Practice Owner & Veterinarian
A native of New Jersey, Dr. Elia grew up in Tenafly and currently resides in Hampton NJ. Dr. Elia received her undergraduate degree from Rutgers University in 2000, her graduate degree from Cornell University in 2002, and her DVM degree from Ross University in January 2006, attending University of Minnesota for clinical rotations.
After graduating from veterinary school, Dr. Elia practiced at Pomona Animal Hospital in New York. In 2007 she began working at Cresskill Animal Hospital where she ascended to Chief of Staff through December 2015. In January 2016 she became owner of The Animal Hospital of Roxbury. Dr. Elia has been practicing for 18 years and loves seeing puppies and kittens grow up with their families.
Dr. Elia’s medical interests include behavior, internal medicine, and working together with her clients to provide a long lasting, healthy, and enjoyable human-pet relationships. She believes that healthy weight dogs and cats who get regular exercise can live longer happier lives. She frequently recommends extra exercise and interactive toys and treats to help pets keep weight off and their minds stay fit.
While attending University of Minnesota for clinical rotations, Dr. Elia met her husband Brent. Brent is a mechanical engineer but you will frequently see him helping out around the facility. Together they have 2 daughters, Taylor, 11, and Sydney, 9. They both would love to be Veterinarians and Engineers when they grow up – go figure! The girls enjoy weekly horseback riding lessons with their mom. They also participate in dance, Girl Scouts and voice/guitar lessons. The family currently has 1 horse and 4 ponies at their home in Hampton. Azlan and ponies, Taco Tuesday, Madeline and Nacho compete on the local hunter circuit on weekends. Hotdog gets to hang out in retirement and Coho now resides at the family property in upstate NY where she was born. The family also enjoys spending time outside and summer afternoons swimming in their pool. They still frequent the family farm in upstate New York.
In addition to the horses and ponies, the family zoo includes: Rumor a Doberman and Lager a Boxer who are both two. In the past year these have continued their antics by getting skunked, surviving a porcupine encounter, eating more things they shouldn’t and defending the property from any wildlife that dare cross them. This summer they perfected their swimming and fetching skills. They are on their way to being better behaved dogs which comes with maturity. The foursome of domestic long-haired cats still rule the house – Steely Dan, Snoop, Bowie, and Floyd keep the dogs in line.
The family will always miss Farley and Alibi terribly but the antics of Rumor and Lager certainly have helped ease the pain of their losses. They will always grace the walls of AHR as part of our logo and remain in our hearts forever.