OUR DOCTORS
DR.
ALEX GRIEVES
Dr. Grieves was born and raised in Hays, KS. She attended Kansas State University where she earned a degree in Animal Science and her DVM in 2016. After graduation from vet school, Dr. Grieves practiced in Hays, KS and Topeka, KS before purchasing Candlewood Veterinary Clinic in 2019.
Dr. Grieves married her college sweetheart, Cole, in 2014 and they have two little ones: a son, Laine, born in 2020, and their daughter Parker joined the family right before Christmas in 2022.
They also have two other "kids” – Pax, a border collie mix who is an expert ball chaser and counter surfer, and Finn, a cattle dog mix, who has challenged Dr. Grieves from every aspect of veterinary medicine with his severe anxiety, inflammatory bowel disease, 3rd degree burns, and foreign bodies (he's absolutely a sock eater extraordinaire). The love of her life and her biggest motivator to become a veterinarian was her black cat, Little Bear, who passed away in 2021 at the age of 17.
Most of her free time involves playing with their kiddos, snuggling their pups, projects around the house, and spending time with family and friends. She loves trying new recipes, is attempting to become a gardener, thinks Harry Potter is the best, loves reading a good balance of psychological thrillers and Rom Coms, and has watched Schitt's Creek 3 times. She also serves as an advisor for her sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma.
Dr. Grieves is a Fear Free Certified professional and is a member of the Kansas Veterinary Medical Association, American Veterinary Medical Association, and serves as the managing veterinarian for T. Russell Reitz Animal Shelter. She has a strong interest in feline pain management, shelter medicine, and dentistry and is passionate about quality veterinary care.
DR.
CHRISTINE WHITE
Dr. White is a Missouri native, but she and her family love calling Manhattan home! She was raised in Lee’s Summit, MO and obtained her undergraduate degree at Missouri State University in Springfield, MO.
Dr. White and her husband met and married while attending veterinary school and each graduated from the University of Missouri Vet School in 1997. They both practiced in Southeast Missouri for many years before eventually moving to Kansas. Her husband Brad works at the KSU College of Veterinary Medicine as the director of the Beef Cattle Institute. We love that K-State brought us to Manhattan!
The White family consists of 4 boys, college aged through elementary school, and many many pets. They live on 10 acres just outside of Manhattan where chickens (some suggest too many), bottle calves, horses, kitties, and dogs fill their days with joy and chores.
Some of Dr. White’s favorite activities include watching her children pursue their many varied interests from football, cross country, trap shooting, and band. She also loves planting flowers, vegetable gardening, cooking for her family (because food is love for kids!), spending time outdoors, seeing musicals in Kansas City (Hamilton was amazing!), and reading. She is very involved in serving with her children’s school and her church community.
Over the years, veterinary medicine has highlighted and deepened the importance of the human animal bond for Dr. White. She loves seeing the relationships clients have with their pets and the stories they share with her weekly. She is passionate about senior pet health care, helping kitties and their people have smoother veterinary visits, and working with clients to meet their pet’s needs together. After all these years, she still thinks this is the best job in the world!
DR.
LAURA DELFELDER
Dr. Laura Delfelder is from Topeka, Kansas where she spent her childhood riding horses, rooting for KU basketball (Go Jayhawks!), playing softball, basketball, and soccer, and being a relentless shadow to her older brother, Ben. It was no surprise that, just two years after her brother left to attend Kansas State University, Laura was right on his heels. After graduating with a degree in Secondary Education, she spent 4 years working as a high school English teacher before applying to veterinary school to fulfill her lifelong goal of becoming a veterinarian. She graduated from KSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine in August 2023.
Dr. Delfelder married her best friend, CJ, in 2015 in a small chapel in Cuchara, Colorado. They love smoking meat, hunting, cheering for KU, KSU, and the Chiefs, exploring local restaurants and breweries, and spending time around the firepit. Despite numerous adventures, the greatest of all has been their two little ones! Calvin Joseph joined the family in April of 2018 and Elliot Rose has been his partner in crime since August 2021.
Besides chasing the kiddos around, Dr. Delfelder enjoys spending time outside. Whether it be hiking with the dogs, reading, kayaking, or gardening, if the weather is nice Dr. Delfelder can be found out and about. When the weather doesn't cooperate, she’s happy tucked indoors with a good book or around a board game with friends and family.
Dr. Delfelder is excited to start her veterinary career at Candlewood Veterinary Clinic! She’s particularly interested in surgery, acupuncture, and chiropractics, and hopes to bring some new services to the already solid CVC team.
