Dr. Kelly Harper
Founder, Veterinarian
Although Dr. Kelly Harper adored animals since her earliest days and constantly tried to rescue as many pets as she possibly could, she didn’t consider pursuing veterinary medicine until her college years. When she decided to pair her talent for helping animals stay healthy with her deep-rooted passion for bettering the lives of their loving owners, there was no turning back—Dr. Harper knew that she was destined to help others as a veterinarian! Now, she’s the proud owner and operator of Tuscan Ridge Animal Hospital.
Dr. Harper was born and raised in Fairfax, Virginia in a family full of animal lovers. It was there that her veterinary journey stared—she signed up as a Kennel Attendant at a local hospital, and it wasn’t long before she was observing surgeries and helping out wherever she could. Dr. Harper then joined a mixed-animal practice in rural New Jersey, splitting her work hours between helping the veterinarian in the hospital and venturing out on farm calls to help livestock. Next, she explored the research side of the animal-care world when she signed on at the National Institutes of Health in Rockville, Maryland, working in the Department of Small Animal Surgery and the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research.
Dr. Harper earned her Bachelor’s degree in laboratory animal science from Delaware Valley College of Science and Agriculture in 1992, then continued onto veterinary school at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine to earn her Doctorate in 1997. She worked in numerous multi-doctor animal practices in Ohio, New York, and North Carolina for the next 16 years. When the time came for an additional challenge in her career, Dr. Harper decided that she wanted to use her wealth of experience to make a difference in her own way—that’s when she decided to strike out on her own. Tuscan Ridge Animal Hospital opened its doors for business in March of 2014, and Dr. Harper and her team have been helping the area’s pets and animal owners here ever since!
As a vet, Dr. Harper loves the wide variety of patients and clients she gets to serve on a daily basis. Medically, she enjoys surgical procedures and dermatology work. Above all, she likes knowing that she’s able to make a lasting impact on the community’s families.
Outside of work, Dr. Harper enjoys traveling, reading, cheering on the Virginia Tech football, and spending quality time with her family and [friends]. She and her husband, Brian, have two grown daughters, Rachael & Lauren, and several pets: Marley, and Delta who are Brian’s duck-hunting partners; a mischievous Beagle who goes by Penny; and three cats named Chester, Sammy, and Persie.
Dr. Katharine White
Associate Veterinarian
Dr. White grew up in a small town in Massachusetts, about an hour outside of Boston, in a family that loved animals. While attending college as a business major, she had the opportunity to study abroad in Australia for several months. The experience she had there, surrounded by so many beautiful creatures in the wild, made such an impression on Dr. White that she decided to change directions and pursue a career in veterinary medicine. The rest, as they say, is history!
Dr. White completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. There, she received dual bachelor’s degrees in business management and animal science. After graduation, she moved to Raleigh to attend NC State’s veterinary school and obtained her doctorate with a small animal medicine focus in 2007. She has been practicing canine and feline veterinary medicine in the Raleigh area for nearly two decades and joined the Tuscan Ridge Animal Hospital team in August of 2023.
Professionally, Dr. White enjoys bonding and developing trust with her clients and being able to take care of their pets throughout their entire lives. She finds it truly rewarding when she can make a sick pet feel better, save an animal’s life in an emergency situation, or perform surgery to cure a patient of cancer, and then see them live many more happy and healthy years with their family. Dr. White also has advanced training and extensive experience in veterinary dentistry. She is also Fear Free certified and USDA APHIS certified to write health certificates.
Outside of the clinic, Dr. White resides in Wake Forest with her husband, Jeff, their two children, Tyler and Alyssa, and a plethora of pets. Their fur-babies include three dogs: Nugget, Max, and Blue. Nugget is a “black lab mix” who got her name because she was such a tiny puppy when they adopted her. They thought she was just the runt of the litter, but she is full grown at 35 pounds, and her DNA test shows that she actually has no lab in her! Blue and Max came from a litter of puppies the family rescued and fostered.
In her spare time, Dr. White enjoys being outdoors, walking with the family (two-legged and four), riding bikes, kayaking, camping, and exploring new hiking trails, especially ones with waterfalls. The family also travels regularly, both within the US and internationally, as Dr. White feels it’s very important to experience different cultures, and very awe-inspiring to see the natural beauty of the world.