Melissa Tillotson, D.V.M.

Dr. Melissa Tillotson was born in Houston, Texas and has two younger brothers. She always had pets growing up and knew after writing a career paper in 6th grade that she wanted to be a veterinarian. In high school she competed at the state and national level in Veterinary Assisting through HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America).

It was finding training for the competition she met her mentor and began working as a kennel tech/vet assistant at her clinic. She worked there through high school and went back for holidays while in college. Dr Tillotson moved to Oklahoma in 2001 to begin her undergraduate career in Animal Science at OSU. She fell in love with Oklahoma and decided to stay and go to veterinary school. She married her husband Jim in December of 2003. She graduated from OSU’s Veterinary program in 2009. While in school she was active in the Feline practitioners club, Emergency Medicine and Critical Care club, the student chapter of the American Animal Hospital Association and the student chapter of the American Veterinary Medical Association. After graduation Dr Tillotson began working at a small animal and exotic clinic in Oklahoma City. At this clinic she interned with one of the top bird and exotic doctors in the country. Over that 4 ½ years her love for exotics grew.

In the fall of 2013 she began at Perkins Road Pet Clinic and loves the staff and clients. Although she and her husband have no children yet they have a zoo of family at home. They have an 11yr old Akita named Soto; 1 Umbrella Cockatoo named Zoey; 3 Blue and Gold Macaws named Mango, Louie and Snuggles; and 3 boa snakes named Yoshi, Cerena and Cyrus. Zoey has now become a clinic pet to be a great ambassador for the exotics program. Zoey has recently been joined at the clinic by an albino snow boa to help the staff get used to the reptile part of the program. In her spare time she enjoys acrylic painting, spending time with family and friends, and riding atv’s with her husband. She is excited to be able to bring exotic experience to the clinic. Dr. Tillotson and Jim purchased PRPC a few years ago and are excited to continue great care to all the clients and patients that the clinic serves.

Melanie Secrest, D.V.M.

Dr. Secrest was born and raised in Enid, OK. She had a natural love for animals from a very young age even bringing in a neighborhood stray cat to be her own, at 8 years old. In 7th grade, in English class her teacher asked what she wanted to be when she grew up; her answer was, “a veterinarian”. That is when her journey to becoming a veterinarian began and she never looked back.

Dr. Secrest graduated from Enid High School in 2005. She moved to Stillwater that fall to attend Oklahoma State University where she studied Agribusiness with emphasis in Pre-Veterinary Medicine. She applied for and got into OSU’s Center for Veterinary Health Sciences after 3 years of undergraduate school. She graduated with a B.S. in Agribusiness in 2009, followed by a D.V.M. in 2012. During her years in veterinary school, Dr. Secrest served as an officer and member of the student chapter of the American Animal Hospital Association and Veterinary Business Management Association. She also served two years as the student representative of the Oklahoma Veterinary Medical Association.

Following graduation Dr. Secrest worked at a small animal practice in Midwest City for 9 months followed by 3 years at a mixed animal practice in Ponca City. She spent the past year and a half providing relief work for small animal clinics in Oklahoma City, Edmond and here at Perkins Road Pet Clinic. She began full time work here in January of 2018! Dr. Secrest is excited for the opportunity to join our team here at Perkins Road Pet Clinic and to be working in her community of Stillwater, OK!

Dr. Secrest met her husband, Justin, here in Stillwater in 2010 during her 3rd year in veterinary school. They have 2 teenagers, a boy and a girl. As a family, they raise Fullblood Wagyu beef cattle here in Payne County and enjoy spending their time on their acreage with their cattle, donkey, dogs and cat.

Kyle Bache, D.V.M.

Born and raised in Pittsburg, KS, Dr. Bache had a love for animals that started before he could even walk! Coming from a house with multiple cats, fish, birds, turtles, and snakes (including a Burmese python!), there was no doubt early on that being a veterinarian was the only life for him.

Dr. Bache started working under a veterinarian in his hometown as soon as he was old enough to work part time and spent a majority of his high school and undergraduate weekends caring and assisting the animals at the clinic he worked for. He graduated from St. Mary’s Colgan High School in 2009 and then started a degree in Biology at Pittsburg State University with a minor in Physical Sciences and Chemistry, graduating in 2013 with aspirations for Veterinary School.

Dr. Bache moved to Stillwater in 2015 with his significant other Amanda, whom he met during his undergraduate time in college, and started his time here at PRPC as a veterinary assistant under Dr. Tillotson and later Dr. Secrest. He learned a lot from them during his first year here and his time during summer breaks before he was whisked away to OSU College of Veterinary Medicine in 2016 as part of the class of 2020! During his four years at OSU CVM he developed a deep love for all things exotic and small animal ophthalmology.

Following graduation from veterinary school Dr. Bache moved south to Oklahoma City and worked in small animal medicine with a special focus on rescue work before rejoining the team here at PRPC in 2021, but now excited to serve the Stillwater area as a veterinarian!

Dr. Bache and Amanda spend most of their free time with their two cats Arabella and Theodora, their dog Darcy, their gecko Peaches, their home full of plants and their budding freshwater fish hobby.