Dr. Elaine Y. Kuo, DVM, MS, CVA
Veterinarian
Dr. Kuo received her DVM degree from National Taiwan University in Taipei, Taiwan. After she immigrated to the United States, she completed the veterinary clinical rotation year in Louisiana State University to fulfill the requirement of PAVE (Program for the Assessment of Veterinary Education Equivalence). She also studied the Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine under TCVM pioneer Dr. Huisheng Xie at the Chi Institute in Reddick, Florida, where she achieved certification in veterinary acupuncture. She currently holds veterinary license in both New Jersey and New York.
Dr. Kuo has practiced in many veterinary clinics in NJ/NY area before establishing Riverdale Integrative Veterinary Care. Now she brings her unique style of combining conventional and holistic, complementary veterinary medicine to northern New Jersey.
Dr. Kuo loves classical music, cooking, gardening and hiking. She spends most of her free time with her husband Jie, two energetic boys, two German Shepherd boys Martin and Murphy, the Bearded Dragon Spiky and the Goldfish Goldie.
Certifications
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering
Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist
Fear Free Certified Professional
Experience
The Seeing Eye, Morristown, NJ – Nonprofit Organization, veterinarian
Branchburg Animal Hospital, Branchburg, NJ – Private Practice, veterinarian
Armory Dog and Cat Hospital, Bronx, NY – Private Practice, veterinarian
Oakland Animal Hospital, Oakland, NJ – Private Practice, veterinarian
Animal Clinics of Bayonne, Bayonne, NJ – Private Practice, veterinarian
Veterinarian
Newark Community Healthy
Pet Clinic, Newark, NJ –Private Practice, Volunteer
Benfield Pet Hospital, East Hanover, NJ – Corporate, extern
Animal Medical Center, New York, NY – Referral Center, extern
Oradell Animal Hospital, Paramus, NJ – Referral Center, extern
Red Bank Veterinary Hospital, Tinton Falls, NJ – Referral Center, extern
Louisiana State University Veterinary
Teaching Hospital, Baton Rouge
Dr. Beth Hirsch, DVM, CVA, AVCA
Associate Veterinarian
Dr. Beth Hirsch is a veterinarian certified in animal chiropractic (AVCA) and acupuncture (CVA) who is very passionate about offering holistic treatment options for her patients. She specializes in ensuring every client feels heard and have all their questions answered; as well as focusing on fear-free animal handling.
Dr Hirsch graduated from Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine and she pursued equine veterinary medicine for the first 11 years of her veterinary career, working mainly with horses and alpacas. Her passion for holistic medicine led to a change towards focus solely on holistic veterinary medicine for dogs and cats, with an emphasis on hands-on chiropractic care.
Dr. Hirsch has a Bachelor of Medicine degree in Equine Science/Pre-veterinary Medicine from Otterbein College, Ohio. Graduated veterinary school at Ohio State University in 2008. Completed a 1 year internship at a lameness/sports horse practice and finished her certification in acupuncture at the Chi Institute in 2009. She became certified in AVCA chiropractic adjustment in 2015. She has pursued some Fear Free training as she aims to try to minimize stress for her patients. She embraces learning professionally and recently became Reiki Level 1 certified.
Dr. Hirsch resides in New Jersey with her husband Ray and three fluffy therapists - their Ragdoll cats, Reuben, Wallace and Wilbur. Saltwater reef-keeping is a hobby that she admits her husband does the bulk of the work for, but she really loves as well. She enjoys knitting, needle felting, and numerous other creative outlets when she finds time outside of work, and especially enjoys exploring learning about metaphysical aspects of crystals.
Dr. Christopher J. Dillon, DVM, DACVS
Board Certified Surgeon
Dr. Christopher J. Dillon, DVM, DACVS is a specialist in advanced surgical techniques, which include Soft Tissue Surgery, Orthopedic Surgery, and Neurosurgery. After graduating from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Texas A&M University, he gained many years of experience working in his own private practice. He later decided to continue his education, and went on to successfully complete a small animal medicine and surgery internship and Small Animal Surgery Residency at The Animal Medical Center in New York City. Dr. Dillon has a major focus on reconstructive surgery as it relates to trauma and cancer treatment.
Dr. Dennis Ting, DVM, DACVS
Board Certified Surgeon
Dr. Dennis Ting, DVM, DACVS, is originally from Southern California where he attended the University of California, San Diego for his undergraduate work in the field of Animal Physiology and Neuroscience. He then earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of California, Davis in 2003. In the following year, Dr. Ting returned to Southern California to complete a one-year internship in small animal medicine and surgery. With a growing interest in small animal surgery, he completed a surgery specific internship in Denver followed by an orthopaedic research fellowship at Michigan State University. Dr. Ting then stayed on with Michigan State University and completed his residency training in small animal surgery. Dr. Ting is board certified by the American College of Veterinary Surgeons. He has particular interests in orthopaedics, traumatology, and oncologic surgery. He is trained in minimally invasive surgeries such as fluoroscopic-assisted fracture repair. Dr. Ting has published a number of original orthopaedic articles in various veterinary journals and has presented numerous lectures on international, national and local levels. He remains active in veterinary continuing education and is a leading instructor in veterinary orthopaedic courses.
Mark Hladyk
Veterinary Technician, AVA, P.F. Dip, Certified Dog Trainer and Behaviorist
Mark Hladyk has a wide variety of training and experience in the animal industry. Since he was 16 years old he has been working in animal shelters, pet day cares, grooming salons, and animal hospitals.
Mark started his pet care education by getting his Diploma as a dog groomer at North Jersey Dog Grooming School in 2011. After that he was very interested in Dog Training and Animal Psychology, eventually getting his Dog Training Diploma in July 2015 from Penn Forster Collège and has knowledge in Animal Psychology in March 2016. Need to learn as much as he could, he would later get his Pet Adoption Certification from Holly & Hugo.
However, Mark wondered what about the medical field that could go along with Dog Training, so he went and got his Veterinary Assistant Certification, AVA in 2018 with Morris County Vocational School in Denville. To update his credentials, he went back to school for Dog Training and a Certification Dog Training with Animal Behavior College in 2022.
Mark uses Fear Free techniques in his training programs. He does not use shock collars or force in any of his sessions. He tries to use natural positive reinforcement and natural training and takes time to understand the clients and the dog(s) he is working with.
With a thorough evaluation and report for owners, he will work with you to get to a resolution by working as a team to get to the source of the problem. There is no quick fix in dog training. However, if we work together as a committed team, together we can get to the root of the problem.
While Mark dedicates his life to helping pets and pet parents alike, he does enjoy sitting back, embracing the joys of life with singing, writing and photography.
Claudia Grieder
Veterinary Technician / Assistant / Reception
Claudia Grieder is a part-time receptionist at RIVC, but her knowledge and intellectual curiosity have her fitting in right with our team. Claudia is currently in Nursing school and spends extra time studying herbology and energy healing. She believes in the body’s innate healing power, which is one of the core principles of holistic medicine. While she devotes most of her time to school, she is determined to learn everything she can about holistic medicine and pet care while working with us. As she puts it, Claudia wants to study the magic of the world and how we can heal ourselves and our pets.
Marissa Argen
Veterinary Technician / Receptionist
Marissa Argen is a veterinary assistant/receptionist at Riverdale Integrative Veterinary Care. She is interested in a career in either veterinary or human medicine and is excited to be a part of the RIVC team to learn more about holistic medicine while gaining experience. She is, of course, an avid animal lover, and adores her cats– Molly, Baker, Pia, and Lexi– and her goofy dog, Dazey.
Marissa is currently a rising senior at Lehigh University, where she is studying biology and working towards minors in Spanish and psychology. This past semester, she was fortunate to have the opportunity to study at the Universitat de Barcelona, where she studied health and psychology from a European perspective while practicing her Spanish. Outside of work and school, Marissa loves to hike, travel, paint, and read.
Jivan Zyra Natividad
Virtual Assistant
Jivan is a veterinary virtual assistant who combines her love for animals with a passion for learning. Working behind the scenes, Jivan gets to help care for pets by supporting veterinary teams and ensuring that every furry friend gets the attention they deserve. Diving into new cases, learning about innovative treatments, and staying up to date on the latest in veterinary care are what make the role so fulfilling. When not working, Jivan is often with her own pets or exploring walking trails while probably stumbling upon the cutest trail cats.
Jorelle Baker
Freelance Writer
Jorelle Baker is the clinic's freelance writer and content creator for RIVC, as well as helping the Doctors create handouts for clients.
Jorelle has always loved writing and studying animals. He studied at William Paterson University for a Bachelor's in English, later becoming a certified veterinary assistant at Animal Behavior College. Never wanting to stop stimulating his mind, he takes classes online to learn more about animals, psychology, and folklore to live a well-balanced life.
Jorelle is constantly pushing himself toward his next professional and personal goals, but loves nothing more than to just sit down and relax with his cat Kana.