Dr. John Kaya
Dr. John Kaya is a graduate of Moanalua High School. He graduated from the University of Hawaii with a Bachelor of Education in 1989, then graduated from University of Minnesota with his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 1999. During Veterinary school, Dr. Kaya did an externship at the San Diego Zoo fostering his interest in exotic animal medicine. He currently treats dogs, cats, rabbits, chinchillas, guinea pigs, rats, mice, Jackson chameleons, turtles, and birds. On occasion, he has even seen goats, penguins, and flamingos.
Dr. Kaya is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Hawaii Veterinary Medical Association, Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians, and the Association of Exotic Mammal Veterinarians. He is also a former Chairperson of the Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners for the state of Hawaii.
Besides working in the hospital, Dr. Kaya has been very active in the community. He has visited schools educating children on proper pet care, was a fixture on the KHON morning news pet segment, and wrote articles for our local MidWeek newspaper. In his free time, Dr. Kaya enjoys basketball, skin diving, and singing karaoke with his friends and family. He loves spending time with his wife Jan and two children, Jada and Jake. Dr. Kaya’s immediate family includes two Pomeranians, Eevee and Arya, and a turtle named Lil’ Dude.
Dr. Cheyenne Fry
Dr. Cheyenne Fry is a graduate of Pearl City High School. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Zoology with a Marine Options Program Certificate from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 1999 and her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Michigan State University in 2003. After graduation, she returned home and had been in private practice in a 24 hour hybrid primary care and emergency hospital.
Dr. Fry believes that companion animals are a central part of the family and her mission is to strengthen the bond between pets and their people. As part of her commitment to this principle, Dr. Fry is a Fear Free Certified Veterinarian. She has developed a special interest in soft tissue surgery and feline medicine.
During her free time, Dr. Fry enjoys traveling, music, hiking, and going on adventures with her husband and three children, and playing with their three cats. She is an avid college basketball fan and follows her beloved Michigan State Spartans.
Dr. Kristin Dang
Dr. Dang was born and raised in Hawaii. She graduated from Iolani School, then attended Colorado State University and received her BS in Microbiology in 2003 and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 2007. She spent a year in New York completing a small animal internship at a Veterinary Specialists clinic before returning home to private practice.
A lifelong love for dogs has led to a special interest in canine reproduction and behavior. During her time spent in Colorado, she discovered her love and admiration for purebred well bred dogs. She spent her free time becoming actively involved with breed clubs, all breed clubs, and exhibiting and breeding Pomeranians. She enjoys meeting dog owners and breeders who are just as passionate about preserving breed type and health and raising happy, well balanced dogs.
Outside of work, Dr. Dang enjoys traveling, relaxing, and spending time with her husband, two children, and their 3 dogs. Her favorite places to visit include Disneyland, Disney World, Colorado, New York, Japan, and anywhere where there is good food.
Dr. Erin Kwock
Dr. Erin Kwock grew up in Manoa and graduated from Mid Pacific Institute. She traveled to Colorado and attended Colorado State University, where her primary field of study at the undergraduate level was Natural Resource Management with a minor in Conservation Biology and Microeconomics. She continued on to receive a Master’s Degree in Zoology before completing her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine in 2005.
Dr. Kwock completed an internship at an Emergency Animal Hospital & Referral Center in San Diego, California. During her internship, she worked closely with specialists in internal medicine, cardiology, radiology, surgery, and dermatology. After her internship, she returned home to Oahu to be with family and has been practicing veterinary medicine ever since. Dr. Kwock is very interested in making sure each pet has the care they need specific to their breed, lifestyle and life stage.
When Dr. Kwock isn’t busy here at the hospital, you can find her spending time with her husband and their two children. She loves reading and hopes to do more traveling. On the weekends, she and her family like finding hole-in-wall restaurants and food trucks to try the best local food! She has one dog, one cat, and one chinchilla.
Dr. Ashley Nakaoka
Dr. Ashley Nakaoka is a graduate of Punahou School. She graduated from the University of Hawaii with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Bachelor of Arts in Japanese Language and Literature, and Washington State University with a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine. During veterinary school, Dr. Nakaoka became interested in Integrative Medicine, especially Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM) and rehabilitation. After veterinary school, she interned for a year at a primarily-ER veterinary specialty center in California, but missed being able to learn and apply TCVM and returned home to general practice.
Dr. Nakaoka has received training in small animal acupuncture and veterinary food therapy through Chi University, and in March 2024, received certification for canine rehabilitation. Her first rehab patient and then foster failure was a Swimmer’s Syndrome kitten who couldn’t walk, and she jokingly laments that his legs are too fixed because he is naughty and runs around too much. Dr. Nakaoka is passionate about learning more about TCVM to provide additional treatment options to her patients, and optimize their care.
When Dr. Nakaoka is out of the office, she enjoys going to farmers markets, cooking, exercising and spending time with her husband and their two fur-babies, a cat and dog named Sheldon and Scooby, named after the characters from the Big Bang Theory and Scooby-Doo. She also enjoys traveling, but her favorite destination is still Japan!