About Us
Meet the Hollymead Veterinary Hospital family, and learn more about our modern veterinary facility in Charlottesville, Virginia.
About Us
Hollymead Veterinary Hospital (formerly VETSS) has served Charlottesville and the surrounding communities since 1989 as a premier spot for veterinary emergency services, surgery and urgent care. From the beginning, the slogan, “We are always here to help” has been a guiding sentiment for the team. Originally open 24 hours, 7 days per week, 365 days per year, Hollymead Veterinary Hospital has played an important role in providing veterinary emergency services to the community. Our skilled and professional team continues to provide a warm and welcoming experience for every client and patient betweeen 8am – 8pm, 7 days per week.
Since 2018, we have proudly provided general wellness appointments during normal business hours, offering preventive care updates and vaccinations to cats, dogs, and some other companion animals. Appointments for wellness visits can be scheduled in advance, 7 days per week between 8:00am – 6:30pm.*
Our commitment to the community:
We believe in care for all animals, and partner with numerous community groups to care for animals that have been abandoned, neglected, abused, or lost. We partner with many local nonprofit animal care organizations to provide shelter, rehabilitation, and new lives for animals in need (more information provided below).
Our equipment is state of the art, our facilities are clean and comfortable, and our professional staff are highly trained. Our veterinarians are members of the American Veterinary Medical Association, and Virginia Veterinary Medical Association. Our veterinary technicians and veterinarians are members of the Virginia Association of Licensed Veterinary Technicians.
Our Veterinarians
Dr. Jenna K. Garza
Associate Veterinarian
Dr. Garza was born and raised in Texas. She earned her undergraduate degrees in Biology and Psychology from the University of Texas at Dallas before completing her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) at Texas A&M University in College Station. Dr. Garza has been a dedicated member of the Hollymead Veterinary Hospital team since November 2018. Her professional interests include dentistry, soft-tissue surgery, and emergency medicine. Additionally, Dr. Garza is a certified Fear-Free Professional, committed to ensuring that every patient’s visit is as stress-free as possible.
Dr. C. Ryan McKenna
Associate Veterinarian
Dr. McKenna grew up on a horse and cattle farm in Charlottesville, Virginia. He wanted to be a vet from an early age, and worked as an assistant at several local practices throughout high school and undergrad. He went to Virginia Tech, and earned a bachelor’s degree in Animal and Poultry Sciences. However, Dr. McKenna took a short break from veterinary work after graduating to help research breast and prostate cancers in humans at the University of Virginia. After several years on the lab bench, he attended St. George’s University to complete his childhood dream, receiving his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.
Dr. McKenna returned to the Charlottesville area and is happy to be home. His professional interests include radiology and canine medicine. He and his wife Jenna live in Earlysville with three dogs: An akita named Rogue; a Belgian shepherd named Houston; and a boerboel named Nala. Their family also includes two cats, several muscovy ducks, and far too many chickens. In his free time, he helps his dad run the family farm, managing sheep, horses, and chickens. Dr. McKenna is an avid hiker and outdoorsman, and he also enjoys playing billiards.
Dr. Karen Holm
Associate Veterinarian
Dr. Holm’s love of animals began at an early age showing sheep and rabbits in the 4-H fair in her home state of Maryland. She went on to earn two bachelor degrees (Wildlife Management and Animal Veterinary Sciences) from West Virginia University and her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Ross University.
Upon graduation she founded and operated her own veterinary hospital and spent 14 years practicing medicine on pets, farm animals, zoo animals and wildlife alike. Most recently she has graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2017 with a Master’s of Veterinary Sciences in Conservation Medicine. She is also an Associate Wildlife Biologist through The Wildlife Society, an international organization.
Dr. Holm is continuing her education in the Biosciences PhD program with a concentration in Biocomplexity and Evolutionary Biology through George Mason University and the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biological Institute.
Dr. Holm experiences the utmost personal satisfaction from her work as an urgent care/ER doctor at Hollymead Veterinary Hospital as well as her contributions to mitigating the world’s endangered species crisis at The Wildlife Conservation Center.
Dr. Brigid Sullivan
Associate Veterinarian
Dr. Sullivan was born in California and received her undergraduate degree in Animal Science. She attended veterinary school at Colorado State University, graduating in 1990. She then moved to Central Virginia to enjoy the rolling green hills and the opportunity for horse sports.
She has practiced small animal medicine and surgery in Central Virginia since then, except for attending Physician Assistant school 10 years later. She practiced as a PA in hospice and palliative care medicine, then returned to her non-human patients, but retained a special interest in end-of-life care. Strongly pursing preventive medicine, she aims to provide the best and longest of lives for all the creatures she treats.
In her spare time, Dr. Sullivan enjoys dancing and spending time in the garden and the outdoors, especially with her husband, who has continued to build more garden spaces to enjoy! They have a very athletic and entertaining young dog, Cora, who is probably a little too smart for her own good.
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Our Facility
We proudly provide daily wellness care and urgent care services to the Charlottesville community from our conveniently-located offices on 1540 Airport Road.
Frequently Asked Questions
We've answered some of the more common questions we receive about our veterinary practice below. Feel free to contact us if you would like more information or do not see your question answered here.
Q: Which types of pets do you see?
A: We love all animals, but see dogs and cats only at Hollymead Veterinary Hospital.
For more information on the pets we care for, see our services.
Q: Does my pet need an appointment?
A: For non-emergency visits, an appointment should be scheduled to allow you and your pet the opportunity to share your concerns with the veterinarian and hospital medical team.
Emergency cases are seen from 8am-8pm, 7 days a week. We accommodate walk-in emergencies and triage each patient.
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