
Our Doctors
Dr. Erin Schmidt, DVM

Dr. Erin Schmidt grew up in rural Kansas on a small family farm. She graduated from Newman University with her Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry in 2013 and from Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2017. She has practiced in both mixed animal practice and small animal urgent care/general practice.
Dr. Schmidt’s professional interests include soft tissue surgery, ophthalmology, and pain management. She is certified in veterinary chiropractic by the International Veterinary Chiropractic Association, and has plans to become certified in acupuncture and veterinary rehabilitation to provide Animal Kingdom patients with more options to improve their mobility and quality of life. Dr. Schmidt is also RECOVER certified in Basic and Advanced Veterinary CPR.
In her time off, Dr. Schmidt enjoys CrossFit, game nights, learning pickleball, playing softball, and spending time with her two dogs, Henry and Winnie.

Dr. Rebecca Noel, DVM
Dr. Rebecca Noel graduated from Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2010 and has been in general practice since. Her areas of interest include exotic companion medicine, feline medicine, and behavior. She enjoys going to continuing education courses and lectures to keep up with the latest information available.
In her free time, she enjoys Kernels baseball, traveling, and spending time with family.
Dr. Taylor Horton, DVM

Dr. Horton received her medical degree at Iowa State College of Veterinary Medicine in 2023. She is Fear Free certified and has a special interest in surgery. She’s originally from Ottumwa and just recently moved to Cedar Rapids with her husband and cat.
In her free time she enjoys ballroom dancing and bicycling.
Dr. Wayne J. Ahern, DVM, Retired

I received my Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Iowa State University in 1982 and have worked in general practice since.
My wife, Shelley, and I have two grown children, Rachel and Ethan. We enjoy boating, biking, and outdoor activities. My areas of interest included surgery, internal medicine, and dermatology. I believed in keeping current through continuing education and take in several meetings, seminars, and online classes throughout the year.
At Animal Kingdom, we strive to provide careful, conscientious diagnosis and treatment to our patients and seek to establish personal, ongoing relationships with the people that care for them.