Care, Community and Compassion under one roof

Welcome to Ally Urgent Veterinary Care! We are a team of “vets helping vets and pets,” and we are passionate about providing urgent care to animals in need in our Coastal Virginia community.

As owners of our own veterinary practices, we know firsthand the demand and work pressures that members of our community face every day on the job. We developed Ally with the family veterinarian and emergency veterinarian at the core of our mission. We understand how devoted and dedicated these hardworking and caring individuals are, and we know that everyone needs a break from time to time!

Meet the Allies

We want to be part of the solution.

Ally is equipped to triage and stabilize most emergencies, but is not intended to take the place of an emergency facility (similar to human urgent care clinics versus emergency hospitals). Our hope is that by lessening the demand on regional emergency hospitals, we are helping them function in their optimal role of 24-hour care for more critical cases in the region.

At Ally, we are committed to:

Supporting local general veterinary practices with a trusted after-hours urgent care option for their clients.
Offering non-emergency care for pets that need to be seen quickly. This includes treatment for minor illnesses and injuries.
Bringing urgent care to pet parents at an affordable price.
Offering a nurturing work environment for our Ally team members, with a full array of benefits, including mental health services and mentoring options for young veterinary professionals entering the field.

Supporting our Coastal Virginia Veterinary Community

We want Ally to truly be an ally for our Coastal Virginia veterinary community—a practice that embodies the compassion and dedication that inspired us to enter the veterinary field in the first place.

We want to be
part of the solution.

At Ally, we are committed to:

Supporting local general veterinary practices with a trusted after-hours urgent care option for their clients.
Offering non-emergency care for pets that need to be seen quickly. This includes treatment for minor illnesses and injuries.
Bringing urgent care to pet parents at an affordable price.
Offering a nurturing work environment for our Ally team members, with a full array of benefits, including mental health services and mentoring options for young veterinary professionals entering the field.

MEET THE ALLIES

Dr. Heather Brookshire, a board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist, and Dr. Ashley Powell, a general veterinarian, have dedicated their careers to helping animals in need. Together they have collaborated on cases and served as officers of the Coastal Virginia Veterinary Medical Association.

Their desire to open an urgent veterinary care practice emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic. As more people adopted pets during lockdown, they witnessed their colleagues struggling to keep up with the high veterinary caseloads and care.

During this time, Dr. Brookshire and Dr. Powell were key players in the “Paws to be Kind” movement. The Virginia-focused public awareness campaign educated pet owners about the overwhelming state of veterinary medicine, with a message to consider kindness rather than frustration in those trying times.

Fast forward to the present day, and the situation is only marginally improved.

The idea for Ally Urgent Veterinary Care was born of this demand, to bring relief to the region’s overburdened veterinary practices, as well as the pet parents who are unable to access urgent and emergent care for their loved ones when truly needed.

Ally Urgent Vet Founders: Dr. Heather Brookshire and Dr. Ashley Powell

ALLY URGENT VETERINARY CARE FOUNDERS

Heather Brookshire, DVM, DACVO

As the owner of Animal Vision Center of Virginia (Dr. Brookshire’s full-time job), she had dedicated her career to helping animals of all shapes and sizes see a better life. A board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist and an American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologist (ACVO) diplomate, she grew up in Northern Michigan, and has lived in Colorado, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and Florida to accomplish her veterinary training.

“I always knew I wanted to become a veterinarian, but my motivation to become a veterinary ophthalmologist came from an experience when my own pet developed glaucoma,” said Brookshire. “Helping animals maintain vision and ocular comfort is what fuels my passion every day.”

Animal Vision Center of Virginia has two locations in Coastal Virginia, in Chesapeake and in the historic Pembroke Manor House in Virginia Beach.

Brookshire spends most of her free time working but is trying (not hard enough!) to achieve a better work-life balance. The key players in her world that make it worthwhile are her common law husband Chris, who just narrowly beats out their two Italian Spinones, Bodhi and Fergus; an insane Wire-haired Vizsla named Orin; and two clinic cats, Tora and Oliver.

Ashley Powell, DVM

Dr. Powell was born and grew up in the Hampton Roads area, only leaving to attend Virginia Tech for both undergraduate and veterinary school. While she absolutely loved Blacksburg, Coastal Virginia has always been home. She works as a small animal general practitioner and is an owner of Animal Medical Center.

As a general practitioner, she notes it has been heartbreaking to hear stories of how many of her clients have struggled to find care for their pets after hours and on weekends. In founding Ally Urgent Veterinary Care with Dr. Brookshire, she is excited to provide support for her veterinary colleagues and the region’s many pet owners.

“There is no worse feeling than seeing the pet you love in discomfort. It makes you feel helpless!” said Dr. Powell. “We started Ally with the hope that we could offer some relief to local veterinarians, while providing accessible care to pet owners in our area.”

Dr. Powell’s favorite parts of practice include surgery, dentistry, but above all, the relationships she gets to form with clients. When she isn’t working, she enjoys spending time with her husband/high school sweetheart, Travis, and their wild toddler.