging along on her parents’ adventures; and a Shiba Inu named Max who is full of energy and will take attention whenever he can get it.

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Irma

Front Desk Coordinator

Irma moved with her family to her aunt’s farm while she was in high school. There, she cared for everything from cows, horses, and pigs to sheep, rabbits, and farm dogs. Her early experiences with animals made a lasting impression—Irma always wanted to continue doing her part to keep these magnificent, extraordinary creatures happy and healthy. That’s why she decided to become a veterinary professional!

Irma is from El Paso, Texas and first joined the Crystal Mountain Animal Hospital family in the summer of 2018. Here at the clinic, she loves meeting patients and animal owners face-to-face and seeing wagging tails after pets come out of the exam rooms.

When she’s not here at the clinic, Irma likes gardening, dancing, traveling, going to the gym, working on home-improvement projects, and spending time with her family. She’s been married for nearly 30 years, and has three beautiful daughters and a pair of loveable dogs. Sasha is a black Pit Bull who loves attention and kisses; Phantom the Golden Retriever/Shepherd mix loves hugs and meeting new people.

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