Carla Genther, Andrew Starmer, Dr. Katherine Hamlet, Dr. Denise Lane, Dr. Josh DuVall, Dr. Matt Tenwolde and Nicole Smith
If you own a pet, then it is very likely your fur baby is as dear to you as anyone else in your family and their health just as precious. Most pet owners have regular vets for their fur children, just like they have pediatricians for their human children. But where do you turn in a crisis? Where do you go for acute pet care in the middle of the night when moments are precious and seconds count?
That was the situation when Legend, a young Rottweiler puppy whose appetite for food and fun was suddenly arrested. Not only had the pup stopped eating, but when he suddenly couldn’t even stand up, his owners realized they were facing a life-threatening emergency.
“He had been treated for parasites and wasn’t responding,” said Dr. Matthew Tenwolde of Carolina Veterinary Critical Care. Dr. Tenwolde tested Legend’s potassium levels and found that they were too high to measure. To him, it was a clear sign of Addison’s Disease, a treatable disease but only if it’s diagnosed quickly. Having access to Carolina Veterinary Critical Care was a blessing for Legend and his owners.
“If your local vet is closed or your pet requires critical care, that’s where we can help,” Dr. Tenwolde said.
While Dr. Tenwolde and his staff currently don’t offer vaccines or wellness exams, they do work closely with your family veterinarian in a team-based approach to provide high quality continuity of care. They can stabilize your pet in an emergency, offer hospitalization, and if needed, a wide variety of surgical procedures. Best of all, they are local. You no longer have to travel to Charleston or Savannah to get critical care for your fur babies.
“Serving our community is the ultimate goal of this business,” Dr. Tenwolde said, “and we offer our service through our passion for animals. All our employees are local people who care deeply about helping people and pets when things go wrong in middle of the night. Whether your pet has a cut or something more serious illness like kidney failure or toxicity, if you’re worried about your pet, we are always here.”
Dr. Tenwolde knew from age eight that he wanted to be a veterinarian. He graduated in 2007 from the U.C. Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, the nation’s top veterinary school. After receiving more training at Ohio State University in medical and surgical internship, he returned to UC Davis to teach before opening an emergency and specialty care hospital with colleagues in Sacramento, California.
While in California, Dr. Tenwolde met his future wife Bobbi Jean, a Bluffton transplant and family practice physician. It was during a trip to the Lowcountry to visit her family that he realized the need for his expertise in this area. He and his wife decided to bring emergency veterinary care to this area. After working for more than a year at a local clinic, Dr. Tenwolde decided to go out on his own, and Carolina Veterinary Critical Care opened its doors.
Today, the Tenwoldes call Bluffton home, along with their 3- and 5-year-old children and “Boo Boo Kitty” their cat, who was found on the side of the road and brought to his office, eventually surviving 10 surgeries. Just like Legend, the Rottweiler, Boo Boo Kitty owes his life to the care he received at Carolina Veterinary Critical Care.
Carolina Veterinary Critical Care is located at 21 Buck Island Road in Bluffton. To learn more, call (843) 706-9200 or visit carolinavcc.com.
