VRCC - Veterinary Referral & Critical Care

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Manakin, VA
VRCC - Veterinary Referral & Critical Care

Emergency and specialty veterinary care in Richmond's West End.
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If your pet has a chronic disease or life threatening injury, you can turn to a VRCC specialist who spends every day diagnosing and treating animals with your pet's specific illness. Our veterinary experts and advanced technology give your pet the best chance of a happy, healthy recovery.

12/02/2025

Here is the winner of this week's caption contest! Check back next week for another photo to caption.

12/01/2025

Caption this photo!

Write your caption in the comments below and like your favorite. The comment with the most likes by 4pm tomorrow wins.

11/28/2025

This lovely kitty is Moxie!

Moxie is a 15-year-old sweetheart who came to see Dr. Olson on Emergency after her mom found her hiding under the guest bed the night before. She cried out like she was stuck there, which is something she never does.

By morning, she had gone to the bathroom outside the litter box and seemed painful and weak. Her family knew something wasn’t right, so they brought her straight to VRCC.

On physical exam, Moxie looked fairly normal. Her X-rays also did not show anything obvious. But her bloodwork told a very different story. She had a very low white blood cell count and signs of infection without the normal immune response. She also had a urinary tract infection and low potassium levels. She was treated as an outpatient and sent home with antibiotics.

A few days later, Moxie returned with a swollen hind foot, possibly due to a spider bite. This time her bloodwork had changed dramatically. Her liver values were extremely elevated, she was anemic, and her platelets were low. All of this pointed to a serious systemic illness that needed immediate care.

Moxie was hospitalized on IV fluids, antibiotics, GI support, and round-the-clock monitoring. Over the next three days, she slowly began to turn a corner. Her appetite returned, her bloodwork started improving, and her energy came back.

Today, Moxie is feeling much better and was able to head home with medications to support her healing. She has returned for recheck bloodwork which is steadily improving. We wish this sweet girl the best in her recovery!

11/27/2025

We hope everyone has a fun and safe Thanksgiving! 🦃

As a reminder, we are OPEN today for emergencies. Please call ahead if you can at (804)784-8722 as we may be seeing an increase in cases due to daytime practices closing for the holiday.

We will still be closing from 6pm on Saturday through 8am Monday morning.

11/26/2025

Let's talk about Laser Therapy! 🐶🐱

Laser therapy is a service that we are thrilled to be able to offer at VRCC and use for a variety of reasons. We provide it to some of our hospitalized cases who are recovering from surgery to help manage pain and speed the healing process.

Our Rehabilitation team also offers laser therapy either alone or in conjunction with other physical therapy modalities on an outpatient basis for chronic pain management, patients recovering from orthopedic surgery, wound management, and more!

The cold winter months can also be a little harder on pets with arthritis. Laser therapy and walks in the underwater treadmill can help to ease some of the pain and inflammation and keep pets mobile and more comfortable.

If you think your pet could benefit from laser therapy, give us a call at (804)784-8722.

11/25/2025

Here is the winner of this week's caption contest! Check back next week for another photo to caption!

11/24/2025

Caption this photo!

Write your caption in the comments below and like your favorite. The comment with the most likes by 4pm tomorrow wins.

11/21/2025

Question time! ❓❓❓

What do you think your pet's most common text would be if they could text you? Let us know in the comments.

11/20/2025

This beautiful girl is Honey!

Honey, a 4-month-old golden, came to see Dr. Fallin in Internal Medicine after her family noticed she wasn’t gaining weight, was vomiting on and off, and had episodes of staring and head pressing. Her primary care vet had run diagnostics that pointed to a potential liver shunt.

During her visit, Dr. Fallin performed a full exam and diagnostics. Honey’s bloodwork showed low protein levels and a markedly high ammonia level, which can affect brain function.

Her ultrasound revealed a very small liver and an abnormal vessel inside it. These findings point to a congenital intrahepatic portosystemic shunt, a condition where blood bypasses the liver instead of being filtered. This leads to a buildup of toxins and causes hepatic encephalopathy, explaining Honey’s neurologic signs.

The team started Honey on medical management with the goal to bring down the ammonia levels in her system. Once her encephalopathy is controlled, she’ll return for advanced imaging to map the shunt and surgery.

Honey returned last week for a recheck and her ammonia levels are already coming down. We hope we can get this sweet girl on the mend soon!

11/19/2025

Thanksgiving is coming up and holiday meals offer many chances for things to go wrong when it comes to our pets. 🦃

But, knowledge is power. And if you know what to look out for, you can take extra caution when preparing these foods around pets.

Things like turkey bones and corn on the cob can cause GI obstructions or perforations. Other foods like garlic, grapes, chocolate, or things containing xylitol are toxic to pets.

It's always a good idea to keep pets out of the room when preparing a holiday meal and to never leave them unattended around it. You'd be surprised at the amount of counter surfing pets that come through our doors after eating an entire loaf of raw bread dough!

If your pet does get into something, you can always give us a call at 804-784-8722.

11/17/2025

Caption this photo!

Write your caption in the comments below and like your favorite. The comment with the most likes by 4pm tomorrow wins!

Address

1596 Hockett Road
Manakin, VA
23103

Telephone

(804) 784-8722

Website

http://www.vrccvet.com/

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