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Specialty hours are by appointment only.
ER Open 24/7
What To Know About Emergency Care
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.
Our office also offers 24/7 language interpreters, so we can support our clients and pets during their time in need.
Animals We See: Dogs, Cats
Neighborhoods We Serve: Frederick, Mount Airy, Hagerstown, Waynesboro (PA), Thurmont, Mount Airy
1080 W Patrick St, Frederick, Maryland 21703
Phone:
(301) 662-2273
Fax:
(301) 378-2673
24-Hour Emergency Care & Specialty Services
At CARE Veterinary Center, we provide 24/7 emergency and specialty care to dogs and cats in the DC metropolitan and the MD, WV, and PA tri-state area. We offer Internal Medicine, Surgery, Rehabilitation, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
We have a highly trained and qualified staff of veterinarians to treat your animals. Our goal is to not do what a primary care veterinarian does but to complement what they do.
We have specialists in a variety of service areas including surgery, orthopedic surgery, internal medicine, sports medicine, rehabilitation, and pain management. Our specialists are available by appointment on weekdays and are always on-call for emergencies. Our office also offers 24/7 language interpreters, so we can support our clients and pets during their time in need.
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.
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 rehabilitation is an ever-growing field of medicine focused on helping animals that require additional support with recovery, mobility, pain management, or physical therapy Unique treatment plans are built around the patient’s needs and the client’s goals. Through comprehensive, integrative therapies, our rehabilitation teams work to help improve your pet’s quality of life.
If your pet is experiencing a medical emergency, please call or visit your local veterinarian immediately.
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 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.
Computed Tomography (CT) scans use many X-rays at different angles to create 3D cross-sectional images of the body in very high resolution. This advanced radiographic equipment is an excellent diagnostic tool, allowing both soft tissues and bones to be evaluated in just one image.
CT scans are very effective in detecting tumors and identifying diseases in a pet’s thorax, nasal cavity, and abdomen. Since the pet must be completely still throughout the scan, anesthesia is typically required.
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.
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.
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 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.
DVM, DACVS, DAIPM
Dr. Gellasch received her DVM at Michigan State University, where she graduated with honors, then traveled to the other MSU, Mississippi State University for an internship in small animal medicine and surgery. Back up north at the University of Wisconsin Dr. Gellasch did her surgical training. She received her board certification in surgery and a few years later received credentialing in pain management. She spent eight years practicing in Ohio at a multispecialty clinic before relocating to Maryland to start CARE Veterinary Center. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her son, their four labradorables (Finn, Lilly, Haley, Bailey), and two cats (Abby and TJ) and training for her next race.
DVM
Dr. James McConnell has provided internal medicine referral services for dogs and cats for over 25 years. He obtained a DVM degree at Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1981 and completed a small animal internal medicine residency at Tufts University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1987. In addition to practicing referral medicine at several multispecialty veterinary practices in the DC area, he was an owner and founding partner of a large, multispecialty veterinary center located in northern Virginia. Dr. McConnell has also been a consultant at the National Zoo in Washington DC, where he performed an ultrasound and endoscopic procedures on cheetahs, tigers, primates, seals, and Pandas. He has a special interest in performing minimally-invasive diagnostic procedures used in the evaluation of gastrointestinal, liver, and other abdominal and systemic disorders. When out of the office, Dr. McConnell spends most of his time with his wife, daughter, son, and cats. He also composes and plays music at his home studio, enjoys cooking and good wine, and religiously practices Tai Chi.
DVM, DACVIM
Dr. Pera attended veterinary school at Tufts University in Massachusetts followed by a general and Internal Medicine Internship at Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston. She completed her residency in Internal Medicine at the prestigious Animal Medical Center in New York City. She has since practiced in Virginia and Rockville, Maryland. She joined C.A.R.E. in January 2021. As an Internist, Dr. Pera has interests in all aspects of Internal Medicine. She has a special affinity for nephrology and gastrointestinal diseases. Her time outside of work is spent wrangling her little human children and cuddling her 4 cats, a chihuahua named Belladonna, and a Labrador retriever named Marshmallow. She also snuggles her bird of 25 years, a cockatoo named Popeye....and her 11 chickens.
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