OUR TEAM

Dr. Genovese graduated from Washington State University School of Veterinary Medicine in 2001. As a student, Bob spent his summers working under the mentorship of his father at Randall Veterinary Hospital, a legendary sport horse practice in NE Ohio. He also found time early in the morning to work in thoroughbred race horse barns at Thistledown race track. Following graduation, Bob joined Randall Veterinary Hospital where he practiced mainly on the sport horse until joining LaSalle in 2006.

Dr. Genovese enjoys all aspects of equine medicine, but he wil admit his niche and love is the equine athlete. Additionally, he loves the camaraderie of group practice. A day in our practice does not go by without learning something new from one of his colleagues at LaSalle. The group practice also allows each veterinarian to pursue continuing education in an area of interest. Through the years Dr Genovese has attended a multitude of equine limb ultrasound, lameness, and podiatry wetlabs, and has brought this knowledge back to benefit our clients in the Flathead Valley.

He and his wife Melissa (a smal animal veterinarian at Whitefish Animal Hospital) with their twins, Mason and Olivia, enjoy skiing, snowboarding, hiking, and partaking in the beauty of northwest Montana.

Dr. Laura Heine was raised on a beef farm in Pennsylvania where her family still raises Herefords as well as a few pigs, goats and chickens. She got her first pony at the age of 3 and spent all her spare time with the horses.  She moved to Arizona after her undergraduate studies to attend Midwestern University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. After earning her veterinary degree Dr. Laura completed a year-long internship at Countryside Large Animal Veterinary Services in Greeley, CO. Countryside is the busiest general medicine and referral hospital for equine and livestock in northern Colorado. While her primary interest is in equine and bovine medicine, she also enjoys seeing the occasional llama/alpaca, goat, sheep or show pig. Dr. Laura enjoys all aspects of large animal medicine, particularly emergency medicine, equine lameness and chiropractic, dystocia management and c-sections, herd health management, bovine reproduction (breeding soundness, pregnancy diagnosis, etc.) and more.  In her spare time, Dr. Laura can often be found bird hunting with her dog, riding her horse, fishing, and enjoying the great outdoors in any way possible.  

Dr. Priest graduated from Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2012.  Prior to joining LaSalle Equine Clinic he operated his own practice in Lexington, KY and Wellington, FL focusing on lameness and surgery in thoroughbred racehorses and sport horses.  Dr. Priest is interested in all aspects of equine medicine and surgery with particular experience in lameness and surgery.  He’s excited to be part of LaSalle and the horse community in the Flathead.  

He and his wife Julia relocated to the Flathead because of the lifelong shared interest in outdoor sports including cycling, skiing and hiking.  When not at LaSalle you will find David and Julia exploring this beautiful area with their yellow Labrador Mustard.  

Dr. Brittany Leavitt is a Northern California native. She grew up trail riding, packing in the mountains, and showing lower-level dressage. She told her mom at 3 years old that she wanted to be a ‘horsey vet’ when she grew up, and her love for horses and veterinary medicine has only grown since. Following her undergraduate studies at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, Dr. Leavitt received her veterinary degree from Kansas State University. She then completed a 1-year large animal internship at Comstock Equine Hospital in Reno, Nevada. Dr. Leavit enjoys all aspects of equine medicine, as well as bovine and small ruminant medicine. She especially enjoys equine emergency medicine, lameness, dentistry, and neonatal care. In her free time, Dr. Leavitt likes to explore the outdoors with her border colie ‘Kam’. Her hobbies include horseback riding, fishing, hiking, backpacking, snowboarding, and paddle boarding. Dr. Leavitt is very excited to explore all the beauty Montana has to offer!

After forty-three years of practice, John retired from the regularly scheduled veterinary team at LaSale but continues to be available to help out when needed.

He is confident in the future of the practice under Dr. Genovese’s leadership who along with the compassionate and talented team of associates and staff who are passionate about improving the health and well-being of farm animals.

Dr. Erfle and wife Linda have three grown children and four lovely grandchildren. Church and family are high priorities for the Erfles, so when they aren’t working they are likely involved in something at the church or traveling to see grandchildren.

Melissa is a third-generation Montanan, and was born and raised in Whitefish. Melissa has always had a passion for horses. She started showing horses at age three. She still enjoys showing with her daughter and participating in many other horse-related activities around the valley. Melissa attended the University of Montana and graduated with an associate’s degree in Medical Office Management. This background combined with a love of working with people makes LaSalle Equine a perfect fit In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her family, especially her husband Jason and daughter Kiley.

Kiley has inherited her mom’s love for animals. They also enjoy spending as much time outdoors as possible.