Caring for your pet isn’t our profession. It’s our calling.
We exist because of a bold belief… that your pet deserves the best care. Actually delivering on that requires an uncommon level of dedication, an unparalleled level of medicine, and an uncompromising commitment to innovation. Here, we are creating the future of specialty and emergency veterinary care. Because when it comes to your pet, we wouldn’t dream of anything less.
To provide the best care is a bold goal. It requires a different approach. This is a multi-disciplinary hospital. The specialists aren’t walled off in their own niches. Everyone works together on cases. We collaborate. We challenge. We strategize. Tour pet will have a dynamic network of top specialists collaborating on their treatment. This is a new standard of medicine. Because when you collaborate, special things happen for your pet’s healthcare.
We believe in creating a new standard of excellence within veterinary medicine. We are looking for employees who have the talent and dedication to become some of the best in the field. We will provide you with the training, support, and guidance that will help you reach your potential. This isn’t about punching a clock. It’s about building a better world. Would you like to join us?
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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, DACVS, CCRT, DACVSMR
Chief of Surgery and Physical Rehabilitation
Dr. Jennifer Au is co-founder and the Chief of Surgery and Physical Rehabilitation at New River Veterinary Specialists. A 1995 graduate of Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Au graduated in the top of her class. Following an internship in medicine and surgery at the Animal Medical Center in New York City, she pursued emergency medicine in New York followed by Virginia for several years. Knowing she wanted to pursue specialization within the veterinary field, Dr. Au completed a Surgical Internship at the Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center in Norwalk, CT in 2003 followed by a 3-year Small Animal Surgical Residency at Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine completed in 2006. She is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons – Small Animal since 2007. During her residency, she developed a strong interest in orthopedic surgery and passion for arthroscopy and physical rehabilitation.
After her residency, Dr. Au took a position as an assistant professor on the orthopedic faculty at Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine. During this time, she became a Certified Canine Rehabilitation Therapist (CCRT) and took over supervision of the Advanced Rehabilitation Center at MSU. By 2008, she took an assistant professor position on the orthopedic faculty at The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine along with supervising the physical rehabilitation department. During her time in academia, she helped develop and advance the clinical arthroscopy program along with training surgical residents in arthroscopy. She enjoyed teaching students in their 4th year clinical rotations along with classroom and lab education. Training interns and surgical residents, while watching them develop and master new skills, was also a point of pride. In 2013, she left academia to take a position as head surgeon and director of physical rehabilitation at a specialty referral practice in Charleston, SC. During this time, while developing and growing the surgery and physical rehabilitation departments, Dr. Au became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation in 2014, already a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons. In 2019, she moved to Virginia to help grow and develop a full-service specialty referral practice in Fredericksburg, VA. She is excited to return to the South Carolina, again teaming with Dr. Kristin Welch, to help lead New River Veterinary Specialists to become a regional center of excellence for Beaufort and Jasper Counties.
Dr. Au really enjoys helping her patients regain mobility, comfort, and improve quality of life through surgery and physical rehabilitation. She thoroughly enjoys joint arthroscopy, fracture management, and minimally invasive surgery along with challenging and interesting soft tissue and neurosurgical cases. She strongly believes that surgery and physical rehabilitation work together to provide the best outcome for her patients. In addition, she feels there are times surgery is the appropriate course of action and times when a less invasive, more conservative, approach is indicated and her recommendations are tailored to the individual patient’s needs.
Dr. Au has published multiple articles in peer-reviewed veterinary journals along with various abstracts and posters presented at scientific meetings. She has lectured, taught, and conducted hands-on labs regionally, nationally, and internationally. She has been an assistant professor at MSU and OSU along with an adjunct on-line professor with Massey University School of Veterinary Science in New Zealand. She currently serves on the editorial review board for two prominent peer-reviewed veterinary journals and teaches arthroscopy nationally with Arthex.
Outside of work, she enjoys reading, indoor plants, gardening, Corvettes, spending time outdoors and with her pets.
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).
DVM
Emergency Medicine
Dr. Megan Cook is an Emergency doctor at New River Veterinary Specialists. Dr. Cook graduated from Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Megan has nearly a decade of Emergency medicine and surgical experience and she is passionate about providing top tier emergency medical care to her patients. Dr. Cook has practiced locally for the last 6 years in the Charleston region of South Carolina and is excited to relocate to the Bluffton area to build long lasting relationships with the clients, referring veterinarians and pets of this region of the Lowcountry.
Dr. Cook enjoys the fast pace of the ER and likes to treat patients with toxicities, traumatic injuries, and surgical disease processes. Dr. Cook is also dedicated to ensuring that patients are comfortable and anxiety free while in the hospital and has a special interest in multimodal pain management and anxiety mitigation. She also takes comfort in providing peace for patients and solace for owners with end of life decisions.
Outside of work, Dr. Cook enjoys traveling with her husband and dog, hiking, and managing her Air BnB cabin in North Carolina. She is always aiming to expand her knowledge of real estate and health and wellness. She and her husband share their homes with their dog Steve and 2 cats, Fern and Niko.
