Dr. Gene Bailey is a veterinarian at Animal Hospital of Peak Plaza. After growing up in northeastern Maryland, he started his undergraduate education at the University of Maryland and graduated with both his bachelors and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Florida. After a year in mixed animal practice in Vermont, Dr. Bailey moved to Ft. Lauderdale in 1984 to concentrate on practicing small animal medicine and surgery.  Shortly thereafter, he opened Rock Creek Animal Hospital in Cooper City, Florida. His hospital developed a reputation for high-quality personal service and care.

Upon moving to the Triangle in 1996, Dr. Bailey joined Timberlyne Animal Clinic in Chapel Hill, where he did much of the surgery and handled many of the complicated internal medicine and oncology cases. In 1998 he began working in emergency and critical care at the Veterinary Specialty Hospital of the Carolinas. However, Dr. Bailey’s desire to foster close long-term relationships and re-enter general practice led him to open of Animal Hospital of Peak Plaza in 2000.

Dr. Bailey is board certified in canine and feline practice through the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners (ABVP). He is one of 15 veterinarians in North Carolina and one of only 5 in Wake County with this designation.  An award of Diplomate status to a veterinarian recognizes that a veterinarian has demonstrated that they can fill a unique and special role in the delivery of “state of the art” veterinary care.

Dr. Bailey lives on his Siler City farm with his wife, Maureen, and enjoys tending to his herd of beef cattle, helping care for their four horses, and working his hay fields. In his free time, he enjoys time in his gardens and mountain biking.

Dr. Candice Lorandeau is originally from the greater Philadelphia area. While attending Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, she worked at a small animal emergency clinic, which along with years of experience working with and riding horses, guided her to the path of veterinary medicine. After graduating from The University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine in 2013, she worked as an equine veterinarian for a year in Ashland, Virginia, and for a year in the Triangle area, while her husband finished a poultry medicine residency at NCSU.

Since Dr. Lorandeau transitioned to small animal practice, she has enjoyed managing pets of all ages, with a particular interest in cats. She has a passion for educating families about caring for their four-legged family members, with a special interest in internal medicine and metabolic diseases.

Dr. Lorandeau lives in Cary with her husband, two sons, and three cats. On her days off, she can be found reading a book, running, or exploring the Triangles parks and playgrounds with her sons.

Dr. Mette Tomkins is an associate veterinarian at Animal Hospital of Peak Plaza.  She has been in North Carolina since 1983 and was one of the early graduates from North Carolina State University’s then-new School of Veterinary Medicine. Upon graduation in 1989, she joined Timberlyne Animal Clinic in Chapel Hill where she later met Dr. Bailey. She spent the next decade as the senior associate at Timberlyne Animal Clinic and in 2000 became the lead investigator in a clinical trial for new feline pain medication.

Her interest in feline medicine then sent her to Charlottesville Cat Clinic in Virginia. Due to personal life-changing events, Dr. Tomkins returned to Chapel Hill in 2002 and rejoined Timbelyne Animal clinic as the lead veterinarian at their Legion Road Animal Clinic office where she continued her passion of practicing personalized high-quality medicine with a special interest in feline medicine and geriatric care. In 2014, she retired from Legion Road Animal clinic after a 25-year tenure. Shortly thereafter, upon a chance conversation with Dr. Bailey, Dr. Tomkins came out of retirement to continue part-time practice with Animal Hospital of Peak Plaza.

When not practicing veterinary medicine, Dr. Tomkins divides her time between her home in Fearrington Village and the NC coast, where she enjoys gardening, boating, hiking, and kayaking, and spending time with her two cats.

Dr. Brittany Moore is a Florida native who migrated north to be able to enjoy fall and winter weather while also getting sweet tea. She graduated from the University of Florida (GO GATORS!) with 2 bachelor’s degrees in psychology and animal science, her doctorate, and a wonderful husband who she met while living in the undergraduate dormitories.

Dr. Moore most enjoys preventative medicine, dermatology, behavior, and forming long-lasting relationships with clients. She is passionate about fear-free veterinary medicine and is also a bit of a ‘crazy cat Doctor’ but loves her canine friends too! She loves sharing her knowledge about veterinary medicine and is constantly creating new educational handouts to give to her clients.

When not in the hospital, Dr. Moore likes to spend time with her husband, daughter, and two cats. Her ideal day off consists of an assortment of reading, horseback riding, cooking (followed closely by eating), and napping.

Dr. Ivy Gold was born and raised in Charlotte, NC. She attended North Carolina State University for both her undergraduate and doctorate degrees. Dr. Gold enjoys forming meaningful relationships with the clients and pets in the community, practicing fear-free medicine, and refining her practical and surgical skills. Her specialty interests are dermatology and internal medicine.

When not at the hospital, Dr. Gold can be found rock climbing, playing sand volleyball, playing board games, or spending time at home with her partner, Zack, and their two cats. She is also an avid traveler and is always planning for a future trip!

Dr. Brooke Bennes is originally from Denver, NC. She initially traveled to the Raleigh area to attend North Carolina State University for her bachelor’s degree in biology but ended up staying for veterinary school as well. She permanently moved to Angier, NC, and now resides there with her husband, chickens, and two cats, Porky and Dax. 

Dr. Bennes enjoys preventive medicine, specifically educating her clients about the importance of flea, tick, and heartworm prevention, as well as spaying and neutering. She is also passionate about managing chronic conditions in her patients, like allergies and arthritis, and improving their quality of life with different therapy options.  

When she is not at the hospital, Dr. Bennes is probably perusing the aisles of the nearest TJ Maxx or planning her next Disney trip. She enjoys gardening, swimming in her stock tank pool, and crafty activities like sewing and scrapbooking.

Dr. Kristen Smith was raised in the beautiful Hudson Valley region of New York. She received her BA in Biology in 1995 from Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, PA, then went on to graduate in 1999 with her doctorate in veterinary medicine from Cornell University, College of Veterinary Medicine. Seeking a warmer climate to settle down and start a family, she moved to North Carolina and has called it home since 2000.

Dr. Smith has practiced small animal medicine in the Research Triangle area for over 24 years. She has dedicated herself to building strong relationships with both pets and their owners and believes client education is essential to achieve the common goal of healthy, happy pets. Dr Smith has a special interest in dentistry, dermatology, and geriatric medicine. She is committed to helping clients maintain and improve the quality of life of their four-legged friends, especially senior pets. She is also certified to perform Penn HIP radiographs to screen for hip dysplasia.


Dr. Smith values quality time with her family; her husband, Jeff, children, Tommy and Madalyn, Havanese dogs, Polly and Nutmeg, and cat, Rosie. In her spare time, she enjoys yoga, hiking, traveling to new destinations, pickleball, and relaxing with her family and friends at Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia.