Our Doctors

Lee Breshears, DVM, PhD, MBA, DACVS, DACVSMR

Dr. Lee Breshears

Dr. Lee Breshears was born and raised in Denver, Colorado. He attended Colorado State University for his undergraduate studies and for his veterinary medical degree. He completed a general rotating small animal internship at the University of Minnesota and a surgical internship through Veterinary Specialists of Nevada. Dr. Breshears completed his residency training at the University of Missouri-Columbia, as well as a one-year clinical instructorship that led to his board-certification by the American College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2007. 

During his time in Missouri, he performed research in the Comparative Orthopaedic Laboratory at the University of Missouri-Columbia. This work focused on the characterization and treatment of osteoarthritis and cranial cruciate ligament injury and he received his PhD in Comparative Orthopaedics through the Area Pathobiology Program. Dr. Breshears taught at Massey University in Palmerston North, New Zealand in 2008 and again in 2019. While teaching overseas, he appreciated the diversity of cases including the unique orthopedic injuries sustained in New Zealand’s working dogs. In part, this interest in these working dogs as well as their injuries led to Dr. Breshears becoming board-certified by the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine & Rehabilitation.

Prior to becoming a founding partner in Spry Companions, Dr. Breshears was a practicing surgeon and partner in a large specialty hospital in the Denver metro area for more than a decade. This experience led to his desire to focus on challenging cases in orthopedics, minimally invasive fracture repair, advanced arthroscopy and angular limb deformities.Dr. Breshears holds an executive MBA from the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver. Dr. Breshears takes pride in patient-focused care which includes walking clients through all treatment possibilities for their pets, surgical and non-surgical alike. 

Dr. Breshears and his wife recently welcomed their daughter into the world and they both put being parents at the top of the “fun list” while at the same time admitting every day is a new challenge. He loves dragging his family to the mountains for hiking/climbing, mountain biking, and snowboarding but also enjoys scuba diving, photography and printmaking. They share their home with a larger-than-life Bengal named Monster who has the run of the joint.


Nate Miller, DVM, DACVS

Dr. Miller grew up in Evergreen, Colorado. He received his undergraduate degree from Harvard University and returned to Colorado, graduating from Colorado State University Veterinary School. He was intern of the year at North Carolina State University and completed his surgical residency at the University of Georgia in 2002. He became board certified by the American College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2004.

Dr. Miller has practiced in Denver, CO and Santa Cruz, CA. He returned to Colorado in 2012 and joined the team at Colorado Canine Orthopedics in Colorado Springs. He spent 11 years there performing orthopedic surgery, developing new techniques, and helping advance canine joint replacement as an instructor for the Kyon hip replacement system. 

Dr. Miller has extensive experience in arthroscopy and has been an instructor in courses nationally. He has performed over 700 canine hip replacements, has been an instructor for hip replacement for 7 years, teaching and lecturing internationally, and helped with development and refinement of implant systems. He has a strong interest in the use of 3D modeling to aid in correction of limb deformities, including use of CT modeling to plan surgical correction as well as printing of patient specific surgical guides to improve the precision and repeatability of complex corrections. 

Dr. Miller loves helping pets get back to doing the things they love to do and appreciates the joy that brings to their owners. Getting outside with your dog is one of the joys in life (for pet and owner both), and Dr. Miller appreciates that he can help bring that about. 

Dr. Miller’s family consists of his wife Christine, his two daughters Jessie and Lottie (Charlotte), Henry (the parti-colored Yorkie), and Cody (the Bernedoodle). He enjoys cycling, fishing, skiing, and spending time with his family.

Nate Miller DVM DACVS

Dirsko von Pfeil, Dr.med.vet., DVM, DACVS, DECVS, DACVSMR, DECVSMR

ACVS Founding Fellow, Minimally Invasive Surgery (Small Animal Orthopedics), European Board of Veterinary Specialisation (EBVS®) European Specialist: Small Animal Surgery, Adjunct Professor, Small Animal Orthopedic Surgery, Michigan State University, Staff Orthopedic Surgeon, Spry Companions

Dr. von Pfeil earned his veterinary degrees from the Free University of Berlin (2001) and Michigan State University (MSU; 2006). He completed an internship at Kansas State University (KSU), followed by a surgical residency and fellowship at MSU. A quadruple-board certified specialist in small animal orthopedic surgery and sports medicine (DACVS, DECVS; 2007 and DACVSMR, DECVSMR; 2016, 2021), he also holds the honor of being an ACVS Founding Fellow in Minimally Invasive Orthopedics (2021).

Patient care, communication and client satisfaction are of utmost importance for Dr. von Pfeil. He is dedicated to providing top-quality, personalized care using the latest surgical techniques.

Dr. von Pfeil focuses on trauma, minimally invasive fracture repair, arthroscopy, sports medicine and joint replacements. His dissertation led to the first angle-stable interlocking nail (I-LOC) used in veterinary and human fracture repair. He has further published on topics including cranial cruciate ligament rupture (CCLR), tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO), and joint replacements, contributed over 90 publications and delivered more than 100 lectures nationally and internationally. He is also the moderator of the “Orthopedic Listserv”, an international forum for the discussion of orthopedic problems

During the 18 years before joining Spry Companions, he held several positions, including Assistant Professor at KSU, Visiting Scientist at the University of Georgie Athens, and specialty surgeon at referral centers in AK, VA, Washington DC, NE, and Zurich. He also volunteers with the AOVet, serves on editorial boards of 10 surgical journals, and has been affiliated for years with MSU as Adjunct Professor in Small Animal Orthopedics.

Involved in veterinary care during sled dog races since 2007, Dr. von Pfeil received the “Golden Stethoscope Award” in 2013 at the Iditarod in Alaska. He is the editor the “Musher and Veterinary Handbook” and honored with the “Bloomberg Lecturer Award” at the International Canine Sports Medicine Symposium in 2018. He was also elected by the MSU class of 2006 as “Resident of the Year”.

Outside work, he enjoys his family, languages (speaking 5), hiking, biking, swimming, and the occasional triathlon. For family reasons he commutes on a regular basis between Denver and other global locations.