Meet Our Veterinary Team 

DR. PAUL LECOMPTE

DVM

Dr. Paul LeCompte (most of us call him Dr. Paul) opened Kings Veterinary Hospital in 1995. Dr. Paul is an amazing example of someone who truly found their calling in life. If we could tell you only one thing about Dr. Paul that sets him apart, it would be that he creates such great relationships with pets and their people that many of his clients call him a friend first and a vet second. Luckily, we can tell you more than just one thing about him! Dr. Paul leads his team based on several very important principles laid out in our mission statement, namely to treat our clients as we would want to be treated and that each family is unique. If you are looking for a veterinarian that is able to connect with you, will listen to you, will get down on the floor with your pet, and will provide you with top quality care, you have come to the right place.

Dr. Paul attended the University of New Hampshire, where he played varsity baseball for three years. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Animal Science, with a minor in Psychology, in 1982. He went on to attend the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine and was awarded his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 1987. During his senior year, Dr. LeCompte received an award for excellence in small animal surgery.

DR. RITA KIVIRCIK

DVM

Dr. Kivircik has been with Kings Veterinary Hospital as an associate veterinarian since October 2009. Clients love her thorough, well-thought out explanations and her promptness. If you really want someone who can explain the ins and outs of what is going on with your pet in a way that you can understand, Dr. Rita is the vet for you. She is extremely kind and caring, with a true heart of gold!

Dr. Rita received her certification in Veterinary Chinese Herbal Medicine. Kings Veterinary Hospital is proud to be able to offer such a diverse approach to veterinary medicine. In addition to her growing repertoire of medical approach, Dr. Kivircik also enjoys Internal Medicine along with Alternative Medicine. She is a member of the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) and OVMA (Ohio Veterinary Medical Association).

Dr. Buss

DVM

We warmly welcome Dr. Katie Buss to the KVH family. Dr. Buss joined us in June of 2014. Dr. Buss is an easy spirit and immediately sets people at ease.

Dr. Buss grew up in Rhode Island and had all kinds of pets. Since she can remember, she has wanted to be a veterinarian. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science from the University of Vermont in 2005 and went to Colorado State University for veterinary school where she graduated in 2009. She worked in a rural mixed animal practice for one year in Plymouth, New Hampshire before moving back to Colorado. She worked in Denver until May of 2014 where her now husband’s job at his family’s business brought them to Loveland.

She is certified in medical massage and medical acupuncture for animals. Her interests are in pain management and internal medicine. In her spare time, she likes to spend time with her husband, Jude, and their two dogs, Rick and Oscar. She recently adopted a cat named Machka. They also play volleyball, go hiking and in her free time, she does a small amount of work on cattle.

DR. MICHELLE VALLEE

DVM

Dr. Vallee attended Miami University where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Zoology in 1983. She then attended The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, graduating in 1987. Drs Vallee and LeCompte were classmates and began dating their freshman year. They were married during their senior year in September of 1986.

Dr. Vallee practiced for 17 years, even serving as Vice President for the Emergency Clinic of Cincinnati, then took a hiatus from clinical practice to focus her time on her three daughters, Christine, Rachel, and Natalie. She homeschooled them for many years and was also very active in 4-H.

Dr. Vallee has a keen understanding of animal behavior and husbandry. She is particularly skilled in treating backyard chickens. Her current clinical interests include the use of essential oils in veterinary medicine and training in ultrasonography.

Most important to Dr. Vallee is her faith. She has a deep love for family and friends. She also enjoys her small farm, riding, dancing, gardening, and even painting. Her current menagerie of animals includes three horses, a miniature donkey, a llama, two geese, 50 chickens, three dogs, and two cats… and oh yeah, her husband, Dr. Paul.

DR. BRITT DENUZIO

DVM

She began her career working overnights at a 24-hour emergency hospital. The hours were long, but the experience was invaluable, exposing her to a huge variety of cases that quickly expanded her diagnostic and surgical skills, especially in regards to managing critically ill pets. After a year in emergency medicine, she transitioned to general practice. While her main professional interests include surgery, emergency medicine, and neurology, one of her favorite aspects about being a veterinarian is that she gets to do a little bit of everything! She loves developing relationships with clients and educating pet owners by providing detailed yet easy-to-understand explanations of what their pets are going through.

Dr. DeNuzio lives in northern Kentucky with her husband, their twin boys Gio and Luke, and two dogs – Kibo (the world’s most beautiful village mutt whom Dr. DeNuzio adopted while in Uganda) and Sonny the Schnoodle. She enjoys traveling, photography, reading, and DIY home projects (if she weren’t in love with veterinary medicine, she would aspire to be the next Joanna Gaines).

DR. JAMES HARVEY

DVM

Dr. Harvey has the following words for the families he has grown so close to over the last four decades:

It is with much soul searching, and mixed emotions, that I have decided to retire from practicing medicine. It has been a privilege of caring for your furry children. I am very sad to be saying goodbye, but at the same time, I am very excited to explore this new chapter in my life with my wife, Lynda.

My choice to retire has been made easier knowing that I will be leaving you in the very capable and compassionate hands of the other doctors, technicians, and receptionists at Kings Veterinary Hospital.

I have always wanted to be a veterinarian and care for our pets. It was an unexpected bonus to be able to watch the bonds of family formed between those pets and their people. It has been an honor and pleasure to be a part of your lives. I appreciate your loyalty throughout the years. The memories of all that I have experienced over these past 46 years will be with me always.

DR. ELLEN PUTHOFF

DVM

Dr. Ellen Puthoff grew up in Troy, Ohio, just north of Dayton. She attended Miami University of Ohio, where she received a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Zoology with a minor in French. She then received her DVM degree from the Ohio State University in 2017. She worked in Parkersburg, West Virginia for the first few years after school before her husband’s job brought them both back to Ohio. Her professional interests include behavior and internal medicine.

Dr. Puthoff is so excited to be part of the King’s family! In her spare time, she enjoys running, baking, trying new restaurants, and spending time with her husband and college sweetheart, Rahul, and their Golden Retriever, Ollie.

DR. BEATRIZ WOODALL

DVM

Dr. Woodall graduated in 1991 from the Veterinary School at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Immediately after, she made her way to Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge to complete an Internship in Equine Internal Medicine and Surgery in 1993. She began to take a special interest in anesthesiology and small-animal dentistry while working and training as a visiting professor in Anesthesiology at the University of Illinois from 1994 until 1996.

After stepping away from full-time veterinary work to raise and home school her two young children, Dr. Woodall eased back into the workforce at a small-animal practice in Slidell, Louisiana. There she furthered her mastery of small-animal dentistry while building up that part of the practice from an almost non-existent state to an integral part of the hospital’s holistic treatment of the pets’ health. After relocating to the South Lebanon area and the Kings School District in 2007, she soon joined a national veterinary hospital chain, where she started, owned, and operated her own practice until 2016. She remained at the same practice until 2019 when she decided to join her friend and colleague, Dr. LeCompte, and the rest of the team at Kings Veterinary Hospital.

Dr. Woodall is known for her bubbly personality, compassion for pets, and for providing personalized care to all of our patients and parents. She has a passion for training veterinarians and technicians in surgery and dentistry, as evidenced by the fact that she is currently an Adjunct Professor of Anesthesiology and Dentistry with the University of Cincinnati, where she educates veterinary technician students with hands-on dental labs.

Outside of her busy work life, Dr. Woodall enjoys spending time with her husband of 25 years, Robbie, and adult children Daniel and Julia. The Woodall family also includes a geriatric 11 year-old Yorkie named Bella. She also enjoys hiking, traveling, bee-keeping, Lavender farming, yoga, and paddle boarding with her family and friends. In addition, she is faithful to Rivers Crossing Community Church where she has volunteered in the Children and Student ministries since 2008. Dr. Woodall never misses her early-morning Lifetime boot camp and tries her best to make one of the early Yoga classes at Hi Fi Yoga.

DR. ALEX THOMAS

DVM

Dr. Thomas grew up in Southeastern Wisconsin. He completed his undergraduate studies at Ball State University before earning his DVM from the Lincoln Memorial College of Veterinary Medicine. As part of the LMU-CVM distributive program, Dr. Thomas had to the opportunity to travel the eastern half of the United States working with specialists and general practitioners from a wide range of backgrounds.

Durning the distributive year, Dr. Thomas rotated each month between general practice, surgery, internal medicine, emergency and laboratory diagnostics. He spent two years practicing general medicine with small animals at another Ohio clinic prior to joining Kings Vet Hospital. He particularly enjoys radiology and dentistry.

Dr. Thomas lives in Liberty Township with his wife and two cats, Mac and Roger. In his free time, he enjoys fishing, boating and being outdoors.

DR. KATIE FRESON

DVM

Dr. Freson grew up in Cincinnati and attended Kings Schools. She has always been around animals and was known in her neighborhood to be the local pet sitter and dog walker. She loved her menagerie of critters growing up and knew that veterinary medicine was her calling!

She met her husband in high school and they have two young children together, Olivia (age 6) and Weston (age 2), as well as two rescue dogs, Missy (a 13 yo pit mix) and Maybel (a 2 yo Heinz 57 mix). They live on a little piece of land in Loveland.

Dr. Freson graduated from UC with her vet tech degree, then went on to OSU and received her DVM in 2012. Immediately after graduating vet school, she began working at another hospital in Cincinnati where she practiced small animal general practice over the past 9 years.

She loves all aspects of vet med, but her favorite is nurturing the human animal bond and building relationships with owners and their pets. She enjoys pain management, internal medicine, dermatology, and surgery- to name a few!

When she’s not working, she can usually be found hanging out with her family and friends. She enjoys horseback riding, being outdoors, and crafting! She can’t wait to meet you and your furry family members!

DR. IRENE LAVIGNE

DVM

Dr. Irene Lavigne was raised in the small town of Woodville, Ohio. She was brought up with parents supporting her love of animals and enjoyed caring for her cats, dogs, rabbits, goats, a potbellied pig and horses. Irene loved barrel racing and trail riding her horse, Maggie, who she was blessed to spend 27 years with. During high school, Irene participated in running track and cross country and performed at the State Championships multiple times, as well as participated in FFA, 4-H, marching band and National Honors Society. It was in high school that Irene began working at a veterinary clinic. Dr. Lavigne later went on to graduate with her bachelor’s degree, double majoring in biology with a life science emphasis and pre-veterinary medicine with a minor in chemistry from the University of Findlay. She then graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine in 2008.

After graduating vet school, she returned home to Northwest Ohio to practice at a mixed animal hospital for 6 years. In 2014 she moved to Cincinnati and practiced as an emergency veterinarian for 8 years. Irene joined the Kings Veterinary team in 2022, as the primary Urgent Care doctor, allowing KVH to provide a much needed service to the surrounding community. Dr. Lavigne has always had a strong interest in emergency and critical care medicine as well as pain management, soft tissue surgery and trauma, and geriatric and end of life care.

Dr. Lavigne currently lives in Loveland with her fiancé, her dog Jack, her cats Nala and Lt. Dan, and her fish Simon and Garfunkle. Irene’s sister is also an emergency veterinarian who she enjoys collaborating with on cases in addition to the Kings veterinarians. She enjoys spending time with friends and family, outdoor activities including horse-back riding, biking, hiking with her dog, and kayaking and has volunteered for Clermont Senior Services for the past 5 years. Dr. Lavigne makes time for traveling, reading, and for music appreciation as her fiancé, mother, aunt and grandpa are all accomplished musicians.

DR. WILL SORTER

DVM

Dr. Will Sorter joined the KVH team in May 2023.

A graduate of Moeller high school, Dr. Will grew up in the Loveland area. His interest in veterinary medicine began during his sophomore year coursework at The Ohio State University where he was introduced to the Animal Science field. This interest proved to be a passion and Dr. Will completed his B.S. in Animal Science with a focus in small animal in 2012. 

Dr. Will received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree at The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Following graduation, he spent 6 years working with two Columbus area veterinary hospitals until relocating back to his hometown in 2023. His favorite part of veterinary medicine is establishing long-lasting, collaborative relationships with his clients to provide the best care for his patients. The areas of medicine he finds the most interesting include internal medicine and behavior. 

Outside of Kings, Dr. Will can be found spending quality time with his wife, daughter and Border Collie, Buddy. Dr. Will enjoys woodworking and outdoor activities with family and friends.

Dr. Will is thrilled to be able to serve his hometown of Loveland and surrounding communities!