Our Team

Kathie grew up on a small farm in rural Clinton County, Iowa and knew from a very young age she wanted to be involved in the veterinary industry. She graduated from Iowa State University with her Bachelors in 1992 and received her Masters in 2004. After working 8 years in management for Iowa State University Extension, she was finally able to fulfill the aspiration of being in the veterinary field and accepted the position as Hospital Administrator for the Animal Emergency Center in 2000. Together with her husband, Leon, she keeps busy with their 4 daughters, 2 cats "Peter" and "Fennel", menagerie of chickens and all things related to life on the farm.

Kari grew up in Geneseo before moving to California to be with her husband who was stationed in San Diego. Since moving back to the QC area, she has worked in several aspects of Veterinary Medicine including Low-Cost Vaccine clinics, High volume Spay/Neuter programs, General Day Practice and here at the AEC for over a decade. She was a previous teaching assistant for the Blackhawk College Veterinary Assistant Program. She has always had a passion for small animals including Cats, Dogs, Guinea Pigs and Ferrets. Her passion in Veterinary Medicine truly lies in Emergency work but she enjoys and appreciates the opportunity to improve life for all animals whether it is with routine preventative medicine or extensive disease management. In her spare time, she enjoys Reading, Painting and spending time with her Daughter (who someday wants to be a Veterinarian), Husband and two crazy Golden Retrievers Dolly Barkton and Stevie Ticks.

Dr. Benge received his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Iowa State University in 1999. Upon graduation he completed a one year rotating internship program at Kansas State University. Dr. Benge then practiced in Texas till he moved back to the Quad City area in 2002 when he accepted a position at the Animal Emergency Center. Dr. Benge enjoys running, biking, fishing, canoeing, archery, and camping. He and his wife, Kim, have two young children that keep them very busy with trips to the park, pool, soccer games and baseball games. Their family also includes their dog, Sierra, and cat, Emily.

Dr. Klauer grew up rurally just outside of the Quad Cities. She received her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine in 1994. After graduation, she returned to the QCA to practice small animal medicine. Over the years, Dr Klauer has developed an interest in internal medicine and in diagnosing challenging cases. The decision to transition from "day practice" to emergency medicine was a natural result of these interests. In late 2012, she began covering shifts part-time at the AEC, and she became a full-time staff DVM in May 2013. Dr. Klauer lives in the Illinois QCA with her husband, Chris, and their family of dogs. When not practicing medicine, she enjoys gardening, home-improvement projects, cooking, traveling, reading and time with family and friends.

Dr. Dana Hitzhusen graduated from Iowa State University with a bachelor's degree in animal science in 2014 and went directly on to get her doctorate of veterinary medicine from ISU in 2018. Immediately after graduation, she moved to North Carolina to live with her husband who was in the Marine Corps at the time. When his commitment was finished, they moved back to the Quad cities area to settle down. Initially starting out in general practice, she transitioned to emergency medicine in March of 2020. She enjoys toxicology and surgery the most.

When she's not devoted to working, she is spending time with her husband and their two border collies, DJ and Callie. She enjoys spending time with friends/family (when it's not a pandemic) and being outdoors.

Dr. Lee Wilwerding grew up in Davenport and was part of the first student body at the then new North High School. He graduated from Iowa State University with his DVM in 1994 and practiced for two years in the area before heading out and exploring. Since graduation, Dr. Wilwerding has practiced small animal General Practice initially before then starting and running emergency practices, developing a very strong interest in surgery. Dr. Lee has had over 30 dogs, 5 cats, many chickens, goats and a few horses over the years. Right now he and his partner, Jessica, have a sweet pittie, a basset mix, a doodle, two cats and an Appaloosa named "Tango". And to top it off, two teenage boys to keep things interesting!

Dr. Lauren Hughes graduated from the University of Illinois with a Bachelor's degree in Animal Science in 2009 and went directly on to get her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from University of Illinois in 2013. Dr. Hughes is a Quad City native along with her husband, Andy. She moved back and started her career in the area immediately after graduation, working in private practice for almost 11 years before transitioning to the Emergency Center. Dr. Hughes is also the head veterinarian at Niabi Zoo in Coal Valley, IL, where she has developing preventative care plans and streamlined advances in the Animal Health Department over the past 10 years. Dr. Hughes is very interested in the care of non-traditional pets as well as critical care and triage, especially wound management and surgery. When Dr Hughes isn’t taking care of her patients, she is spending time with her husband, 3 tiny divas, and numerous pets including a dog, cats, and reptiles. She enjoys spending time with her family, cooking and baking, and educating anyone who’s interested in listening about exotic animals, both captive and wild.