Candlewood Veterinary Clinic has been serving small animals in the Manhattan area since the early 1980s. Over the past 30 years, our clinic has established a legacy of exceptional care and service. In 2019, Dr. Alex Grieves became the owner and is committed to continuing this legacy.
Our mission is to advocate for the well-being of cats and dogs and advance the partnership of pets and their people. Our goals are to prioritize our patient’s physical and emotional well-being, while inspiring and educating pet owners to make the best decisions on behalf of their pet. We strive to continually advance the medical and surgical care offered at Candlewood, all while continuing the family culture our team has worked so hard to achieve.
We would be honored to serve as your family’s veterinarian – an important role in the relationship between you and your pet – and are dedicated to caring for your pets like they’re one of ours!
Dr. Grieves was born and raised in Hays, KS. She attended Kansas State University where she earned a degree in Animal Science and her DVM in 2016. After graduation from vet school, Dr. Grieves practiced in Hays, KS and Topeka, KS before purchasing Candlewood Veterinary Clinic in 2019.
Dr. Grieves married her college sweetheart, Cole, in 2014 and they have two little ones: a son, Laine, born in 2020, and their daughter Parker joined the family right before Christmas in 2022.
They also have two other “kids” – Pax, a border collie mix who is an expert ball chaser and counter surfer, and Finn, a cattle dog mix, who has challenged Dr. Grieves from every aspect of veterinary medicine with his severe anxiety, inflammatory bowel disease, 3rd degree burns, and foreign bodies (he’s absolutely a sock eater extraordinaire). The love of her life and her biggest motivator to become a veterinarian was her black cat, Little Bear, who passed away in 2021 at the age of 17.
Most of her free time involves playing with their kiddos, snuggling their pups, projects around the house, and spending time with family and friends. She loves trying new recipes, is attempting to become a gardener, thinks Harry Potter is the best, loves reading a good balance of psychological thrillers and Rom Coms, and has watched Schitt’s Creek 3 times. She also serves as an advisor for her sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma.
Dr. Grieves is a Fear Free Certified professional and is a member of the Kansas Veterinary Medical Association, American Veterinary Medical Association, and serves as the managing veterinarian for T. Russell Reitz Animal Shelter. She has a strong interest in feline pain management, shelter medicine, and dentistry and is passionate about quality veterinary care.
Dr. White is a Missouri native, but she and her family love calling Manhattan home! She was raised in Lee’s Summit, MO and obtained her undergraduate degree at Missouri State University in Springfield, MO.
Dr. White and her husband met and married while attending veterinary school and each graduated from the University of Missouri Vet School in 1997. They both practiced in Southeast Missouri for many years before eventually moving to Kansas. Her husband Brad works at the KSU College of Veterinary Medicine as the director of the Beef Cattle Institute. We love that K-State brought us to Manhattan!
The White family consists of 4 boys, college aged through elementary school, and many many pets. They live on 10 acres just outside of Manhattan where chickens (some suggest too many), bottle calves, horses, kitties, and dogs fill their days with joy and chores.
Some of Dr. White’s favorite activities include watching her children pursue their many varied interests from football, cross country, trap shooting, and band. She also loves planting flowers, vegetable gardening, cooking for her family (because food is love for kids!), spending time outdoors, seeing musicals in Kansas City (Hamilton was amazing!), and reading. She is very involved in serving with her children’s school and her church community.
Over the years, veterinary medicine has highlighted and deepened the importance of the human animal bond for Dr. White. She loves seeing the relationships clients have with their pets and the stories they share with her weekly. She is passionate about senior pet health care, helping kitties and their people have smoother veterinary visits, and working with clients to meet their pet’s needs together. After all these years, she still thinks this is the best job in the world!
Dr. Laura Delfelder is from Topeka, Kansas where she spent her childhood riding horses, rooting for KU basketball (Go Jayhawks!), playing softball, basketball, and soccer, and being a relentless shadow to her older brother, Ben. It was no surprise that, just two years after her brother left to attend Kansas State University, Laura was right on his heels. After graduating with a degree in Secondary Education, she spent 4 years working as a high school English teacher before applying to veterinary school to fulfill her lifelong goal of becoming a veterinarian. She graduated from KSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine in August 2023.
Dr. Delfelder married her best friend, CJ, in 2015 in a small chapel in Cuchara, Colorado. They love smoking meat, hunting, cheering for KU, KSU, and the Chiefs, exploring local restaurants and breweries, and spending time around the firepit. Despite numerous adventures, the greatest of all has been their two little ones! Calvin Joseph joined the family in April of 2018 and Elliot Rose has been his partner in crime since August 2021.
Besides chasing the kiddos around, Dr. Delfelder enjoys spending time outside. Whether it be hiking with the dogs, reading, kayaking, or gardening, if the weather is nice Dr. Delfelder can be found out and about. When the weather doesn’t cooperate, she’s happy tucked indoors with a good book or around a board game with friends and family.
Dr. Delfelder is excited to start her veterinary career at Candlewood Veterinary Clinic! She’s particularly interested in surgery, acupuncture, and chiropractics, and hopes to bring some new services to the already solid CVC team.
CARING FOR YOUR PETS SINCE…
2008
HOMETOWN
OLSBURG, KANSAS
WHAT KIND OF PETS DO YOU HAVE?
A BOOTYLICIOUS PITBULL NAME JUDY JONES WERNER, A BLACK GERMAN SHORTHAIR NAMED GUS, A CAT WHO IS ODDLY ENOUGH, NAMED CAT, AND A BUNCH OF CHICKENS.
FAVORITE PART ABOUT LIVING IN MANHATTAN
I GREW UP IN THE AREA SO I’M NEVER TOO FAR FROM MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY. I ALSO LOVE SEEING NEW RESTAURANTS OPEN UP IN OUR AREA.
FAVORITE PART ABOUT WORKING IN VETERINARY MEDICINE
COMMUNICATING WITH CLIENTS AND BUILDING THAT BOND, AS WELL AS SEEING HOW ANIMALS PLAY SUCH A BIG ROLEIN THE LIFE OF THEIR FAMILIES.
CARING FOR YOUR PETS SINCE…
2023
HOMETOWN
TOPEKA, KANSAS
WHAT KIND OF PETS DO YOU HAVE?
PAX, A BORDER COLLIE MIX AND FINN, A CATTLE DOG MIX
FAVORITE PART ABOUT LIVING IN MANHATTAN
EATING AT LOCAL RESTAURANTS DURING THE SUMMER
FAVORITE PART ABOUT WORKING IN VETERINARY MEDICINE
SEEING THE POSITIVE IMPACT OUR TEAM MAKES ON A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF PEOPLE’S LIVES — THEIR PETS.
CARING FOR YOUR PETS SINCE…
2013
HOMETOWN
PARKSTON, SOUTH DAKOTA
WHAT KIND OF PETS DO YOU HAVE?
3 CATS — ZAPHOD, IZZY, AND CRUISER
FAVORITE PART ABOUT LIVING IN MANHATTAN
I LIKE THE SIZE OF MANHATTAN. IT’S NOT A SMALL TOWN, BUT NOT A BIG CITY EITHER.
FAVORITE PART ABOUT WORKING IN VETERINARY MEDICINE
OVER MY 39 YEARS IN THE BUSINESS I HAVE MET SO MANY WONDERFUL PEOPLE AND PETS. I HOPE I HAVE HELPED THEM AS MUCH AS THEY HAVE HELPED ME.
CARING FOR YOUR PETS SINCE…
2021
HOMETOWN
TOPEKA, KANSAS
WHAT KIND OF PETS DO YOU HAVE?
ECHO, A BOXER MIX AND CATS, BAXTER AND ZOEY
FAVORITE PART ABOUT LIVING IN MANHATTAN
FRIENDLY PEOPLE AND A SENSE OF COMMUNITY
FAVORITE PART ABOUT WORKING IN VETERINARY MEDICINE
I’VE ALWAYS CARED DEEPLY ABOUT ANIMALS. I LOVE THAT I HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY EVERYDAY TO ADVOCATE FOR THEM AND MEET THE HUMANS THAT THEY LOVE.
CARING FOR YOUR PETS SINCE…
2017
HOMETOWN
COUNCIL GROVE, KANSAS
WHAT KIND OF PETS DO YOU HAVE?
ACE, A DALMATIAN
FAVORITE PART ABOUT WORKING IN MANHATTAN
THE LOCAL RESTAURANTS AND FRIENDLY PEOPLE
FAVORITE PART ABOUT WORKING IN VETERINARY MEDICINE
LEARNING SOMETHING NEW EVERY DAY AND SEEING THE DIFFERENCE WE MAKE TAKING CARE OF PETS
CARING FOR YOUR PETS SINCE…
2024
HOMETOWN
AUSTIN, TEXAS
WHAT KIND OF PETS DO YOU HAVE?
1 TORTOISESHELL CAT NAMED DAISY
FAVORITE PART ABOUT LIVING IN MANHATTAN
DISCOVERING ALL OF THE LOCAL BUSINESSES
FAVORITE PART ABOUT WORKING IN VETERINARY MEDICINE
LEARNING THE SCIENCE BEHIND EVERY CONDITION
CARING FOR YOUR PETS SINCE…
2024
HOMETOWN
MANHATTAN, KANSAS
WHAT KIND OF PETS DO YOU HAVE?
2 DOGS, LUNA AND SOL, BOTH MINI SCHNAUZERS
FAVORITE PART ABOUT LIVING IN MANHATTAN
I HAVE SO MANY GOOD MEMORIES FROM BEING HERE SO LONG!
FAVORITE PART ABOUT WORKING IN VETERINARY MEDICINE
I LOVE THAT YOU ARE CONSTANTLY LEARNING AND ALSO KNOWING WHAT YOU DO HELPS OTHERS