New emergency veterinarian brings 24/7 equine care to Southwest Virginia horse owners

Carla Enriquez's path to veterinary medicine began with a moment that would define her future career. 

Growing up in rural Ecuador, she encountered a cow that had rolled down a hill, becoming entangled in its halter rope and was struggling to breathe. While others might have passed by, Enriquez stopped to help free the distressed animal.

"That day, just feeling like I could make a difference for that one animal, I knew I had  to go to vet school, and continue helping animals in emergency situations,” she recalled.

That experience sparked a journey that has brought Enriquez to the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech, where she has become the cornerstone of a new dedicated emergency service to fill a gap for Southwest Virginia's large animal community. This gap has left too many horse and farm animal owners struggling to find veterinary support that may not arrive until morning.

Rewriting the rulebook 

You don't need to grow up on a farm to become a large animal vet.

Enriquez didn't.

Growing up in Quito, Ecuador, she lived near farms but never owned animals herself. No horses in the backyard. No family legacy in agriculture. Just curiosity about the cattle and horses she saw around her neighborhood.

"There's a misconception that if you didn’t grow up in a farm or riding horses, that you cannot go into large animal practice," she said. "That's not necessarily true."

It's a message she hopes will reach veterinary students who might otherwise count themselves out.

After earning her veterinary degree from Universidad San Francisco de Quito in 2019, Enriquez headed to the United States for advanced training — first an internship at the University of Tennessee, then a large animal internal medicine residency at New Bolton Center, University of Pennsylvania.

But she wasn't done yet.

The fellowship difference

After finishing her residency, Enriquez was looking for more. 'As a resident, I always wanted to be a fellow and gain that extra knowledge,' she said.

She pursued an emergency and critical care fellowship — two additional years of specialized training that's still uncommon in veterinary medicine. Most veterinarians stop after pursuing one specialty due to the time, physical, and financial demands involved. Think of it as becoming a specialist within a specialty.

"The fellowship was basically like an emergency surgery residency for me," she explained. "Coming from an internal medicine background, my goal was training in soft tissue emergency surgery and critical care by a team  of double boarded specialists in a busy emergency service ."

The result? She can handle the complex medical puzzles, infectious diseases, neonate care, ophthalmic emergencies and the surgical emergencies that walk through the door at 2 a.m. Whether it's colic surgery, a C-section, or severe laceration, she brings both the internal medicine knowledge and surgical skills that emergencies demand.

In 2024, she became board-certified in large animal internal medicine. This August, she'll sit for her emergency and critical care boards. Success would make her one of the few veterinarians nationwide with expertise in both areas — the perfect match for round-the-clock emergency work that demands both diagnostic depth and surgical speed.

According to available data from veterinary specialty boards, there are over 1,000 diplomates of the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care (ACVECC) in the United States, and several hundred board-certified large animal internal medicine specialists in North America. Holding board certification in both of these specialties is extremely uncommon, and it is widely considered to be rare, with only a small number of veterinarians likely to hold both credentials, and very few specializing in large animal species.

When crisis strikes at midnight

"In the last five years or so, the demand for equine emergency services from our facility here in Blacksburg has skyrocketed," said Chris Byron, head of the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences at the veterinary college. 

Horse owners in Southwest Virginia and adjacent states have faced the same nightmare: Their animal colicking at midnight with nowhere to turn or calling their regular vet only to learn they're already handling another emergency two counties away.

Without dedicated emergency coverage, faculty veterinarians have been pulling double duty — handling scheduled appointments during the day and then working through the night when emergencies arise. By morning, they're exhausted and still have a full day of teaching and regular cases ahead.

"It's been difficult for the faculty to absorb that need while maintaining the daytime services, the teaching services, and the research enterprise," said Byron.

The human cost is real, but so is the suffering of animals. Every delay means more pain for horses with colic, more risk for mares having difficult births, and more anxiety for owners watching their animals in distress.

Building on a model that works

Enriquez isn't starting from scratch. A veterinary college hospital in Northern Virginia has already demonstrated that this model is effective.

In 2023, the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center in Leesburg introduced a dedicated emergency and critical care team that's changing lives for Northern Virginia horse owners. Colic cases that once might have been lost to time delays now get immediate surgical intervention. Foaling emergencies get expert attention within the critical first hour.

The model is simple yet revolutionary: dedicated emergency veterinarians who have chosen this specialty are available when a crisis strikes — no more interrupting scheduled appointments. No more asking daytime clinicians to work all night, then show up the next morning.

Now, that same life-saving approach is coming to Blacksburg.

The gift that makes it possible

Enriquez's position exists because of a generous donation by animal advocates Karen Waldron and Shawn Ricci.

Their $4 million gift to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital is making two emergency positions possible — one for large animals, one for small animals.

"The ability to begin our emergency service with two dedicated faculty changes everything for large animal care because that allows us to position a dedicated service focused exclusively on emergency and critical care," Byron explains. "Having dedicated emergency coverage means our other faculty can focus on their scheduled cases, teaching, and research without the constant worry of being called away for emergencies. It's going to dramatically improve both the quality of our services and our faculty's work-life balance."

The rollout plan

Enriquez will begin providing emergency services this fall as part of the college's new program, starting with nights, weekends, and holidays — the times when emergencies can't wait until morning. A second emergency clinician will also be joining the team this fall, allowing the service to launch fully staffed. "My goal is to help establish the emergency service here, which is down the line, going to act like a 24-hour service," she said. "So, if you as a client or referring veterinarian have an emergency, you call the front desk, and they will direct you to one of the emergency clinicians."

The plan mirrors what's working in Leesburg. Eventually, students and residents will rotate through the emergency service, learning from veterinarians who chose this specialty. Details on referral protocols and service access will be announced as the launch date approaches.

Why this matters now

Large animal veterinary medicine faces a crisis that goes beyond Southwest Virginia. Across the country, more veterinarians are retiring than graduating into the field. Rural areas are becoming veterinary deserts. The ones who remain are stretched beyond reasonable limits.

Enriquez saw an opportunity in that gap.

"There's just not enough of us, and there are too many animals out there," she said. "I saw that as an opportunity — how can I do more? How can I help more by getting trained twice?"

Her solution: Become the person who enjoys working after hours and thrives in the fast-paced emergency setting.

She recalls the immediate satisfaction of emergency surgery: "A horse that's incredibly painful from colic, and then after the surgery, five hours later it's standing and trying to eat the bedding." 

That instant ability to relieve suffering drew her to emergency work, becoming the relief valve for animals in distress, which allows other veterinarians to sleep.

Life outside the clinic

When she's not working with 1,000-pound patients, Enriquez unwinds with smaller companions: Her orange cat and her off-the-track thoroughbred mare (who was initially her patient during residency).

Her real escape, though, happens underwater. Scuba diving has been her reset button since she was 14, offering the kind of quiet that only exists beneath the surface.

Peace of mind to Southwest Virginia 

As she prepares to help bring peace of mind to Southwest Virginia, Enriquez is energized by the chance to expand something that's already saving lives in Northern Virginia.

"From six o'clock until the morning, I love working nights,” Enriquez said. “I hope you never need the emergency service, but if you do, we are here for you and your animal.”