Our Specialists
For more than a quarter century, The Sams Clinic has led the advancement of modern veterinary orthopedics, sports medicine, and minimally invasive care for companion animals, canine athletes, and working dogs.
Andrew Sams, DVM, MS, DACVS
Founder & Medical Director
Orthopedic Surgery & Arthroscopy
Dr. Andrew Sams is one of veterinary medicine’s pioneers in small-animal orthopedics, arthroscopy, and minimally invasive diagnosis and surgery.
Before founding The Sams Clinic, Dr. Sams served as Chief of Orthopedics and Neurosurgery at the Animal Medical Center in New York, where he established one of the profession’s first canine arthroscopy programs.
In 1999, Dr. Sams founded The Sams Clinic for Orthopedics and Arthroscopy as a dedicated specialty service for advanced orthopedics and minimally invasive diagnosis and surgery. In 2004, he transformed the practice into a 8,500-square-foot orthopedic center, establishing the specialty institution known today as The Sams Clinic: a practice built around advanced orthopedics, minimally invasive care, orthobiologics, Sports Medicine, and rehabilitation.
Dr. Sams has lectured nationally and internationally. He helped develop and deliver the profession’s first veterinary arthroscopy training course, hosted by the American College of Veterinary Surgeons in 1996, and has continued teaching arthroscopic principles and technique throughout his career.
Dr. Sams has also contributed to veterinary orthobiologic advancement through widely cited clinical research, including coauthoring studies evaluating autologous adipose-derived regenerative cell therapy for conditions like osteoarthritis.
Dr. Sams earned his veterinary degree from UC Davis, completed internship training at Texas A&M, and completed surgical residency and master’s training at Cornell. His master’s research studied biological methods of resurfacing damaged joints. He is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons, board-certified in veterinary surgery since 1994.
As Medical Director of The Sams Clinic, Dr. Sams works alongside a dedicated team of renowned specialists, technicians, and support staff. He focuses his own practice on orthopedic, orthobiologic, and arthroscopic diagnosis and surgery.
Sherman Canapp, DVM, MS, CCRT, DACVS, DACVSMR
Orthopedic Surgery & Arthroscopy
Sports Medicine & Rehabilitation
Dr. Sherman Canapp is double board-certified in veterinary surgery and veterinary sports medicine and rehabilitation. He is recognized for foundational contributions to canine sports medicine, orthopedics, orthobiologics, and minimally invasive diagnosis and surgery.
He is a Charter Diplomate and Past President of the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, Founding President of the American Association of Rehabilitation Veterinarians, and served as founding National Director for Sports Medicine, Rehabilitation, and Regenerative Medicine for a national network of more than 350 veterinary hospitals. He serves on the Board of Trustees for Johns Hopkins Medicine’s Howard County General Hospital.
Dr. Canapp has authored or coauthored more than fifty scholarly publications, including peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, and led research programs that have attracted millions of dollars in support for studies of orthobiologic treatment, orthopedic disease, and soft-tissue injury. His research reflects a One Health and translational medicine approach, with current work focused on genomic medicine and individual biology as drivers of disease risk, aging, and treatment selection in dogs.
Dr. Canapp has developed, evaluated, and clinically validated veterinary technologies across orthobiologics, minimally invasive diagnostics, surgical instrumentation, and digital specialty-care platforms. His work includes canine-specific orthobiologic platforms, needle-scope and arthroscopic systems, diagnostic musculoskeletal ultrasound applications, TPLO and arthrodesis systems, and digital platforms for remote specialty education and procedural support.
For more than two decades, Dr. Canapp has trained veterinarians nationally and internationally through major ACVS and ACVSMR programs and hands-on laboratories in musculoskeletal ultrasound, orthobiologics, intra-articular therapy, needle arthroscopy, and minimally invasive procedures. He has mentored more than 70 residents, fellows, and interns.
Before joining The Sams Clinic, Dr. Canapp co-founded and led one of North America’s preeminent specialty practices dedicated to integrated orthopedic, sports medicine, rehabilitation, and regenerative care. He joined The Sams Clinic team to advance a shared commitment to advancing the frontiers of integrated orthopedic, sports medicine, regenerative, and minimally invasive care.
Dr. Canapp earned his DVM and master’s degree in clinical science from Kansas State University, where he was the first to complete the combined DVM/MS program. He completed an internship at the University of Missouri and a three-year surgical residency at the University of Florida. He is a Diplomate of both the American College of Veterinary Surgeons and the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation.
At The Sams Clinic, Dr. Canapp focuses on advanced orthopedic and sports medicine care for athletic, working, and companion dogs, with particular expertise in difficult-to-diagnose soft-tissue injuries, orthobiologics, minimally invasive diagnosis and surgery, and return to function and performance.
Dana Whitlock, DVM, MS, CCRP, CVA, DACVSMR
Sports Medicine & Rehabilitation
Dr. Dana Whitlock is a board-certified specialist in veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation whose background uniquely bridges human orthopedic physical therapy, biomechanics, and veterinary sports medicine. Her approach integrates principles of human performance and rehabilitation science with the diagnosis, treatment, recovery, and return-to-function planning of musculoskeletal conditions in companion, athletic, and working animals.
Before entering veterinary medicine, Dr. Whitlock was board certified as an Orthopaedic Clinical Specialist by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties and a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists.
She began working with dogs in physical rehabilitation in 2001, when structured canine rehabilitation was still emerging in veterinary medicine and years before Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation became a board-certified specialty.
Dr. Whitlock completed surgical residency training at the University of Missouri, a surgical internship at Dallas Veterinary Surgical Center, and a rotating internship at the University of Georgia. She is a Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner and Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist. She also completed advanced training in canine gait analysis at the University of Tennessee and in diagnostic musculoskeletal ultrasound through the Veterinary Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Academy.
She earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from UC Davis and master’s degrees from Duke University and SUNY Upstate Medical Center, the latter focused on muscle physiology and exercise science.
She has contributed to canine rehabilitation textbooks and published research using objective lameness and force-plate measures to evaluate extracorporeal shock wave therapy for canine elbow osteoarthritis.
At The Sams Clinic, Dr. Whitlock leads our Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation service. Her practice focuses on the diagnosis and management of musculoskeletal injury, mobility limitation, post-operative recovery, chronic functional decline, and performance-related problems in companion, athletic, and working animals. Her work integrates musculoskeletal ultrasound, orthobiologics, acupuncture, gait analysis, therapeutic rehabilitation, and return-to-performance planning. She is the only board-certified veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation specialist in the Bay Area.