Welcome to Ooltewah Veterinary Hospital!
We are here because we want to do veterinary medicine differently.
Ooltewah Veterinary Hospital is a full-service, family owned and operated animal hospital located in Ooltewah / Collegedale, Tennessee, just outside of Chattanooga.
We aren't your average veterinarian or your average veterinary experience. We are here to exceed every expectation you have of care for your family members.
We understand that your pet is unique and that no single healthcare plan will be ideal for every pet in all situations. Our goal is to best educate you on how to keep your pet healthy so they are around for you to love for years to come.
We treat all sorts of animals from cats and dogs to birds and ferrets. All are welcome in our hospital for routine wellness checks or to diagnose and treat any issues that should arise. Dr. Woods is passionate about client education and will make sure you thoroughly understand how to best care for your pet before leaving our office.
Your family is our family.
Meet the Team
Micah Woods, DVM/Owner
Dr. Woods grew up an international traveler. He was born and raised on an oil compound in Saudi Arabia and spent his childhood traveling around the Middle East. This is where his passion for exotic animals began as he collected scorpions, chameleons, snakes, lizards and other desert animals in his backyard.
He attended McCallie School as a boarding student where he originally met his wife, Karla. After graduating in 2002, he attended NC State University and the University of Kansas (Go Jayhawks!) where he received his Bachelor's Degree in Molecular Biosciences with an emphasis in Cellular Biology. While in school, he worked for a local pet store and breeding facility which only further fueled his passion for animals. Shortly thereafter, he began working at a local veterinary hospital starting as a volunteer kennel assistant and working his way up to a veterinary technician.
Having no fear of living internationally, Dr. Woods chose to attend veterinary school at St, George's University on the island of Grenada. His clinical year of school was spent at North Carolina State University and he graduated veterinary school in 2012. Upon graduation, he and his wife, Karla, moved back to Chattanooga where he began working in general practice.
Dr. Woods has extensive experience in small animal and exotic medicine and surgery. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his family poolside or on the lake, swimming and taking care of his saltwater fish tank. He and his wife have two boys, Walker and Miller, along with 4 dogs (Bella, Mason, Charlie Brown and Petra), two tortoises (Little Foot and Boca), a feisty tarantula named Charlotte, and a plethora of saltwater fish.
Karla
You'll rarely find our Practice Manager at the hospital, but you'll know it when you do! Karla is a native to Chattanooga (Hixson to be exact!), has two sons- Walker and Miller, oh... and she is Dr. Woods' wife! She has a B.S. in Marketing from the University of TN at Chattanooga and a Master's in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of North Carolina- Charlotte. She handles everything from marketing to accounting here at OVH. She doesn't have any spare time, but if she did she'd enjoy boating, skiing, SEC football and spending time with family and friends.
Braxton Gise, DVM
Dr. Gise was born and raised in Milledgeville, Georgia. He attended Georgia Military Preparatory school for high school which is where he met his wife Addison. His first veterinary experience was as a veterinary assistant at a small animal clinic the summer after graduation. Dr. Gise attended the University of Georgia for undergrad (GO DAWGS!) where he graduated with his Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences. He contracted into UGA’s Army ROTC program during his sophomore year of college and was commissioned as an officer in the Army Reserve’s upon graduating in 2021. He continues serving to this day. Dr. Gise loved Athens so much that he decided to attend vet school at UGA as well! His most interesting internship was at the Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, TN.
Dr. Gise is a twice published author in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, as primary author for a paper on lizard anesthesia and contributing author for a paper over chelonian anesthesia. In his spare time, he enjoys weightlifting, hiking, and rooting on the DAWGS in college football. The most important thing to him, though, is spending time with his wife Addison, their pittie Elvis and their newest street cat addition, Lucy!
Dana
Dana has been with OVH since 2022 and, as our Office Manager, she literally handles anything and everything that could be thrown at her. Originally from California, she moved to Tennessee in 2016. Dana has worked in veterinary medicine for over 25 years (!!) and knows her way well around all areas of a veterinary hospital. She is a band mom to her 15 year old son, Reese, and she enjoys spending her free time with him and her husband, James.
Yeslanys
Yeslanys (or Yesla, as we know and love her) is originally from Venezuela and has lived in Dalton since 2021. Having attended veterinary school in Venezuela, she is currently going through the process of obtaining her veterinary license here in the United States. She has been a veterinary technician with OVH since 2022 and we cannot wait to soon introduce her as Dr. Yesla! She is a mother to two boys- Joshua and Ignacio and a wife to Josh. In her (very little) free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends.
Ashely
Ashely is our License Medical Veterinary Technician (LMVT) and she joined OVH in January 2023. She began her veterinary medicine journey in Colorado where she started in her first clinic working with small animals, She also interned for a large animal specialist working with cattle and horses. Right after graduation, her husband received military orders to report to Japan. In Japan, she was contracted under the Army to work at the veterinary facility helping military working dogs and providing services for military personnel. After a few years, they headed back to the states and were stationed in Kansas where she earned her Veterinary Technician License while working at an emergency veterinary hospital. After her husband retired from the Air Force, they decided to return home and plant roots here in Tennessee.
Ashely is married to her husband Harvey (aka: Tag) and they have a spirited 7 year old, Eli, a 3 year old Golden Retriever, Mars, and their newest addition, a terrier named Leo.. Since becoming a mom, she doesn't find a lot of time for hobbies but when she can, she enjoys hiking and fishing.
Emily
Emily has been with us since 2023 and wears many hats at OVH! As our resident social media manager, she is the creative brains behind our daily reels and highlights. She also helps Dr. Woods and Dr. Gise as a veterinary assistant. With seven years of experience in veterinary medicine, Emily is passionate about supporting patients, educating clients, and sharing the heart behind veterinary care. She especially enjoys creating content that tells meaningful stories and showcases the incredible relationships between pets and their families.
At home, Emily is a proud wife to Logan and pet mom to Xena the husky, Rebel the pitbull, and Nalu the tortoise. When she’s not at the hospital, you can likely find her in Savannah cheering on the Party Animals baseball team.
Christiane
Christiane has been with OVH since summer of 2024 and has been a vet assistant for over 20 years. She has lived in the Ooltewah area since she was 5 years old. Both of her parents were teachers and 2 of her 3 sisters became teachers, though Christiane had other plans. She dreamed of someday working with educational wildlife, but ended up studying mass communications in college. After graduating, she decided it was time to work with animals full time.
Christiane shares her home with 2 border collies, various snakes, birds, rats, a couple of centipedes, and a coatimundi! In her free time, she enjoys helping a friend with her ambassador animals (especially the porcupines!) and educational programs.