At VCA Southpaws Veterinary Specialists & Emergency Center, we've helped pets live long, healthy and happy lives since 1995. We work hard to deliver the best medical care for your pets, as well as the best experience for you, the pet owner.
Our veterinarians, technicians and other pet-friendly support staff are trained to the highest standards. Their thorough knowledge of the latest procedures and medicines ensures that all our patients get the best in prevention and healing care.
For over 20 years, VCA SouthPaws Veterinary Specialists & 24-hour Emergency Center has been serving the metropolitan DC community 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Our board-certified veterinarians provide the best specialty and emergency care for pets and their owners throughout Northern Virginia (including Falls Church, Vienna, Annandale, Burke, and McLean), Washington DC, and Montgomery County, MD.
Founded in 1995 by three left-handed doctors, SouthPaws Veterinary Specialists and Emergency Center is uniquely qualified to address major, life-threatening, challenging or difficult health problems in pets. Our specialists have undergone two to four years of advanced training following completion of their veterinary doctoral degree. They then complete rigorous qualification procedures and examinations in order to be called “specialists.” SouthPaws’ specialists provide care in our Surgery, Oncology, Internal Medicine, Radiology, Neurology, Ophthalmology, and CritiCare departments. Our Pet Rehabilitation service is run by a real physical therapist, not someone who took a quick seminar. Our CritiCare department offers twenty-four hour admissions for urgent, critical or emergency patients, and provides continuous care including weekends and holidays. Our hospital's compassionate and expert medical team has years of experience in companion animal medicine, and they are dedicated to one thing—helping your pets get well.
In addition to our exceptional staff, SouthPaws is equipped with the most advanced, state-of-the art technology available, allowing our doctors to arrive at quicker and more accurate diagnoses and treatment protocols. Our hospital offers ultrasonagraphic examinations, neuroelectrodiagnostics, complete endoscopy services, laparoscopy, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), digital radiography and fluoroscopy, hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), Varian Halcyon for radiation therapy, 3D Spiral CT scanner, respiratory ventilators, and five enclosed surgical suites with complex anesthetic monitoring equipment—ready to be used to provide the best care possible for your pet.
Whether it is endoscopy to evaluate a gastric ulcer; ultrasonography to look for liver shunts; total hip replacement surgery for dysplasia; combination chemotherapy for lymphoma; radiation therapy for soft tissue sarcomas; blood transfusions for anemia; delicate brain surgery to remove a tumor or repair a skull fracture; corneal grafting for a lacerated eye; thoracoscopic surgery to remove a diseased pericardium; 24 hour oxygen, fluid and intravenous antibiotic therapy for pneumonia; partial mandibulectomy to remove oral cancer; or a discussion of medical, nutritional, and pain management for chronic illnesses, you are certain to find what your pet needs at VCA SouthPaws.
Thank you for visiting our site to learn more about VCA SouthPaws Veterinary Specialists & Emergency Center. Should your pet ever experience a medical crisis or require the expertise of a veterinary specialist, we are here to help, offering the best medical expertise, advanced technology and a dedicated and compassionate staff.
We harness the scale and strength of our global network while acknowledging each individual's contribution. We work locally to improve the lives of all who interact with our brand.
Explore more below.
American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine
The American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of animals and people through education, training and certification of specialists in veterinary internal medicine, discovery and dissemination of new medical knowledge, and increasing public awareness of advances in veterinary medical care. The ACVIM is the international certifying organization for veterinary specialists in cardiology, large animal internal medicine, neurology, oncology, and small animal internal medicine. ACVIM websites provide science based peer-reviewed educational information about animal health for their patients, family members, volunteers and healthcare professionals.
Visit American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine
American Veterinary Medical Association
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), established in 1863, is a not-for-profit association representing more than 84,000 veterinarians working in private and corporate practice, government, industry, academia, and uniformed services. Structured to work for its members, the AVMA acts as a collective voice for its membership and for the profession. A wealth of public resources are available online.
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ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center Hotline
The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center is staffed 24 hours with veterinary health professionals who have been specially trained in veterinary toxicology. If you think that your pet may have ingested a potentially poisonous substance, call the ASPCA 24 hour emergency Animal Poison Control Center hotline at (888) 426-4435. A $65 consultation fee is applied to your credit card.
Visit ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center Hotline
District of Columbia Academy of Veterinary Medicine
The District of Columbia Academy of Veterinary Medicine was established in 1957 to provide high quality continuing education for the graduate veterinarian. Its aims and purposes are: to advance knowledge of small animal medicine by postgraduate study; to promote closer relationships among veterinarians; to promote better veterinary services.
Visit District of Columbia Academy of Veterinary Medicine
FETCH a Cure
FETCH a Cure Mission: Furthering Education and Treatment for Companion Health
FETCH a Cure is a 501 ©(3) non-profit organization determined to improve quality of life by connecting people and pets through accessible, compassionate treatment and education. Our vision is simple: A community where no one is denied a choice for their pet due to lack of options, education or funding.
Helping People. Helping Pets. Through community outreach by way of events, campaigns and fundraisers, FETCH is working to promote the need to help pets live long, healthy lives. FETCH continually works to raise awareness and further education about pet cancer prevention, detection and treatment and senior care and aging issues.
We provide financial aid to families unable to bear the cost of the life-saving treatments for their pets that have been diagnosed with cancer through the Companions in Crisis program. FETCH continues to work towards providing more accessible treatment options for all within our community.
Through the Pixie’s Pen Pals program, FETCH is helping rescue dogs and inmates in Virginia correctional centers have a second chance. By working cooperatively and bonding with the animals, the inmates learn responsibility, patience, tolerance and life-long skills and the trained dogs find life-long homes.
MyVeterinarian.Com
A search website provided as a public resource by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) to assist pet owners in locating a veterinary practitioner in their area.
Visit MyVeterinarian.Com
Northern Virginia Veterinary Medical Association
The Northern Virginia Veterinary Medical Association began in 1975 as a non-profit organization to:
• Promote within the veterinary profession the highest degree of skill, integrity and service to the public.
• Enlighten the public concerning veterinary medicine and to disseminate information for the benefit of the public regarding appropriate care and treatment of animals.
• Improve and elevate the standards of veterinary medicine within the Commonwealth of Virginia
• Foster the cultivation of professional fellowship among veterinarians in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Veterinary Cancer Society
The Veterinary Cancer Society (VCS) is a non-profit professional and educational organization dedicated to veterinary oncology. Formed in 1976, VCS has over 800 members, including specialists in medical, surgical, and radiation oncology, internists, pathologists, pharmacologists and general practitioners worldwide. The website dedicated to both members and pet owners provides a wealth of resources and information, including answers to Frequently Asked Questions, clinical trials, locating a veterinary oncologist, links of interest, and memorials/tributes.
Visit Veterinary Cancer Society
We accept CareCredit, the pet, health and wellness credit card with flexible, budget-friendly financing options that allow you to pay over time for a range of treatments and services—including procedures, medication and more.*
To learn more about CareCredit, or to see if you prequalify, please visit us.
*Subject to credit approval.
Lionbridge provides over-the-phone and video interpretation services for non-English-speaking and American Sign Language (ASL) clients. In real time, veterinary providers can enlist an expert Lionbridge interpreter to facilitate a clear exchange of information between themselves and clients. Lionbridge’s on-demand, remote interpretation services enable effective and accurate communication with clients. This service empowers clients to be heard and spoken to in their own language, which in turn facilitates a deeper understanding of the care your pet needs.
Learn more about Lionbridge’s interpretation services: https://www.lionbridge.com/content-transformation-services/interpretation-services/.
