CARE | Charlotte Animal Referral & Emergency

I have no doubt about the importance of this facility and their staff. We were treated well by everyone. The facility is clean and well maintained. I brought my cat in because he had become ill suddenly with vomiting and diarrhea (which was clearing up by the time we got there). An x-ray from another vet showed what they said was a mass. CARE took another x-ray and did a scan and said doing more invasive testing could kill him and it was probably cancer. We were devastated. But we took him home to keep him comfortable because, if we were going to lose him, we would have our vet who we'd be going to see since he was a kitten do it. She's been our vet for years. Once we got pain medication and appetite stimulant on board, he started acting normal again. By the time we took him to our vet, she had reviewed information from CARE and the other vet that had referred us there. Upon examination, she declared our cat viable for life. Please don't make a snap decision about your pet unless you are 100% certain there is no hope. I know CARE serves a purpose in the Vet world. In our case, we were not well served.

CARE – this name perfectly depicts how every staff - from front desk, ICU/ER Nurses to their veterinarian doctors and surgeons treat the animals that are brought in and their owners. I had to take my dog Jill to the ER on Christmas day, and as soon as I got to their front desk, the attention to detail and understanding the urgency of the situation was very appreciated. Within five minutes, the ER nurse technician Sarah came to get Jill checked out. I was informed that Jill had pneumothorax, something I did not expect at all and turned my whole world upside down. Dr Teplin, the emergency vet working that afternoon, provided great detail but also very compassionate in explaining what findings they saw with Jill. Due to Jill’s condition, Dr Dvorak and Dr Gunstra took on the case to take care of my pup. They also were very empathetic of the situation every time they spoke with me to provide updates and options we can consider. Eventually, surgery was the last resort, and I am very thankful for both doctor’s expertise in making sure that the surgery goes well. I’d also like to commend the front desk staff and the nurses who took care of Jill and their patience with me whenever I reach out to them via phone or in person visits to check on Jill. Thank you so much: ICU Nurses – Farron, Ashyln, Amber, Ashley, Tiffany, Magen, Sarah Macdonald and other nurses whom I may have missed Anesthesia Nurse – Sara Williams Discharge Nurse – Sara Roberts Front Desk – Danielle, Josh, Hannah, Michelle and Kirsten. ...and to all other staff that took care of Jill. I would like to give a special thank you to Madison Whitaker (ICU Nurse) as she has been extra patient with me and took extra care to Jill, especially during New Year’s Eve. I appreciated the assurance she gave me that they will take care of Jill that evening, especially when I told them that she is afraid of fireworks. Madison even took NYE pictures with Jill wearing a party hat. That moment confirmed how much Jill was taken care of and had full confidence that she is in good hands. Lastly, during post-surgery, I of course became a helicopter dog parent and took Jill twice in three days to check her breathing. Both Dr Meddaugh and Dr Pascarella were also very nice to work with and understood the concerns I had. My dogs’ current veterinary hospital has always been great, but after my recent experience, CARE totally redefined what a great veterinary hospital should be. I will always be thankful for all the love and care they had shown my dog towards recovery.

yesterday (2/28/25) we came in for our pup for his pale gums and being lethargic. they were very thorough with his tests and very informative when we received his diagnosis. they were so compassionate, especially the tech that spoke with us regarding his medications and information on his diagnosis. thank you guys so much for caring, it means a lot. (photo is from my pups first birthday last week)

My experience at CARE was wonderful. The entire staff was pleasant and efficient. My vet had me take my poodle there in an asap situation and they met me and took him back right away. The staff showed me around to the snacks and restrooms and assured me he was being taken care of by the best. Dr. Margarucci was his IM vet and I cannot say enough good things about him. I would give them more than 5 stars if it were allowed.

We just brought home our 8 lb 11 month old Shih Tzu puppy from surgery for a foreign object in his intestines. They are AMAZING! We were at 2 different emergency places. One never saw us in 6 hours of waiting, the other had an astronomical price. We went to CARE and were seen immediately, the actual surgeon was in our room discussing the procedure with us in detail within 15 minutes of us being there. They had us put down a deposit for the surgery our baby needed. Then we picked him up and they refunded us $1,500 because it turned out to be less than they estimated. The nurse who checked us out took all the time we needed with us to feel comfortable with after care. They are simply AMAZING! Thank you CARE!