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ER Open 24/7
Welcome To
Tampa Bay Veterinary Specialists & Emergency Care Center
What To Know About Emergency Care
Call 727-531-5752 for Emergency Services
Emergency veterinary care provides immediate medical treatment for pets with serious or life-threatening conditions. If your pet is experiencing a medical emergency, please call or visit your local pet ER immediately.
Animals We See: Dogs, Cats
Neighborhoods We Serve: Tampa Bay, Largo, St. Petersburg
We Specialize In
24/7 Emergency Vet Care in Tampa
At Tampa Bay Veterinary Specialists & Emergency Care Center, we provide emergency and specialty care for dogs and cats in Tampa and Pinellas County. Our dedicated team is equipped to handle urgent medical situations with the highest level of expertise and compassion. Our team specializes in cardiology, dermatology, neurology, internal medicine, oncology, and surgery.
Established in 1982, Tampa Bay Veterinary Specialists & Emergency Care Center was the first multi-specialty veterinary and emergency hospital on Florida's west coast. Our Emergency Care Center is dedicated to providing prompt and comprehensive care for pets facing urgent medical situations. With a skilled team available 24/7, we ensure that your furry family members receive the urgent attention they need, caring for over 13,000 patients each year.
Our Veterinary Services
Emergency Care
As pet parents, we dread the thought of our fur-children ever getting sick enough to require emergency care. Unfortunately, accidents and illnesses do occur, so our exceptional emergency care teams are here to help in your time of need.
Cardiology
Cardiology is a branch of veterinary medicine concerned with diagnosing, treating, and managing conditions related to the heart. This includes a pet’s blood vessels, circulatory system, and sometimes their lungs.
The heart is one of your pet’s most essential organs, continually pumping blood containing oxygen and nutrients to the rest of the body. In most heart-related problems, either damage or deterioration occurs to either the heart valves or heart muscles.
No matter what type of heart problems your pet may have during their life, our Primary, Specialty, and Emergency Care teams have the skills and resources to help your pet have the highest quality of life possible through treatment and hands-on management.
Dermatology
Dermatology is a field within veterinary medicine that focuses on the treatment or management of conditions relating to a pet’s skin, ear, hair, and claws.
As the largest organ in cats and dogs, there is no surprise that skin-related visits are some of the most common appointments at primary care clinics. From allergies to infections, the list of potential dermatological problems in pets is extensive. Skin-related symptoms can also be a sign of an underlying internal condition.
Thankfully, most dermatological conditions in pets can be fully cured or well managed given that you seek help early, regularly meet with a veterinarian, and follow your pet’s recommended treatment plan at home.
Internal Medicine
Internal Medicine is a specialty branch of veterinary medicine involving the treatment and management of more complex conditions affecting pets’ internal organs that often coincide with chronic illnesses. Conditions that cannot be effectively managed by your family veterinarian alone will often receive a consult or be referred to an internal medicine specialist to receive a second opinion or to pursue more advanced care options.
Veterinary Oncology
Veterinary oncology teams within our Thrive Pet Healthcare community work closely with referring and primary care veterinarians to provide advanced cancer treatment for pets. Your pet’s oncology team can perform a thorough evaluation, utilizing state-of-the-art diagnostics to gain a deep understanding of the disease behavior. From there, a personalized treatment plan will be determined to treat or manage your pet’s cancer.
Surgery
Surgery covers a vast sub-sect of veterinary medicine, from routine spay and neuter to complex orthopedic and soft tissue procedures. Within our Thrive Pet Healthcare network, you can access surgical services on both the primary care and specialty level so whatever your pet’s surgical needs, our trusted veterinarians and surgical specialists are here for you.
Urgent Care
If your pet is experiencing a medical emergency, please call or visit your local veterinarian immediately.
What Is Urgent Care?
Urgent Care is an outpatient, walk-in service that provides treatment to sick pets who require prompt access to a veterinarian, but do not qualify for emergency care. Urgent Care hospitals are not typically open 24/7 like emergency centers but have extended hours beyond those of primary care clinics, and many are open on the weekends. Urgent Care provides help when:
Conditions are non-critical
No hospitalization is required
No surgery is required
Only basic diagnostics are needed
Pets need help outside of regular business hours
Although urgent care is a walk-in service, we recommend calling ahead to check the availability of our urgent care teams at your local clinic.
Radiology (Advanced Imaging)
Radiology encompasses a diverse range of diagnostic imaging including X-ray, Ultrasound, and MRI. We utilize the most up-to-date, cutting-edge technology operated by specially trained veterinary professionals.
Our Veterinary Radiologists have additional education, training, and experience in the field, enabling them to work seamlessly with primary, specialty, and emergency care clinicians to provide advanced image interpretation on acute and complex medical cases.
Neurology
Any damage to a pet's nervous system can lead to serious long-term consequences if they are not tended to rapidly by skilled professionals. Due to the complex nature of the brain and spine, Primary and Emergency Care veterinarians often work closely with a board-certified neurologist. The neurologist provides advanced care and attention necessary to treat or manage a pet’s neurological condition appropriately.
Veterinary Orthopedics
Our community’s outstanding orthopedic veterinarians and surgeons use breakthrough research within the field to implement advanced therapies, such as CrCL surgeries like TPLO surgery, fracture repair, and innovative devices. These are all designed to help improve or conserve your pet’s mobility following traumatic accident, illness, or age-related condition.
Pet owners commonly refer to CrCL surgery as an ACL surgery, however CrCL surgery is the medically accurate term. ACL surgery is the human equivalent treatment.
CrCL Surgery (Cranial Cruciate Ligament)
A common form of cruciate or knee surgery is TPLO surgery. Your pet’s orthopedic veterinarian will be able to help decide which type of CrCL surgery is ideal for your pet. It's important to note that these surgeries are commonly referred to by pet owners as ACL surgery, however CrCL surgery is the medically accurate term. ACL surgery is the human equivalent treatment.
TPLO Surgery (Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy)
TPLO surgery changes the angle between the thigh bone and the shin bone. The goal is to lessen how much the tibia shifts forward during a stride and it is achieved through an incision, rotation of the tibia, and then insertion of a bone plate. TPLO surgery helps create a stifle (knee) that is stable without the torn cruciate ligament. The medial meniscus is also evaluated at the time of surgery and if torn removed. At times, a releasing incision of the meniscus is done to help prevent a future tear.
More About Us
Cardiology
Dena Fauske
DVM, DACVIM
Dr. Fauske attended veterinary school at North Carolina State University and graduated with her doctor of veterinary medicine in 2014. She completed a rotating internship at BluePearl in Tampa in 2015. She then went on to complete her residency in Veterinary Cardiology in 2018. She has a special interest in advanced medical management of congestive heart failure with a focus on maintaining and improving quality of life. In her free time, Dr. Fauske enjoys singing opera, roller blading, kickboxing and attending Broadway musicals. She is also a hockey fan and can't wait to go to some Lightning games!
Oncology
Monica Fernandez
DVM, MS
Dr. Fernandez received her doctor of veterinary medicine from Ohio State University in 2014. She practiced as a rotating and oncology intern at BluePearl Veterinary Partners in Tampa until 2016. She then pursued an academic internship in oncology at Louisiana State University before continuing to receive a master’s degree in veterinary clinical sciences and completing a residency in medical oncology at Colorado State University in 2020. Dr. Fernandez has a special interest in multimodal therapy in the treatment of animal cancers and the achievement of comfort and excellent quality of life for her patients. She is passionate about developing an individualized diagnostic and treatment plan for every patient that fits with their medical needs as well as with the goals and wishes of their human companions.
Dermatology
Maria Ierace
DVM, DACVD
I love improving the quality of life of my patients and that can mean providing relief to a pet. Thrive Pet Healthcare has given me an amazing opportunity to be able to practice medicine to my fullest potential as well as to collaborate with a wonderful team of specialists. all of the team members are in providing excellent quality medicine to the patients.
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