Our mission at Dogwood Veterinary Specialty and Emergency is to offer the best veterinary care in the state of Georgia. Our commitment is to strive to be at the forefront of veterinary emergency and specialty medicine, to offer the most effective diagnostics, and treatment options for each of our patients. We are also committed to the veterinary profession, in partnering with veterinarians and advancing the practice of veterinary medicine.
ABOUT DOGWOOD
Veterinarians with a passion to improve veterinary medicine
Our mission is to offer the best veterinary care in the state of Georgia
SURGERY
Ray Rudd
Board Certified in Veterinary Surgery
Dr. Rudd received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Tennessee and completed his internship and surgical residency at Purdue University. He taught surgery at Kansas State University and conducted research and development for Ethicon Endosurgery in Cincinnati to progress minimally invasive surgical techniques. He has authored and published more than 20 articles in refereed journals. He then opened his own private veterinary clinic, Braelinn Village Animal Hospital, in Peachtree City, GA and operated it for over 15 years. During that time he developed a surgical practice within the hospital complete with an MRI. In 2007, Ray joined the United States Army Reserve. He served in Kandahar, Afghanistan in 2011. He returned in January 2015 to work at the Animal Emergency and Specialty Center again until he transitioned as lead surgeon to the practice in Chattanooga and he is now at Dogwood Veterinary Specialty performing soft tissue, as well as orthopedic surgeries. Ray lives in Peachtree City, GA with his wife. He has four children who all have careers of their own. He is commander of the Army Reserve unit in Chicago and enjoys spending time with his family whenever possible.
Dr. Vanessa Ferraz, DVM, Ms, PhD
Surgery
Graduated in Veterinary Medicine in 2005, did a Master’s and a PhD in Small Animal and Exotics Surgery, and have been doing surgery with a special focus in orthopedic surgery since 2006. Dr. Ferraz has 25 published papers in this subject, over 150 lectures. She is an adjunct faculty at LMU and UT. Dr. Ferraz has been faculty at the Orthopedic Association (AO) and is an active member on the Latin American Board for AO. Dr. Ferraz has a passion for all surgeries, but she especially enjoys orthopedic procedures.
Dr. Peter Czajkowski, DVM, DACVS
Board Certified Surgeon
Dr. Peter Czajkowski was born and raised in Atlanta. Following completion of his undergraduate degree at the University of Georgia, he received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Oklahoma State University. Dr. Czajkowski completed a rotating small animal medicine and surgery internship at Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital in Denver, CO followed by a surgical internship at Veterinary Specialty Hospital of San Diego. He completed his small animal surgery residency at Tufts University. He has a special professional interest in cardiothoracic surgery and orthopedics, specifically fracture repair and cranial cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.
Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two children as well as their dog Nala. He also enjoys running, tennis, and all things Georgia Bulldogs.
INTERNAL MEDICINE
Sophia Avgeris
Board Certified in Internal Medicine
Dr. Avgeris, a University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine alumna, has had a distinguished career involving a post-doctoral fellowship, a dual internship and clinical instructor position at Virginia Tech, and a residency in internal medicine at UT. As a Clinical Instructor in Small Animal Medicine, she engaged in clinical nutrition trials and earned accolades like the Brandy Memorial Award and Small Animal Teacher of the Year. An author on various veterinary topics and an active member of the Comparative Gastroenterology Society, her interests span GI and liver disease, coagulopathies, critical care, and oncology. Outside of her professional life, she is a mother of three, manages numerous pets, and is an avid triathlete.
Dr. Pamela Martin
Practice Limited to Small Animal Internal Medicine
Dr. Pamela Martin is a veterinarian originally from Denver, Colorado. She earned her BS in Animal Science and DVM from Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine. After completing a rotating internship in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, she worked as an associate veterinarian in Maryland. Dr. Martin then pursued a residency in Small Animal Internal Medicine at Mississippi State University, finishing in 2007.
She joined the faculty at Tuskegee University and held key roles, including service chief for Small Animal Internal Medicine and Department Chair for Small Animal Clinical Sciences until 2022. Dr. Martin moved to the Atlanta area in 2022 and joined Dogwood Veterinary Specialty and Emergency in 2024. Her research and clinical interests include hematology, vector-borne diseases, immunology, and cardiology. In her personal life, she enjoys spending time with family, playing tennis, reading, and doing puzzles.
ONCOLOGY
Brolin Evans
Board Certified in Oncology
Dr. Brolin Evans, a native of Cartersville, Georgia, is a board-certified medical oncologist specializing in the diagnosis, management, and treatment of cancer in pets. His personal experience with cancer in family members and pets has deeply influenced his career. Dr. Evans is committed to personalized medicine, tailoring treatments to each individual case, and is enthusiastic about the potential of comparative oncology to benefit both veterinary and human cancer patients. Outside of his professional life, he cherishes time with his wife and twin daughters, enjoys playing piano and singing at church, cooking, and maintaining reef aquariums. He is also a pet parent to two dogs, Coco and Rosie.
CRITICAL CARE
Dr. Andre Shih, ACVECC, ACVAA, DVM
Emergency Critical Care Doctor and Anesthesiologist
Dr. Andre Shih is one of the few double board certified veterinarians in the US. Dr. Shih specialties are Critical Care and Anesthesiology/Analgesia. He is a prominent lecturer in several national and internal veterinary conferences.
Nicole Tusa
Board Certified in Emergency and Critical Care
Aaron Galton
Board Certified in Emergency and Critical Care
Dr. Aaron Galton is a graduate of the University of Georgia, College of Veterinary Medicine. He then pursued advanced training by completing an emergency-focused small animal internship followed by a residency in emergency and critical care medicine at AVECCC in Phoenix, Arizona. Dr. Galton’s special interests include trauma, mechanical ventilation, and emergency surgery. He is passionate about patient care and strives to treat each animal as if they are his own. He also enjoys teaching students, interns, and new doctors, and is thankful to have the opportunity to return to his home state and join the team at Dogwood.
Micaela Planas Risi
Critical Care Intern
EMERGENCY
Dr. Agda Tamassia, DVM, CVA
Emergency Doctor, Acupuncturist and Herbalist
Dr. Agda Tamassia graduated from the University of Florida in 2008. She became certified in veterinary acupuncture, herbal medicine, and tui-na at the Qi Institute in Gainesville, FL soon after graduation. Dr. Tamassia worked several years at a thriving general practice clinic and then decided to move to emergency care in 2017.
Nick Lothrop
Emergency Doctor
Nick Lothrop graduated from Ross University School Of Veterinary Medicine and completed his clinical year at the University of Tennessee. He is originally from Knoxville and has one dog (a German shepherd) named Cali. Nick has always loved emergency medicine and is excited to start at Dogwood and serve the Atlanta area.
Dr. McCall Wyatt, DVM
Emergency Doctor
Dr. McCall Wyatt graduated from University of Georgia, College of Veterinary medicine shortly after attending Georgia State University for her bachelor’s degree in biological sciences. She is a proud Atlanta native growing up in Roswell, GA and she has been working as veterinary support staff in the greater Atlanta area for over 10 years. Her passion for emergency medicine was sparked during her years as a veterinary nurse and has continued into her career as an emergency veterinarian. Her favorite part of her career is improving the quality of life for her patients and seeing the resulting effect on the pet’s parents.
Dr. Allison Maddox, DVM
Emergency Doctor
Dr. Allison Maddox was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, where she developed a passion for both music and medicine. Dr. Maddox attended veterinary school at the University of Georgia and graduated with a doctorate in veterinary medicine in 2009. She has been practicing emergency and critical care in the metro Atlanta area since leaving veterinary school and hasn’t looked back since.
Dr. Molly King, DVM
Emergency Doctor
Dr. Molly King is a 2017 graduate from the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine (Go Gators!), where she also completed her undergraduate degrees. She has practiced general practice and emergency medicine in Florida and Georgia, and she has special interest in gastroenterology, infectious disease/preventative medicine, dentistry, and surgery. But her favorite part about emergency medicine is being able to be there for clients when they need pet care the most.
Jessica Posey
Emergency Doctor
Dr. Jessica Posey grew up in the small town of Adairsville, Georgia. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia in 2018 and her veterinary degree from the University of Georgia in 2022. Following veterinary school, she completed a one-year rotating internship at Columbia Veterinary Emergency Trauma and Specialty in Columbia, South Carolina. She is thrilled to be back in Georgia to continue to provide care for pets and their families when they need it most.
Paulina Moran
Emergency Doctor
Dr Moran graduated from The National Autonomous University of Mexico in 2017. She worked in the equine field for one year after graduation to later discover her passion for small animal medicine. She then performed an internship in the specialty hospital of her same university while working ER night shifts in different hospitals in Mexico City. After this she moved to Canada where she practiced in a mix Emergency/General practice institution for 2 years before joining Dogwood as an ER doctor. Her special interest is internal medicine and she hopes to further specialize later in life.