Our Doctors

Dr. Anita Knudson

Owner/Dr.

Dr. Knudson completed her undergraduate work at SUNY at Stonybrook in New York. She received her veterinary degree from Colorado State University Veterinary School in 1993. She has worked in the Boulder-Longmont area since graduation. Dr Knudson opened Coal Ridge Animal Hospital on October 1, 2001. In addition to practicing small animal medicine she enjoys volunteering in the local community. She has set up a program to assist the local municipalities with the feral cat population and provide care for the local police dogs.

Dr. Christy Maddock

DVM

Dr. Christy Maddock grew up in the Midwest. She developed a love for all animals at a very young age. Inspired by the works of Dr. James Harriet, she decided to pursue a career in veterinarian medicine. She received her BS in Biology and Chemistry from Northern Illinois University in 2009 and then received her DVM from Iowa State in 2013. She has spent the past seven years serving as a mixed animal veterinarian in Southeastern Idaho, treating all animals from beloved family pets to prize-winning show animals and livestock. Regardless of the size, or breed, Dr. Maddock provides compassionate care to all her patients by focusing on their comfort, overall wellness, and quality of life. She especially enjoys helping build strong bonds between her patients and their owners. In addition to general practice, Dr. Maddock has special interests in surgery, ultrasonography, ophthalmology, and neurology. When she is not working, she enjoys spending time with her 6-year-old son, her two rescue Pitbulls (Betsy and Chance), three cats, and two horses (Elsie and Grace). She looks forward to riding, hiking, biking, mountain climbing, fishing, and camping in the mountains of Colorado.

Dr. Rylee Rushing

DVM

Dr. Rylee Rushing is originally from Texas. While she likes the Texas two-step and Tex-mex food, she has always loved Colorado. She grew up hiking and skiing with her family and moved up as soon as she had the opportunity. She received her BS in Biomedical Science in 2017 and her DVM in 2020, both from Texas A&M University. In vet school she had a special interest in ultrasound and surgery. She started working at Coal Ridge in 2023. When she is not working, Dr. Rushing enjoys spending time with her husband and their furry family. They have a dog (Kalea) and two cats (Sully and Luna). Her hobbies include hiking, volleyball, tennis and riding.

Dr. Alice Pflueger

DVM

Dr. Alice Pflueger feels privileged to have been raised in Colorado most of her life. She attended CU Boulder for both her undergraduate degrees in neuroscience and psychology. Then, completed her veterinary degree at Colorado State University in Fort Collins in 2025. She is passionate about companion animal soft tissue surgery and emergency medicine. Before veterinary school, she worked as a veterinary technician for three years and greatly appreciates their invaluable role to veterinary medicine. Dr. Pflueger’s goals are to provide knowledgeable care and compassion to each client and patient. She enjoys humans as much as animals and can’t wait to meet you and your fur family.
Outside of the clinic, she enjoys hiking with her three dogs (Augie, Sally, and Faye) or relaxing with her three cats (Fritz, Blitz, and Echo.) Otherwise, you can find her riding at the barn where she trains for the jumpers or training for her next sprint triathlon.

Dr. Sarah Hooper

DVM, cVMA, CCRP

Dr. Sarah Hooper grew up near the Blue Ridge mountains, receiving her BA in Biology and Music from the University of Virginia and her DVM from Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. She decided to pursue rehabilitation and acupuncture certification coursework through University of Tennessee/VAHL and CuraCore alongside her fourth-year veterinary school rotations due to her interest in veterinary rehabilitation. Following graduation, Dr. Hooper joined a rehabilitation-focused practice which brought her to Colorado. While she found rehabilitation fulfilling and witnessed some amazing outcomes for both injured and aging patients, she missed other aspects of veterinary medicine and decided to move into general practice. In the clinic Dr. Hooper enjoys empowering families to participate in care and collaborating to reach shared goals for their furry family members. She is committed to guiding both pets and their people with kindness and compassion. Outside of the clinic she enjoys sharing her life with one dog (Phoebe) and a bird (Kenai). Her hobbies include gardening, yoga, playing violin and anything that involves being outside near mountains or water.

Associations

AAHA American Animal Hospital Association
ABKA American Boarding Kennels Association
ARAV Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians
AVMA American Veterinary Medical Association
CVMA Colorado Veterinary Medical Association
LPVMA Longs Peak Veterinary Medical Association