BluePearl Pet Hospital
Orange Park, FL

Dr. Carlos Aragon’s research interests and publications include cranial cruciate ligament, (CrCL - known in human medicine as ACL) surgery, to include TPLO and TTA, wound management, cancer surgery and arthritis management. He also has special expertise in fracture treatment, head and neck procedures, and abdominal, minimally invasive and thoracic surgery.

Dr. Aragon’s favorite pastimes are traveling, exercising, golf and music. His pets include cat Kirby, Doberman pinscher Munson and French bulldog Colby.

Always fascinated with animals and medicine, Dr. Andrew Boggs worked as a kennel assistant, large animal technician and small animal technician before going to veterinary school. His first job as a clinician was in a busy, nonprofit animal hospital, where he gained experience in small animal medicine and surgery. He’s worked as an emergency clinician for a number of years and finds diabetic ketoacidosis and gastric dilatation volvulus, or a twisted stomach, particularly rewarding to treat.

Away from the hospital, Dr. Boggs volunteers his time with a number of charities. He enjoys traveling, SCUBA diving, playing drums and staying active with his two dogs, lab mix Jax, and Doberman Brinley. In addition to the dogs, the family has a number of other pets: a Maine coon mix named Ottley, Bengal named Rawlins, tabby named Saba, and a parapalegic rabbit, Timothy. All the family animals are rescues.

Dr. Andrew Hopkins grew up watching his father practice veterinary medicine. He has been a clinical instructor of veterinary neurology at North Carolina State University and the University of Florida as a clinical assistant professor and is a prolific writer and presenter on veterinary neurology. He is interested in electrodiagnostic testing and surgeries, particularly those patients with atlanto-axial subluxation, using operating microscopes.

Dr. Hopkins enjoys scuba diving, underwater photography, and home construction projects, especially stone and wood work.

Dr. Jeffrey Laifer is an intern in our neurology service. His particular interests include seizures, movement disorders and peripheral neuropathies.

Dr. Laifer loves playing soccer, watching the English Premier League, biking, enjoying the great outdoors and spending time with his dog.

Dr. Douglas McKee was an owner and senior veterinarian of a companion animal practice for almost 20 years before becoming an emergency clinician. He loves all emergent cases, but particularly enjoys treating internal medicine cases like diabetic ketoacidosis, auto-immune disorders and pancreatitis, as well as abdominal surgery, toxicities and venomous exposures.

With family ties to Italy, Dr. McKee enjoys traveling there, and other places as well. He also likes exercise, college football and spending time with his family, a son and daughter. The family dog is Boston terrier Aubie.

Dr. John Meeks has been a neurologist for over twenty years. He was a clinical instructor for three years at North Carolina State University. Prior to practicing in Orange Park, he worked at large specialty practices in Houston, TX and Tampa, FL, at Florida Veterinary Specialists, which became the first BluePearl hospital.

Dr. Meeks describes his hobbies in one word: GOLF.

Dr. Bridget Morton is skilled in wound management, surgical oncology, fracture repair, general soft tissue surgery as well as orthopedic and neurologic surgery. Additionally, she particularly enjoys minimally invasive surgical techniques, such as laparoscopy and arthroscopy, to aid in patient comfort and accelerate the recovery process.

Horseback riding has always been a part of Dr. Morton’s life. She also enjoys skiing and snowshoeing when the weather permits, which is not very often in Florida. Dylan is her cat.

Dr. Robert Rushing has a particular interest in surgical intervention for intracranial and spinal disorders and looks forward to advances in stereotactic surgical procedures, which allow a surgeon to better determine the location of a lesion through image guidance.

Dr. Rushing enjoys outdoor activities, Taekwondo, fishing, football and time with his wife and two children. The family has a French bulldog named Dobby and two Guinea pigs, Oreo and Paprika.

Dr. Sharon Tenenbaum’s professional interests focus on acute and chronic pain management. She has also done research focused on using minimally invasive techniques to measure cardiac output in canine patients. Procedures Dr. Tenenbaum finds particularly rewarding include exploratory laparotomies (liver lobectomy, pheochromocytoma, septic patients), thoracotomies, and other procedures in which the patient has underlying cardiac or endocrine disease.

Dr. Tenenbaum enjoys hiking and kayaking. Other favorite pastimes include cooking, music and interior design. After moving around her entire childhood, living in three different countries, it’s no surprise that she also enjoys traveling. She and her husband have two dogs: Sierra is a shepherd mix, and Chewie is a poodle/terrier mix.