Meet Our New Oncologist

We are incredibly pleased to welcome oncologist Dr. Bobbi McQuown to our team!

Dr. Bobbi McQuown is originally from Ohio. She attended the University of Central Florida for her undergraduate degree. Following this, she spent five years in the Army. After completing her service obligation, she changed career paths to veterinary medicine.

Dr. McQuown graduated from North Carolina State University in 2011. She then completed a one year internship at VCA Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center/VCA Shoreline in Connecticut. Following her internship she completed a residency in small animal medical oncology at Tufts University. While at Tufts, she conducted research regarding lymphoma and IGF-1, anal sac adenocarcinoma, and heart base tumors.

Dr. McQuown relocated to the DC area to reunite with her husband, their Boxer dog, Alabama and cat, Nemo.

Learn more about VCA VRA's Oncology Department. We are very proud to offer oncology services to our patients. VCA VRA is one of the few veterinary oncology providers in the Montgomery County and DC area. 

Categories: oncology, Our Team

Two of the Cutest Blood Donors EVER!

Check out this picture of Missy and Kona enjoying a break from the summer heat by hiking on the C & O canal near Sharpsburg.  Missy and Kona belong to Barb, one of our receptionists! They also participate in our blood donor program here at VCA VRA!

Categories: dogs, Our Team

Welcome Dr. Chris Gauthier!

We are thrilled to introduce our new surgeon Dr. Chris Gauthier! We are confident that he will be a wonderful addition to our hospital. Check out his bio below!

Christopher M. Gauthier, DVM, MS, MSM (Practice Limited to Surgery)

Small Animal Surgeon

Dr. Gauthier earned his veterinary degree from the University of Florida in 2010. Afterwards, he completed an internship at Tufts University, a surgical internship at the VCA Animal Specialty Center of South Carolina, and a small animal surgery residency at Colorado State University.  Dr. Gauthier’s special interests include: minimally invasive surgery, orthopedics, wound management, and surgical oncology.  Outside of the hospital, he enjoys spending time with his wife Zahra, dog Madeline, and cat Milton.  His hobbies include SCUBA diving, traveling, cooking, and beer brewing.

Categories: Our Team

VCA VRA Semi-Annual Hospital Meeting August 2015

We had one of our semi-annual hospital meetings this past Saturday. It was great to see so many of our awesome employees together at the same time! These meetings are a great way to keep our entire staff updated on any changes, celebrate successes for the hospital, and meet our new hires.

Categories: Our Team

Meet the Intern: Dr. Leilani Marsh

Dr. Leilani Marsh grew up traveling around the US, but has always called her home Hawaii. She received her BS in Animal Science with a Minor in Chemistry at the University Of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign. After working as a veterinary technician for two years, she traveled to the beautiful island of St. Kitts to attend Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine. Leilani completed her clinical year of veterinary school at Auburn University, and graduated in January 2015 with a Doctor in Veterinary Medicine.

 Leilani lives with her fiancé, Francis. They have three dogs named Timber, Ruxby, and Yoshi, and one beta fish named Howie. They love going on hikes and traveling whenever they get a chance to see their families. 

Categories: Becoming a Veterinarian, Our Team

Staff "Pup"date: Debbi and Dewey!

Check out this week’s “pup”date! Our Marketing Manager, Debbi, picked up her adorable Frenchton puppy, Dewey, last weekend. The first thing she did was have him checked out by the veterinarian. We are happy to say that he was given a clean bill of health. Check out Dewey’s first picture with his first veterinarian, Dr. Vega!

Categories: dogs, Our Team, staff pets, The Veterinary Patient

Welcome Intern Amelia Espina, DVM!

Today we welcome one of our 2015 interns, Amelia Espina, DVM.

Amelia is a Gaithersburg native. She attended Wootton High School (Go WHS Patriots!) in Rockville, MD. Amelia obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Biology at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, and a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech. In her free time, Amelia enjoys running, playing volleyball, and baking delicious treats. She lives in Gaithersburg with her husband and their four cats; Vera, Moby, Tater, and Snickers.

Categories: Becoming a Veterinarian, Our Team

The Birds of Pinckney Island

I recently visited Pinckney Island, South Carolina to photograph their nesting birds. Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and encompasses 4,053 acres with a 7.8 mile main hiking trail. It is located between the mainland and Hilton Head Island and was established to provide a nature and forest preserve for aesthetic and conservation purposes.

Categories: Our Team

Picabu and the Pink Sweater

(Post author: Lauren Pagonis, Registered Veterinary Technician at VCA VRA) Picabu is a four-year-old Singapura cat who originally came to VCA on February 12, to have a congenital hiatal hernia repaired by Dr. Saylor. Her original surgery went well and Picabu seemed to be on the mend, so she went home on February 13. Later in the week, Picabu was not feeling well and was regurgitating. Her mom brought her back to our hospital on February 18 to see Dr. Anne Stoneham. Picabu was diagnosed with megaesophagus and esophagitis. Megaesophagus occurs when the esophageal muscles lose their tone and are no longer able to function properly to facilitate food moving into the stomach. Esophagitis is inflammation of the lining of the esophagus. We are not sure what caused Picabu to develop these conditions. We were unable to get Picabu’s esophagitis under control with medications alone, so a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube was placed. A PEG tube is a special feeding tube that goes directly into the stomach from outside the body wall. In Picabu’s case, we could feed her by bypassing her inflamed esophagus.

Cats are notorious lickers and like to keep themselves clean. Picabu was no exception to the rule. We kept both an e-collar and “surgi sock” T-shirt on little Picabu. Due to her small size, the “T-shirt” did not fit very well and after the addition of the e-collar, it was difficult for Picabu to move around. Picabu needed something that would be a snug fit around her body and cover the feeding tube so she could not lick or chew on it; she needed her very own custom made crocheted sweater! 

I have been crocheting since I was ten years old. I have made sweaters in the past for my own pets, but Picabu’s sweater had to be constructed with a ‘special’ design. It had to fit tightly enough to keep the PEG tube against her body or the tube might pull on the sutures and pinch. It also had to be long enough to cover the whole PEG tube so Picabu could not lick or bite it. On Thursday February 26, my day off, I sat with Picabu in my lap for three hours and made her a perfectly fitting pink sweater.

I recently received an update from Picabu’s mom who stated that unless her sweater is being washed, Picabu wears it all the time. It has helped her maintain a nearly normal cat life; she doesn’t need the dreaded e-collar, or ill-fitting surgi sock T- shirt. I am in the process of making Picabu a second sweater. This time her gift will be crocheted in green to match her eyes. Picabu is such a special cat and it is wonderful for me to be able to use my talents to allow her the comfort she so deserves. 

Categories: cats, esophagitis, Our Team

Specialty Veterinarians We Work With: Dr. Brooke Lowenstein

At VCA VRA we come to work everyday thinking about how we can make the referral hospital experience go beyond the expectations of our pet-owning public. We always stay focused on the highest level of care, but we know that the stress of a serious injury or disease will be disturbing to the owner who seeks out our areas of expertise.

We recently participated in a Survey designed specifically for Specialty Hospitals nationwide.

As we anticipated, the level of care we provide is first-rate but it has opened a dialogue within the hospital and we are focusing on making the referring veterinarian's and pet owner's experience exceptional.

We have called upon National Resources to make this happen and our promise to you is that we will never stop improving.

Dr. Brooke Lowenstein, of Buckeystown Animal Hospital, participated in the survey and by random drawing won an Ipad2. Although Brooke's name was drawn by an independent company, we were all delighted as Brook has spent time at VCA VRA completing her Veterinary Rehabilitation training and we all recognize not only what a great veterinarian she is but just one of those really fine and special persons. Congratulations Brooke.

Categories: Our Team