Veterinary Specialists of Birmingham

08/21/2026

Indie’s Rockin’ Adventure 🪨🐶

Meet Indie, a 12-week-old Golden Retriever puppy who recently discovered that her sister’s rock collection looked an awful lot like a snack collection.

Indie came to us after helping herself to several of her sister’s rocks.

Our ER team induced vomiting to help get the rocks out, then kept a close eye on this little troublemaker while she continued to pass the remaining rocks in her stool. 🪨💩

After some monitoring, lots of ICU cuddles, and successfully turning her rock-eating hobby into a bathroom activity instead, Indie was feeling much better and ready to head home! 💕🐾

She left VSB with a clean bill of health, a very happy family, and hopefully a lesson of the day: rocks belong outside… preferably *not* in your stomach. 😂

08/19/2026

🐾 Sadie's Story: A Reminder That Every Minute Matters ❤️

What started as an ordinary day quickly turned into a life-threatening emergency for sweet Sadie. 🌤️

After being accidentally left inside a vehicle with a non-functioning air conditioner, Sadie was found collapsed and unresponsive. She was rushed to a local emergency hospital where the medical team immediately began life-saving treatment for heat stroke—a condition that can cause devastating damage to the entire body in a matter of minutes. ⏰

By the time Sadie arrived at VSB for continued care, she had already been through so much. Heat stroke had affected multiple organ systems, causing low blood sugar, kidney injury, elevated liver values, vomiting, diarrhea, and dangerous abnormalities in her blood's ability to clot. She required a fresh frozen plasma transfusion, intravenous fluids, medications, and intensive monitoring to give her the best chance at recovery. ❤️‍🩹

Although her body temperature had returned to normal, the danger wasn't over. Heat stroke continues to damage the body long after a patient has cooled down, making the hours and days that follow just as critical.

Slowly but surely, the fighter inside Sadie began to shine through. 🙌🏼
She became brighter and each small improvement was another step toward recovery. She reminded us just how resilient our patients can be!

Today, we're incredibly thankful that Sadie's story has a happy ending.
Her journey also serves as an important reminder for every pet owner. Even on days that don't seem excessively hot, the temperature inside a parked vehicle can rise to dangerous levels within minutes—even if the windows are cracked. Dogs cannot cool themselves as efficiently as people, and heat stroke can quickly lead to dangerous conditions! 🌡️

If your pet cannot go inside with you, the safest choice is to leave them at home!
We're so grateful to the emergency team that acted quickly to stabilize Sadie and to her loving family for trusting us with her continued care. Watching this brave girl overcome such a critical illness was a privilege, and seeing her return home is exactly why we do what we do. ❤️

08/18/2026

💜 We love happy endings! 💜

"Wow!!! They saved our baby girl, Annie with the help of 280 Animal Medical Center in Westover! Thank you so much VSB for your great work and friendly staff. You guys are awesome!"

We’re so grateful to hear that Annie is doing well! 🐾 Thank you, Chris & Jeanne, for trusting our team with your sweet girl and for taking the time to share your experience.

We’re also thankful to our friends at 280 Animal Medical Center for partnering with us in Annie’s care. It truly takes a team! 🐶💪

We’re so happy Annie is home and doing well! Give that sweet girl some extra love from all of us at VSB! 🐾😘

08/12/2026

Another fantastic CPR Training is officially in the books! 🐾❤️

Cahaba Mountain Brook Animal Clinic , thank you for allowing us to come out and spend time with your team! You guys did an amazing job, and we truly enjoyed working with you all.

Keep up the great work! 👏🐶🐱

A special shoutout to our LVT, Chloe, for helping make these CPR trainings such a success! We appreciate all the time and effort you put into educating and supporting other veterinary teams! ❤️📢

08/11/2026

🌙 WE’RE HIRING! 🐾

Are you a Veterinary Technician who thrives in the fast-paced world of Emergency & Critical Care? Veterinary Specialists of Birmingham is growing our Overnight Emergency & ICU team! 🩺🐶🐱

We’re looking for skilled, compassionate Veterinary Technicians who want to put their technical skills to work while caring for some of the most critical patients in our community.

✨ What we’re offering:
• Full-time, three 12-hour overnight shifts
• $18–$24/hour based on experience and licensure
• Overnight shift differentials
• Comprehensive benefits
• CE and professional development opportunities
• Employee pet discounts
• A collaborative team and opportunities to grow your skills in Emergency & ICU medicine

If you’re ready to take the next step in your veterinary career and want to be part of a team that is passionate about advanced medicine and exceptional patient care, we’d love to meet you!

🐾 Apply here:
👉 https://ethosveterinaryhealth.applytojob.com/apply/owUINJJzAC/Veterinary-Technician-Overnight-Emergency

👉https://ethosveterinaryhealth.applytojob.com/apply/t7qByEWwKm/Veterinary-Technician-Overnight-Emergency

Know someone who would be a great fit? Tag them below or share this post! ❤️

Apply to Veterinary Technician, Overnight Emergency at Ethos Veterinary Health in Birmingham, AL.

08/09/2026

Ernie’s Journey: Strength Through Every Setback 🐾❤️

Ernie’s story is one of resilience, teamwork, and the unwavering love of a family who never stopped fighting for him.

After years of intermittent hind-end lameness, Ernie became an Internal Medicine patient under the care of Dr. Lock, where he was diagnosed with a systemic immune-mediated joint disease—a condition in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks its own joints. During a severe flare-up, his disease progressed to sepsis, leaving him critically ill and causing life-threatening anemia. 🩹

Thanks to Dr. Lock , Ernie received the comprehensive care he needed every step of the way. He was treated with a packed red blood cell transfusion to help stabilize his anemia while his team worked to control the underlying immune-mediated disease. 🩺

As with many complex immune-mediated conditions, treatment came with its own challenges. While steroids were essential in helping manage his disease, Ernie developed calcinosis cutis, a known side effect in which calcium deposits form within the skin, causing lesions and ulcers. Healing required weeks of dedicated bandage changes, wound care, and close monitoring, and Ernie's dad never missed a step.

Through every hospitalization, medication adjustment, transfusion, and bandage change, Ernie continued to fight. His family's dedication, paired with the seamless teamwork between our Internal Medicine, Emergency & Critical Care, and nursing teams, gave him the best opportunity to recover.

Ernie's journey is a beautiful reminder that healing from complex diseases takes more than medicine—it takes collaboration, compassion, and a family willing to stand by their pet through every challenge. We are so proud of Ernie and grateful to have be a part of his incredible journey. 💙🐶

Ernie is now home and enjoying the good life while Dr. Lock continues to manage his condition through rechecks!

08/08/2026

🐱 Happy International Cat Day! 🧡

Today we're celebrating our feline friends by sharing some of our VSB team members' personal cats! From tiny troublemakers to professional nappers, every one of them has stolen our hearts.

Now we want to see yours! 🐾 Drop a comment below and share a photo of your cat. We'd love to meet your furry family members and celebrate National Cat Day together! 😸

08/07/2026

What an incredible turnout at the Southern Veterinary Conference! 🎉 Thank you to everyone who has stopped by to visit us so far.

We’ll be here for the rest of today and all day tomorrow, so if you’re attending, be sure to stop by our booth and say hello! We can’t wait to meet you!

08/03/2026

What a fantastic evening we had at the Birmingham Barons' Bark in the Park with Mercy Animal Hospital & Kent Farms Animal Hospital! 🐾⚾

Thank you to everyone who stopped by to say hello, and a special thank you to Mercy Animal Hospital and Kent Farms Animal Hospital for joining us. We loved spending the evening with fellow animal lovers, meeting so many adorable pups, and being part of such a fun community event.

We can't wait to see everyone again at the next Bark in the Park on 8/12! 🐶❤️

08/01/2026

Tony's Toy Trouble 🐾🪀

When Tony arrived at the VSB Emergency Department, he wasn't acting like himself. After experiencing vomiting and refusing to eat, his family knew something wasn't right.

Our team performed bloodwork and abdominal X-rays, which raised concern for a possible gastrointestinal (GI) foreign body obstruction. To gather more information, we submitted Tony's X-rays for review by a board-certified radiologist, who agreed that a GI foreign body was highly suspected.

To confirm the diagnosis, Tony underwent an abdominal ultrasound with our internist, Dr. Lock, who identified the obstruction. With the cause confirmed, ER Dr. Adkins took Tony to surgery, where he performed an enterotomy to safely remove the foreign body.

The culprit? A small piece of rubber tile—likely part of a toy that Tony had swallowed! 🧸

After surgery, Tony spent four days recovering in our ICU, where our team closely monitored him, managed his pain, and made sure he was healing comfortably. He continued to improve each day and was soon feeling much more like himself!

We're so happy to share that Tony made a wonderful recovery and was discharged home to his family! 🏡💙

Foreign body obstructions can become life-threatening if left untreated, so it's important to seek veterinary care right away if your pet is vomiting, not eating, or showing signs of abdominal discomfort!