Our Veterinary Team in Ames, IA

Dr. Rivers grew upon on a small family farm in northeast Iowa, giving her an early insight for her love of animals and veterinary medicine. She knew from a very young age that caring for animals was her passion and calling. Dr. Rivers attended Iowa State University for undergraduate studies, during which time she also worked at a feline specialty clinic as a veterinary assistant and a laboratory assistant in the Department of Pathology at the veterinary school. She received her Bachelor’s degree in animal science, and went on to graduate with her DVM with honors from Iowa State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

Dr. Rivers’ husband, Brandon, is active in leadership as a nursing director at Broadlawns Medical Center in Des Moines. He works closely with his nursing staff and patient families to provide high quality medicine, just as Dr. Rivers provides at Somerset.  Together they have two dogs, Sixxer and Vanity. They also have two cats, Asher and Mac, who are spoiled at home. Dr. Rivers also enjoys being outdoors, gardening, music, and cooking. She is an avid sports fanatic, participating in a Fantasy Football League each year and attending many Cyclone sporting events.

Dr. Rivers is committed to her patients and her clients through all stages of life. If you are new to Somerset Veterinary Hospital, she would love to meet you. We invite you to drop in at our state-of-the-art facility, or contact us to schedule your first visit.

Dr. Flaming grew up in a small town in Kansas. She was hooked into the world of veterinary medicine during high school while helping her local veterinarian. She graduated from Kansas State University, earning her Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degrees. The entirety of Dr. Flaming’s career in practice of 30-plus years has been spent in the state of Iowa. She has had “live in” experiences with big dogs, little dogs, fun cats, aloof cats, diabetic pets, young pets, older pets, smart pets, and not-so-smart pets! Dr. Flaming’s favorite things about veterinary medicine include helping dogs and cats with medical problems, dentistry and oral surgery, and keeping our pets healthy and happy.

Dr. Flaming enjoys walking her dogs, gardening, and traveling with her husband, Kevan, who is also a veterinarian. Dr. Kevan Flaming works at Iowa State University developing educational materials for veterinarians around the world. They have two grown children, a Hawkeye and a Cyclone; a house divided when the kids come home. Dr. Flaming loves and adores her two dogs, Neville, a black and silver Cockapoo, and Pippa, an adorable Cavachon.

Dr. Gubbels joined the Somerset family in February 2019. Serving as one of our associate veterinarians, Dr. Gubbels takes pride in providing the highest quality care for all patients. Growing up in Council Bluffs, Iowa, Dr. Gubbels developed his passion for veterinary practices at an early age. After receiving an undergraduate degree from Iowa State University in May 2013, Dr. Gubbels furthered his education at Iowa State University by attending the College of Veterinary Medicine. There, he was an honors student on the dean’s list, graduating in May 2017. Since then, Dr. Gubbels has developed an interest in veterinary surgery, dentistry, preventative medicine, and more.

Dr. Gubbels and his wife welcomed their first child, Coraline, into the world in January 2019. She has been an absolute joy as she grows every day. Dr. Gubbels also has four pets; his dogs are Albus and Belle, a Great Pyrenees and Great Pyrenees mix who love to exercise and keep playful with each other. Dr. Gubbels’ cats, Peanut and Olive, love to snuggle and play with lasers regularly. In his free time, Dr. Gubbels enjoys most things outdoors, including participating in sports leagues, playing disc golf, golf, fishing, and hiking. He also loves traveling and seeing new places, enjoying craft beer on occasion along the way. He is an avid supporter of Kansas City sports teams, especially the Chiefs and Royals, and of course he loves the Cyclone community.

Dr. Crane grew up in northern Iowa in a big family. She has always felt drawn to animals both big and small. She spent time competing in 4-H with her horse, Joe. She also grew up with dogs. She completed her undergraduate degree at Gustavus Adolphus in Minnesota where she joined the swim team. Her love of animals inspired her to eventually attend veterinary school at Iowa State University. She loves the variety veterinary medicine provides.

Dr. Crane met her husband during her first year in veterinary school. One year later they got their first fur baby together, a German Shorthaired Pointer named Gunner. During summer of 2020, Dr. Crane and her husband added onto the fur family with a Wirehaired Pointing Griffon named Kit.

In her free time, Dr. Crane loves to spend time outside with her dogs, swim, travel, and read fiction novels. Dr. Crane and her husband are Cyclones fans and like to attend as many football games as they can.

Dr. Lindgren is originally from California and planted roots here in Iowa back in 2014. She received her Bachelor’s degree in animal science from Iowa State in 2017, then proceeded to graduate from Iowa State College of Veterinary Medicine in 2022. She joined the Somerset team in June as our primary Urgent Care Doctor, and has been a wonderful addition to our team! Dr. Lindgren has two dogs at home, Twitter and Eve. In her spare time, Dr. Lindgren enjoys doing things with her dogs, of course, as well as hiking, gardening, and other outdoor activities. The next time an urgent situation happens with your pet, call us! Dr. Lindgren will take great care of them!

Dr. Dovenberg grew up in a small town called Decorah located in northeast Iowa. As a child, she enjoyed having a family dog, multiple cats and even a few rabbits. For as long as she can remember, she always loved animals and wanted to be a veterinarian. She attended DePaul University in Chicago for undergrad, majored in biology and graduated in 2014. She earned her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine degree from Iowa State University in 2019. Since graduation, Dr. Dovenberg has practiced both mixed animal and small animal medicine in Wisconsin and Illinois before returning back to Iowa in 2022 where she joined the Somerset Veterinary Hospital team.

In her free time, Dr. Dovenberg enjoys spending time with family and friends. Hobbies include running (hopefully, more tough mudders, half-marathons and possibly first full marathon in the next couple years), reading and snuggling with her pets Gracie (Golden Retriever), Marble and Reese (two calico cats) as much as they will allow.

Dr. Paula Kuhfus grew up in Ankeny, Iowa. She had the type of mom that creates veterinarians. She let her take home every pocket pet or reptile that the school was trying to give away for the summer: Gerbils, hamsters, turtles, etc. This love of animals and science came to fruition when she graduated from Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1990. A short stint in two mixed animal clinics led to her passion – bringing quality small animal medicine to rural Iowa. She started a small animal practice in Radcliffe, Iowa in 1995. In 2014, she sold the practice to free up some time and ” retire”. She did not enjoy retirement and continued her veterinary career at Blue Pearl Veterinary Specialty Center in Des Moines where she learned an incredible amount about critical and urgent care patients. It was a tremendous experience. In fall of 2023 she joined the staff at Somerset Veterinary Hospital. She enjoys urgent care cases. Some of her special interests are acute care as well as helping owners of geriatric patients extend quality life for their aging 4-legged family members. Dr. Kuhfus is married to Jon, a farmer. She has 3 grown children, 2 sons – in law, and 4 grandchildren. When not involved in veterinary medicine, she enjoys gardening, traveling and cooking. The farm is also home to 2 dogs, Opie and Honey, a cat, Stranger, and 11 chickens.

Dr. Ullmann grew up along the Mississippi River in a group of towns called the Quad Cities. She spent every summer at her grandparents’ farm where she quickly learned she loved animals of all shapes and sizes. As she grew up, her love for animals mixed with her passion for medicine and drove her to pursue veterinary medicine. She attended Iowa State University for her undergraduate degree in biology and graduated in 2018. She then continued her education at Iowa State College of Veterinary Medicine and completed her degree in 2022. After graduation, Dr. Ullmann and her husband moved to Burlington, Iowa where she worked at a small animal general practice. There she found a new love for ophthalmology and soft tissue surgery. Her and her husband could not stay away from Ames for long and moved back to join the Somerset team in 2024.

Outside of work Dr. Ullmann enjoys an array of activities including kayaking, embroidery, and swimming. However, her most cherished pastime is spending quality time with her family. Dr. Ullmann met her husband while in vet school and they have the best furry companion named Kodiak. He is a lazy, lovable shepherd mix she adopted in vet school. All three of them spend most nights in a wood shop working on projects for Ullmann Construction, her husband’s business. She also has a brother and twin sisters who are 16 years younger than her that keep life youthful and exciting.