Our Caring & Compassionate Veterinary Team!

Meet the Veterinarians & Team of Animal Hospital of Unionville in Markham! We’re pleased to provide exceptional vet care for your pets!

Please call us at (905) 477-2323 to speak to one of our caring veterinary staff members!

Dr. Ernst Marsig
DVM, Director

Dr. Ernst Marsig graduated in 1985 in the top 10% of his class at the University in Munich, Germany, and continued with his post graduate research at two other universities. He was very interested in finding ways to stimulate the immune system to defend the body against cancer and viral diseases. A doctoral thesis and several scientific publications completed his work and brought him the title of Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. After several years in practice (farm animals and pets), he came to Canada in 1989, worked at the Agincourt Animal Hospital in Scarborough and joined the Unionville Veterinary Clinic in 1992 as a partner and converted it into the Animal Hospital of Unionville in 1996. He now is the sole owner of the hospital and has two associates working here with him.

Dr. Marsig is actively interested in Veterinary Dermatology, Dentistry and Applied Animal Behaviour. He is a member of the Canadian Academy of Veterinary Dermatology, the College of Veterinarians of Ontario, the Ontario Veterinary Medical Association, the American Veterinary Dental Society, the American Association of Feline Practitioners, and the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behaviour.

“I don’t think I’ll ever stop learning. Discoveries are constantly being made that can improve the quality of care for your pet. What I learned back at the University research group still applies today: Never be satisfied with the status quo, but continue investigating new ways to improve life and… keep reading!”

Over the years Dr. Marsig realized that veterinary medicine is not only about helping animals live a long and happy life, but that our profession has a huge impact on the families owning the pets. “In a sense, we are really family doctors for the entire family. It is about helping our clients making the best decisions for their pets AND their families. No situation is alike…”. Dr. Marsig is known for his direct form of communication. Please click here to read his open letter to all clients or watch him on YouTube.

Because of his communication, the University of Guelph invited Dr. Marsig for many years to be a guest coach, teaching veterinary students how to communicate with the focus on clients’ needs.

Dr. Marsig is married with five lovely children. The Marsigs value harmony, respect of the environment, and diversity. They live on a farm where they enjoy raising pastured cattle, chickens, a pony, the two Border Collies “Wastl” and “Sepperl”, and of course two cats “Misty” and “Mandy”. Despite being busy with practice, family, and the farm animals, Dr. Marsig values a balanced lifestyle and some of his views are quite amusingly expressed in his blogs.

Dr Ali

Dr. Ali Aliabadi

Dr. Ali Aliabadi has always loved animals since childhood and he followed his dream. He graduated as Doctor of veterinary medicine (DVM) in Iran in 2002 and then continued his studies at several international universities with a surgical residence. He obtained the degree of Doctor of Veterinary Science (DVSc) in 2006 and established his own animal hospital in Iran.

With more than a decade experience in small animal health profession, Dr. Ali was excited to be able to immigrate to Canada in 2014 with his wife. His broad experience allowed him to pass his Canadian exams and become a member of the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) and a licensed member in good standing with the College of Veterinarians of Ontario (CVO). Since he is in Canada he worked at several renowned Animal Hospitals in the GTA before he joined our team. Besides his superior surgical training, he worked in emergency medicine, critical care, and curative practice. His special interests are internal medicine, surgery, and anesthesia.

Dr. Ali is a wonderful experienced doctor with great compassion for our patients and clients and he is a well rounded team player in our hospital. He radiates his experience, his love for pets and his passion to practice when you will meet him.

When he is away from the clinic, he enjoys spending time with his young family and he loves hiking, and swimming.

Nela Hunter
Hospital Manager/Veterinary Technician

Nela joined our team in 2001. She is no stranger to animal care, having owned and worked with both small and large animals for many years, as well as possessing extensive work experience in the veterinary industry. In addition to her duties as a Veterinary Technician, Nela also oversees the day to day operation of the hospital. She loves to interact with clients and their pets and wants to ensure that your experience with us is gratifying. Her passion is breeding and raising race-bred Quarter horses at her farm. She loves her Australian shepherds and many rescued barn cats.

TYSON

CLIENT CARE MANAGER

Tyson joined our team in 2019 after spending most of his early-adult life working with animals and educating people about animals of all shapes and sizes. At our hospital he manages all aspects of our client care department and ensures each client receives the proper assistance in a personal, professional and efficient manner. From booking appointments, to assisting with insurance, Tyson is the main point of contact for all clients coming to the hospital. He takes great pride in the service we provide. When you speak with Tyson, you will immediately feel that you are in good hands. He diligently pays attention to every detail of your visit to make sure nothing is being missed.

BECCA

REGISTERED VETERINARY TECHNICIAN

Becca attended Seneca college in the veterinary technician program and graduated in 2019. She completed her 2 week placement with us and joined our team as a full time vet tech. Becca became registered with the Ontario Association of Veterinary Technicians in September 2019. Becca is no stranger to animals. She grew up in a farm with cows, chickens and many barn cats. She began volunteering at a veterinary clinic in 2015 and continued her education to become an RVT. Becca enjoys talking to clients and educating them on nutrition and dental health. She monitors your pets under anesthesia and performs dental cleanings. Becca currently has 2 cats, Charlie the Siamese and Oscar the orange tabby. Her puppy called “Macey” is training to become Canada’s top agility dog. It is a lot of fun watching Becca train her pup. Becca enjoys the outdoors and can often be found reading.

TRACY

REGISTERED VETERINARY TECHNICIAN

Tracey is living his dream taking care of animals! He has grown from owning many different animal species to working in the pet retail industry. Later he became a certified groomer and then furthered his career and graduated from veterinary technician college.

He is gentle and compassionate with animals and  he is an excellent educator for our students. He is perfectly bilingual and is most appreciated by our Mandarin speaking clients.

SAMANTHA

VETERINARY ASSISTANT

Samantha joined our team in November, 2021. She has had a passion for animals since she was young, and is a proud owner of two cats. Not only does she have a devotion for animal care, but she also enjoys connecting with clients and strives to approach all situations with compassion. Samantha is dedicated to every patient. When she is not at the clinic, she enjoys long nature walks, cooking and spending time with her family and furry friends.

In Memoriam

Dr. Mehdi Dabir

It is with great sorrow that we inform our clients, old and new, of the passing of Dr. Dabir. Our dear friend and colleague fought a courageous battle against cancer for many months before succumbing to his illness on April 6, 2023. The loss of Dr. Dabir has left a void in our clinic. Dr. Dabir’s passion for veterinary medicine was contagious and affected each staff member that worked with him. We will all strive to carry on his memory in our hearts and in the clinic.

Dr. Dabir graduated from I.A.U. in 2003 with his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Degree. He joined our team in 2015 as a veterinary technician while he was in the process of obtaining his CVO license. This time gave him valuable experience and he was able to become familiar with our clients and their furry members of their family. Working full time for us, Dr. Dabir offers extended hours on some evenings so that you may book appointments up to 8pm. Dr. Dabir has extensive experience with companion animals, birds and small pocket pets. His 10 years experience in the Ostrich and poultry industry helped him to be very versatile. His special interests are animal welfare, wellness medicine, preventive medicine, and dentistry. His hobbies include outdoor activities, animals and traveling. He is bilingual and can communicate with our clients in both English and Persian.