Meet Our Staff | Animal House Veterinary Hospital

Animal House Veterinary Hospital was formed in 2019 by Dr. Karen Nickle and her husband, Dustin. Our goal at Animal House is to provide quality medicine for your pet while understanding the place they have in your family. We provide a realistic approach to medicine and surgery with an emphasis on decreasing the stress of the visit for both the pet and owner.

Our new hospital is located on 71st street near Garnett, easily accessible from Highway 169. We are proud to serve the families of Broken Arrow, Tulsa, Bixby, and surrounding areas. We offer state-of-the-art diagnostics, including digital x-ray, in-house blood machines, and high speed dentistry with dental x-rays. Our staff is dedicated to providing the highest level of care and compassion for your family: we treat our patients as we would treat our own pets.

Dr. Karen and Dustin Nickle

Dr. Nickle was born in a suburb of Seattle. She knew that she wanted to be a veterinarian since she was seven. She has a distinct memory of telling her dad's friends that "I don't want to be a veterinarian....

Dr. Karen and Dustin Nickle

Dr. Nickle was born in a suburb of Seattle. She knew that she wanted to be a veterinarian since she was seven. She has a distinct memory of telling her dad’s friends that “I don’t want to be a veterinarian. I’m going to be a veterinarian. It’s why I’m here.”

That childhood drive that fueled her passion for learning. In December of 2004, she graduated from Washington State University with her Bachelor of Science in Animal Sciences. In May 2005, she started Veterinary School on the island of St. Kitts in the Caribbean. Her clinical year assignment was at Oklahoma State University, despite never having been to Oklahoma before! Dr. Nickle met her husband, Dustin, at that time.

Dustin grew up in Broken Arrow. He attended Oklahoma State University where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing. Dr. Nickle graduated from Ross University with her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in September 2008, and Dustin began working locally in sales before he rejoined his family business.

Dr. Nickle and Dustin have resided in the Tulsa area since 2010. After starting at a corporate practice in Texas in 2009, then transferring to Tulsa, Dr. Nickle decided in 2011 that she was better suited to private practice, and she practiced medicine in the same hospital until in late 2019, she and Dustin decided that it was time to open Animal House.

Dr. Nickle and Dustin have two children (Allison and Parker) that keep them laughing every day. They are bossed around by three cats (Chevy, Angus, and Smudge), and are kept safe by Sprinkles (see below). They have several pets waiting for them at the Rainbow Bridge: their kitten Quinn, Great Dane Lexi, retired racing Greyhound OddMoe, and the world’s best wonderdog, Ace.

Meet Sprinkles

Sprinkles is a female Harlequin Great Dane. She was brought home with the Nickle family on July 1, 2017. She enjoys cuddling with humans of all ages and following cats around, and she takes pride in her job of cleaning all of the other pets’ food bowls if they haven’t eaten fast enough.

Sprinkles joins the team of Animal House as the resident Happiness Coordinator. She looks forward to filling this new position with the continued vigor that only her wagging tail can provide.

Sophie - Office Manager

Growing up a Tulsa native, Sophie's family was very involved in animal rescue, working with groups such as Street Cats. They had a wide range of animals from dogs and cats to chickens and ducks to guinea...

Sophie - Office Manager

Growing up a Tulsa native, Sophie’s family was very involved in animal rescue, working with groups such as Street Cats. They had a wide range of animals from dogs and cats to chickens and ducks to guinea pigs and rabbits. She also worked with her family helping rehabilitate wildlife such as raccoons and opossums. She graduated from Community Care College in 2016 and met Dr. Nickle during her externship. After working together for some time, Sophie transferred and worked for Dr. Sauber, the former dermatologist in Tulsa. Dr. Nickle and Sophie were joyfully reunited in 2017. Sophie comes to Animal House as the best manager we could ask for.

She is employed by her two cats, Harry and Chicken. Her heart dog, Bubba, waits for her at the Rainbow Bridge.

Jess - Veterinary Assistant

Born in Tulsa, OK, Jess spent the bulk of her childhood as a missionary kid in Cape Town, South Africa before moving back to Tulsa and finishing school. Animals have been her passion for her entire life, so she’s dedicated her career to them; having started her education at Tulsa Community College, she’s finishing her bachelor’s in Biology at Northeastern State University, and is pursuing her certification as a Registered Veterinary Technician. She spent two summers shadowing Dr. Nickle in a hospital before entering the field full-time.

At home, her life is centered around animals, too, but her husband has drawn the line at their four dogs, four cats, two snakes, and one human child. She also fosters rescue pets, particularly Northern breed dogs, and spends the fall and winter participating in the sport of urban mushing with her huskies.