Pet emergencies can be scary – we’re here to help you handle them.
We understand that seeing your pet sick, hurt or in distress can be stressful – especially if you don’t know what’s wrong. Fortunately, our experienced ER clinicians are prepared to take action and help.
Acting quickly in an emergency may save your pet’s life.
If your pet is experiencing an emergency, you’ll have an entire veterinary team helping them so you can get back to what matters most – spending precious moments together.
Experience makes all the difference.
Our emergency team is made up of veterinarians, vet technicians and assistants, and support staff with rigorous training and experience in specialty medicine. The team works hand in hand to provide the comprehensive, compassionate care your pet needs and deserves. Because we’re a multidisciplinary hospital, the team can consult the expertise of other specialty departments, too.
A dedicated emergency clinician, Dr. Casey Braginton’s interests include urethral obstruction, diabetic ketoacidosis and toxicities. He has also worked with hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
When not working, Dr. Braginton enjoys reading, visiting breweries and board games. He has two cats, Frodo and Dart, and a pit bull mix named Roo.
Dr. Kylee Bush is part of our emergency medicine training program for clinicians. She is most interested in soft tissue cases, specifically lacerations, foreign body, gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV), orthopedics, specifically fracture stabilization, and cardiology. Dr. Bush is certified in basic and advanced life support through the Recover initiative.
Dr. Bush enjoys running to help de-stress after a long day or catching up on the latest documentary series on Netflix with her couch potato dog, Murphy.
Dr. Dugger enjoys all aspects of emergency medicine.
Dr. Dugger’s hobbies include spending time with her pugs, sailing and photography.
Prior to veterinary school, Dr. Mia Felix developed a passion for emergency and specialty medicine while working as a veterinary technician. Dr. Felix finds acute trauma and stabilization, cardiopulmonary emergencies, and endocrine disorders particularly gratifying to treat. She also has strong clinical interests in soft tissue surgery, diagnostic imaging and exotic animal medicine.
Dr. Felix is RECOVER certified in Basic and Advanced Life Support and Fear-free certified for small animals.
Dr. Felix loves spending time with family and friends by the beach, running, salsa dancing, and trying new restaurants. She has a dog named Levi Mason, a Havanese mix, and a bearded dragon named Leonardo.
Throughout her academic career, Dr. Felix has contributed to many different research studies and plans to continue research efforts in the future.
Dr. Dane Gallagher is particularly interested in wound management, toxin ingestion, cardiac and respiratory conditions and other emergencies.
Dr. Gallagher is originally from Pennsylvania (and is an Eagles fan!) and moved to Florida with his partner after finishing veterinary school. In his spare time, he likes getting outside for hikes, fishing, kayaking and spending time at the beach. He also enjoys exploring the Tampa area and eating at new restaurants.
Dr. Kristin Habegger has a background in working with wildlife and in zoological institutions and enjoys bringing her knowledge of exotic animal medicine into clinical practice. She finds triaging and managing trauma and metabolic derangement cases the most interesting to address.
Dr. Kristin Habegger lives with her boyfriend and their two Australian shepherds, Khali and Arya. They all enjoy spending time outdoors together or staying in and watching movies.
Dr. King enjoys exploring each new city she calls home with her two pups, Harley and Autumn.
Dr. Alexandria LoPrinzi is part of our emergency medicine training program for clinicians. She finds trauma cases and autoimmune diseases, such as immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA) and diabetes presenting as diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), the most gratifying to treat.
Dr. LoPrinzi enjoys hiking, kayaking, playing sports, especially tennis, board games and watching movies. She is quite fond of her three family dogs, all of which are English setters.
Dr. Rachel Lucas is most interested in exotic and wildlife emergencies and gastrointestinal diseases.
Dr. Lucas enjoys spending time with her husband and their foster-failure feline, Aslan, and serving their church and the Tampa Bay community.
Dr. Kevin Lura finds blocked felines, toxin ingestion and all emergencies particularly gratifying to treat.
Dr. Lura is an avid scuba diver and visits the pistol or rifle range about once a month. In addition to his cat, he has several reef tanks and beehives.
Dr. Cassandra Mancari is part of our emergency medicine training program for clinicians. She finds helping animals in respiratory distress, treating feline urinary obstructions and repairing lacerations particularly gratifying.
Dr. Mancari and her fiancé have two cats who they enjoy spoiling to no end. She enjoys being outside (hiking, walking and beach trips), working out (Pilates and Yoga) and lazy mornings playing video games with her cats.
Dr. Krista May finds wound repair and management, cytology and treatment of cardiac diseases the most gratifying to perform. She prides herself on her compassion for her patients and empathy for their owners.
Dr. May enjoys reading, scuba diving, playing video games and spending time with her Labradors, Marley and Gracie.
Dr. Spiker enjoys outdoor activities, including camping, hiking, biking, kayaking and paddleboarding. He also enjoys cultural arts and reading.
Dr. Nicole Tomasso’s special interests include foreign body removal as well as treating diabetic ketoacidosis (especially in cats), soft tissue injuries and fractures.
Dr. Tomasso enjoys walking outside on trails, playing tennis, eating sushi and visiting her family for Sunday dinners. She has two cats: one named Manny, who was adopted in St. Kitts during her time at veterinary school, and one named Dominik, who was adopted in Indiana during her clinical rotation.
We know an unexpected trip to the emergency pet hospital can be stressful, and we want you to be prepared so you have one less thing to worry about. Our entire BluePearl team will be with you every step of the way.
During an emergency, every second counts. If your pet is experiencing an emergency, call us so we can talk you through their situation and be with you.
Our goal is always for your pet to have the best chance at a complete recovery so they can return home with you, happy and healthy.