Dr. Jay Johnson is the founder and owner of Arizona Exotic Animal Hospital, the Valley’s first animal hospital devoted exclusively to the care of exotic pets. As a boy growing up on the outskirts of Tucson, he was fascinated with exotic pets, especially reptiles. He kept a variety of these unique pets throughout his childhood including snakes, lizards, turtles, tortoises, tarantulas, rabbits, a cockatoo, pigmy goats, as well as more traditional pets like dogs and horses.
Medical Staff
Staff Doctors
Dr. Lamb has always desired to provide good health, happiness and care to all exotic pets. She grew up in Las Vegas, NV. After graduating from UNLV with a B.S. in Biology, she attended veterinary school at the University of Minnesota. After finishing veterinary school she performed a one year internship in avian and exotic medicine followed by a two year residency in avian medicine and surgery.
Dr. Pilny is a native New Yorker but joined Arizona Exotic Animal Hospital by way of Los Angeles, California. Dr. Pilny is a graduate of the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine.
Dr. Brown grew up in northern New York and is here to stay in Arizona where the days are warm and sun is bright. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Zoology at SUNY Oswego before moving on to obtaining her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University. She has recently completed a rotating internship in small animal and exotic medicine and surgery at VCA Valley Animal Hospital.
Dr. Johnson is a native Arizonan and has had a passion and interest in animals, notably reptiles for as long as she can remember. She worked as certified veterinary technician for 13 years prior to pursuing veterinary school.
Dr. Nick Saint-Erne is a dedicated veterinarian who is passionate about pets, exotic animals, and aquatic veterinary medicine.
Mike Corcoran is a 2008 graduate of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Washington State University (Go Cougs!).
Interns
Dr. Mocarski grew up in the Bay Area of Northern California, and knew she wanted to be a veterinarian from a very young age. She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Southern California and worked for 8 years as a technician at a research facility outside of Austin, Texas before pursuing her veterinary degree.
Tess McPheeters grew up in Arizona and attended a liberal arts college in Southern California. While there, she found a deep passion for wildlife rehabilitation, and quickly began to work towards becoming an exotic and wildlife veterinarian. She graduated from Kansas State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 2022.
Residents
Dr. Attarian was born in Rochester, New York, but lived all over the northeast. She spent a majority of her time growing up in Connecticut and the capital region of New York. From a young age, she had been determined to become a veterinarian.
Dr. Caitlin Cunningham grew up in Florida where she was always outside catching frogs and snakes. In high school, she got her first reptile, a bearded dragon named Spaz, who sparked her love for exotic pets. You can even find a picture of Spaz on her stethoscope!
Dr. Thulson is excited to meet your scaled, slimy, furry, or feathered friend! She obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Baylor University in Waco, Texas. During her undergraduate studies, she was involved in porpoise skeleton reconstruction, spent time as a zookeeper, and rehabilitated orphaned squirrels.