Dr. Erika Pienaar

Dr Erika Pienaar is a practising veterinarian who writes for Naked's pet blog, helping pet owners understand how to keep their dogs and cats healthy, happy, and well looked after.

She qualified from the University of Pretoria's Faculty of Veterinary Science (Onderstepoort) in 2012 and has been in private practice since 2013, focusing on small animal medicine and surgery. As both a practice owner and an actively practising vet at Prime Pet, she has spent years caring for dogs and cats hands-on. She loves internal medicine, but the theatre is where she feels most at home, drawn to the precision, focus, and immediate impact that surgery brings.

At her clinic, Erika does things a little differently. She puts real weight on building trust, not just with her patients, but with their owners too. For her, good veterinary care is about more than treating illness. It's about supporting each pet's overall well-being in a thoughtful, holistic way. A big part of that is client education, because owners who understand their pet's needs make better decisions for them. And when you know what your pet needs, you're far better equipped to give them the healthy, happy life they deserve. That, in the end, is what the whole profession is about.