Critical Care is a diverse specialty requiring round the-clock monitoring, a dedicated nursing staff, and doctors with training and expertise focused on treating the most compromised pets. A Criticalist is dedicated to dealing with life-threatening emergencies as well as diagnosing and managing sick pets. Our hospital offers a fully staffed intensive care unit, specially constructed oxygen cages, full stat labs, fluoroscopy, advanced imaging, and a blood bank available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to manage pets that are rapidly changing. We are proud to offer mechanical ventilation services for pets with severe respiratory distress secondary to trauma, lung disease, cardiac disease, and neurologic disease.
Typically patients who are transferred to ICU / Critical Care may include:
In addition to being dedicated to the care of our sickest patients, our Criticalist’s have immediate access to colleagues in other specialties such as internal medicine, surgery, and other specialists. Patients treated in our ICU benefit from these integrated and collaborative resources, whether their condition requires a short visit to the emergency service or several days in the intensive care unit.
We are proud to be recognized among the nation’s top veterinary hospitals with the prestigious VECCS Level I certification. Learn more about what this means for you and your pet.
Copyright 2025. New River Veterinary Specialists. All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy. Site by group46
DVM, ACVIM (SAIM)
Internal Medicine
Dr. Adam Hunt is an internal medicine specialist at New River Veterinary Specialists. He is a 2018 graduate of Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Hunt completed a small animal medicine and surgery rotating internship at Kansas State University and his small animal internal medicine residency at University of Tennessee. He received the House Officer of the Year award at Kansas State University due to his passion for teaching.
Dr. Hunt’s special areas of interest are gastroenterology, endocrinology, autoimmune diseases and infectious diseases. His area of research is in feline gastrointestinal disease and its relation to anemia and the diagnosis of commonly acquired adrenal diseases. Dr. Hunt enjoys performing all procedures in the specialty of internal medicine but particularly enjoys upper and lower GI endoscopy. He enjoys the long-term management of multifaceted cases and building relationships and bettering the health of his patients. Dr. Hunt views each case as an opportunity to educate and involve his clients in the decision making process with their beloved companions.
In his free time, Dr. Hunt enjoys spending time outdoors with friends and family. He enjoys hiking, swimming, spending time at the beach and playing soccer. He shares a home with his wife, two dogs, and a cat.
DVM, DACVECC
Critical Care, Emergency Medicine
Dr. Peron Kovalsky is an emergency and critical care specialist at New River Veterinary Specialists. She is a 2018 graduate of Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine in St. Kitts after completing her clinical rotation year at Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine in College Station, Texas. Dr. Kovalsky completed an emergency and critical care residency at a specialty practice in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Dr. Peron Kovalsky joined New River Veterinary Specialists in 2024, along with her husband, Kent Kovalsky, a specialist in ophthalmology, and is excited to bring advanced emergency and critical care to the pets and their families in Hardeeville, Bluffton, Beaufort, and the surrounding area.
DVM, DACVECC
Critical Care, Emergency Medicine
Dr. Natosha Richardson is a 2015 graduate of the Royal Veterinary College in London, England. After receiving her doctorate, she traveled back to her home state of Kentucky to complete a one year rotating internship at Bluegrass Veterinary Specialists in Lexington. During her internship Dr. Richardson developed a passion for emergency medicine and went on to complete a 3-year Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care residency at Allegheny Veterinary Emergency and Trauma Specialty center. Dr. Richardson is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care.
Following her residency, Dr. Richardson relocated to Maryland where she helped grow the emergency and Critical Care service at PetER and Chesapeake Veterinary Referral Center. During this time Dr. Richardson worked closely with other specialists in Neurology, Internal Medicine, Cardiology, Surgery and Dentistry to help provide the best care for all patients. She was also actively involved in clinical training and mentoring of Emergency and Critical Care Specialty Interns. It was the opportunity to relocate to warmer weather while joining a team focused on creating positive culture and providing the best regional specialty veterinary care that led Dr. Richardson to joining the NRVS team!
Dr. Richardson’s interests include polytrauma, acute kidney injury and renal replacement therapies, managing septic patients and providing continuing education and open communication with the referring community. She is passionate about teaching technicians, interns and emergency doctors and looks forward to growing with the New River team! Outside of work Dr. Richardson enjoys spending time with her husband Jake, gardening, and traveling to spend time with family and friends. She has three ginger cats (Ralph, George and Peach) and two pups (Gryff and Spectre).
