CARE offers a full-service surgical facility supported by a staff of highly trained specialists and experienced veterinary technicians.
Board-certified surgeons are trained in all aspects of surgery, including soft tissue (abdominal, thoracic, oncologic, reconstructive), orthopedic and neurologic procedures. Our surgeons have on-site access to the most advanced diagnostic equipment, including digital radiography, CT scanning, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). CARE surgeons are part of a team of doctors committed to providing the best possible care for your pet. The surgery department works collaboratively with our internists, oncologists and other specialists as needed to ensure the best comprehensive medical and surgical care for your pet.
After an initial evaluation, your CARE surgeon recommends diagnostics and reviews available treatment options. Whenever possible, our surgeons use minimally invasive surgical techniques, including arthroscopy (joints), laparoscopy (abdomen) and thoracoscopy (chest). These techniques are not only less invasive, but result in less post-operative pain and often shorter hospitalization times. Along with the most advanced surgical care, our surgeons maintain a strong focus on pain management to ensure your pet’s comfort and reduce stress levels during treatment.
In cases where surgery is not recommended, surgeons assist in managing acute and chronic issues in conjunction with your family veterinarian.
Hospital Admit Guide
If your pet is admitted for hospitalization at CARE, please review our Hospital Admit Guide to help answer questions about your pet’s stay.
Our Surgery Doctors
Vet Tech Profiles
Rachel Gallegos, RVT
Surgical Service Lead and Department Coordinator for Surgery
Job responsibilities
As a surgical tech, her responsibilities take a patient through surgery from start to finish. The extensive list includes communication with families, scheduling, testing, administering anesthesia and meds, assisting with surgeries, and being on-call for surgeries. As the surgery department coordinator, her responsibilities include arranging technicians’ schedules and job duties monthly, maintaining inventory for surgical equipment and implants (ie, bone plates, screws, etc.), facilitating department meetings, and more.
Vet Tech education
Graduated from Gaston College in ’08; earned Bachelor’s degree in English (’12) at UNCC, all while working in Veterinary medicine.
Hometown
Born in Indiana, her family moved to Charlotte when she was 5.
Superpowers she wishes she had
“Genuinely being able to communicate with animals. Also, X-ray hands would make it less stressful for dogs and cats. The superpower of X-ray hands started as a joke with my department. It was a silly joke at first, but then more and more frequently, I was faced with how convenient it would be. Stand in line for an x-ray? Nope, I got my X-ray hands. Need to check on a pin placement mid-surgery? Let me just lay my hand on it real quick. Need X-rays on a scared squirmy puppy? Let me just take some X-rays disguised as some pets and belly rubs.”
Favorite movies/books about animals/pets
The documentary “The Great Alone” about four-time Iditarod champion Lance Mackey, and the book “This Much Country” by Kristin Knight Pace. Both are about Alaska, sled dogs, and the Iditarod. These works changed Rachel’s life and deepened her love of Alaska and working dogs. She has been to Alaska to do pre-race ECGs and bloodwork on sled dogs running in the Iditarod. “In a past life, I think I lived in Alaska,” Rachel says.
Originally posted as part of CARE’s celebration of National Veterinary Technician Week (Oct. 16-22, 2022).
Stories
Fig, Half Sack & Tucker: The once-limping littermates
CARE Charlotte is celebrating its 7th anniversary by sharing seven stories of thriving patients. Today’s story is the final and biggest one. Fig, Half Sack, and Tucker are 2-year-old siblings who shared the same problem: an angular limb deformity. Drs. Laura Dvorak, Elizabeth Thompson, and Amber Gunstra performed the surgical corrections separately.
First, dear reader, let’s tackle burning questions you may have:
- An angular limb deformity (ALD) is a condition in which a limb is not straight (excludes fractures). Left untreated the abnormal positing causes joint pain and limping. ALD is most commonly diagnosed in dogs and relatively uncommon in cats.
- None of the owners knew each other before coming to CARE. They are members of a rescue group on Facebook and connected there first. They’re friends now, thanks to the doggos and the good doctors at CARE.
- Entirely by chance, each dog ended up with a different surgeon.
Fig was the first to show up at CARE. She would limp after playing even just a little bit. Dr. Gunstra found the angular limb deformity through an exam and extensive testing. The delicate surgery was scheduled and successful!
Owner Christi Medrano shared an update about Fig in the Facebook group. Her posts caught the attention of Michele Bell, Half Sack’s mom, and Jessica Davy, Tucker’s owner.
Half Sack’s injury was only in one limb, the same as Fig’s. Dr. Thompson performed the second surgery. Another success! While the other pet owners who lived near CARE, Half Sack’s family lived 90 minutes away. The distance and a longer-than-expected recovery challenged the family. Still, Michele says it was worth every minute of the many drives, and they would 100% use CARE again. “Everyone from the front desk to the doctor is caring and loving,” she says. “They make you feel so welcome. Even the folks who walk the dogs outside would say hi to Half Sack as we waited in the parking lot.”
Unlike the other two, Tucker had to have both of his forelimbs corrected. Tucker’s surgery was more complicated but a total success!
All three dogs are doing dandy these days and sometimes have playdates with each other.
- Fig is a major snuggle bug and loves to romp with her siblings.
- Half Sack is amazing and runs like the wind.
- Tucker is full of personality, super-playful, and loves baseball.
Recent Surgery Blog Posts
Limb Amputations for Dogs and Cats Are Less Scary Than They Seem
Hearing that your dog or cat needs a limb amputated seems frightening at first. How can pets cope with spending the rest of their days on three legs? Yet animals adjust surprisingly quickly to what veterinarians call “the tripod life” after limb amputations. You can...
Digestive Tract Blockage: The Ingestion Of Toys And Other Foreign Objects
Is there anything better than watching your pet having a ball playing with his or her toys? And what’s funnier than a mischievous puppy getting into accidental trouble? Sometimes, however, these incidences end in the ingestion of toys or other off-limits items. Think...
Minimally Invasive Surgical Techniques
While performing a minimally invasive surgical technique, a surgeon is able to effectively repair the damaged area precisely and efficiently, while causing little disruption to the associated tissues. Veterinary surgeons primarily perform endo-surgical techniques...
Canine Arthroscopy
Arthroscopy is a minimally invasive surgical technique performed on a joint. During the procedure, the surgeon inserts small cameras to evaluate and treat a multitude of joint diseases. The cameras, which generally range in size from 1.9 to 2.7 millimeters, provide...
When A Dog Needs ACL Surgery
The Cranial Cruciate Ligament (CrCL) is one of the most important stabilizers inside the canine knee joint, which is the middle joint in the back leg. The CrCL may also be known as the Anterior Cruciate Ligament or ACL because this is the equivalent in humans. In...
My Week at Iditarod, The Last Great Race
The 46th Iditarod kicked off on March 2, 2019 in Anchorage, Alaska. The dog sled race is almost 1,000 miles. So, as you can imagine, mushers and their teams of dogs prepare for months leading up to "The Last Great Race." The teams go on countless training runs,...
