Veterinary Specialists of the Rockies

A 24/7 emergency veterinary hospital in Castle Rock, CO

Specialty and Emergency Veterinary Services for Pets and Their Families

We love animals and animal lovers! Our goal is to bring every patient back to health. We know it can be difficult to have to bring a family pet to an ER veterinarian. Veterinary Specialists of the Rockies is open 24/7, 365 days a year for emergencies. We partner with your family veterinarian to offer the kind of care every family member deserves.

Our board-certified veterinary specialists in Internal Medicine, Surgery, Cardiology, and Diagnostic Imaging provide the highest level of integrated care for every patient.

Veterinary Specialists of the Rockies is a privately-owned small animal hospital in a 10,000 sq. ft. building with the latest in laboratory and diagnostic equipment and advanced technology. This capability allows our veterinary specialists and ER veterinarians to more quickly provide a personalized treatment plan, so the chance for a good outcome for your pet is improved.

Our facility has been specially constructed to provide a comfortable and welcoming space for pets and families. Cats will be relieved to learn that they have their own spaces separated from our canine patients.

When your pet must undergo surgery, our recovery rooms are equipped with the added benefit of real-time video monitoring that acts as an extension of our recovery room staff. You can be assured that staff will be alerted immediately if a patient is not doing well.

We know that when a pet is ill, it is stressful for the family. Our professional and support staff provide compassionate consultations and education. We want you to clearly understand treatment options, so you can make the best possible decisions for your pets.

Meet Our Staff

Megan Rector, MS, DVM
Owner and Emergency Veterinarian
Tammi Morrison
Hospital Administrator
Derek Paul
Derek Paul
DVM, CVA (IVAS) Assoc. Medical Dir. (ER)
Emily Deutsch
Emily Deutsch
DVM, Emergency Veterinarian
Luanne Strom
DVM, Emergency Veterinarian
Carrie Daly
Carrie Daly
DVM, Emergency Veterinarian
Dr. Joel Bea
Joel Bea
DVM, MS, Emergency Veterinarian
Kendra LaFauci
DVM, DACVIM (Cardiology)
Dr. Jeremiah Moorer
Jeremiah Moorer
DVM, DACVS-SA
Sarah Schmid
Sarah Schmid
DVM, DACVIM (Internal Medicine)
Mo Good
Inventory Manager
Steph Romero
Certified Veterinary Technician - Head Tech
Janette Vuksinich
BS, CVT, VTS (ECC) – Head Tech
Rachel
Rachel
Certified Veterinary Technician
Stephanie
Stephanie
Certified Veterinary Technician
Jake
Jake
Certified Veterinary Technician
Sarah
Sarah
Lead ER Technician
Cristen
Cristen
Certified Veterinary Technician
Libby
Libby
Technician Assistant
Gabe
Gabe
Technician Assistant
Cathy Spaid
Cathy Spaid
Client Service Representative
Kylie
Kylie
Customer Service Representative
Nalia
Nalia
Customer Service Representative
Sergio
Facilities Maintenance

Learn More

Emergency ServicesInternal MedicineCardiologySurgical Expertise

Time for a visit?

Schedule an appointment now

Owner and Emergency Veterinarian

Megan Rector, MS, DVM

Dr. Megan Rector is the Owner and an Emergency Veterinarian at Veterinary Specialists of the Rockies. She grew up in Colorado and graduated from the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at Colorado State University in 2009. After graduating from the veterinary medical program, Megan completed a small animal medical and surgical internship at Texas A&M University. She began her professional career at a busy emergency and specialty hospital, working full time as an Emergency Clinician. Megan then chose to expand her horizons, and start her own facility in wonderful Castle Rock, Colorado.

Veterinary Specialists of the Rockies was conceived from her interests in practicing the highest quality of medicine, teamwork, and collaboration through the veterinary field. “Our goal is to provide the best care possible to our patients and support for our clients and become a genuine part of the Castle Rock community’, said Rector.

Dr. Rector shares her home with her pets: Miles, an orange Maine Coon cat; Izzy, a yellow Labrador; and Penny, a crazy red Labrador Retriever. Her three pets show their love for her by greeting her at the door. Penny and Izzy love to swim and chase toys, with Izzy always retrieving the toys. Miles loves to play with his racetrack and hang out on the refrigerator shelf. That’s right, when the fridge is left open, in he goes.

When not practicing veterinary medicine or playing with the animals, Megan can be found trying a new recipe, traveling, scuba diving, going to concerts and movies at Red Rocks and spending time with family and friends.

Hospital Administrator

Tammi Morrison

Tammi Morrison is the Hospital Administrator for Veterinary Specialists of the Rockies. She is a Colorado native and a proud Douglas County resident. Prior to working in the veterinary industry, Tammi worked in credit and customer service departments within large retail organizations. Tammi has over 20 years of experience in the veterinary industry. She began her career as an overnight emergency technician after graduating from Bel-Rae Institute of Animal Technology in 1998. Her experience expanded into managing a large ER in a referral hospital for over 17 years. For the past 3 years, she has managed a general practice and assisted with various staff educational events. During her tenure in the industry, Tammi has prided herself with caring for the patients, staff and community with whom she is involved.

During her free time, Tammi and her husband spend time with their son, Robbie; their Shepherd mix, Teva; and a Cockatoo named Cody. Tammi is also a SCUBA instructor and loves to travel.

DVM, CVA (IVAS) Assoc. Medical Dir. (ER)

Derek Paul

Dr. Derek Paul, DVM, CVA (IVAS) is the Associate Director (ER) and Veterinary Acupuncturist for Veterinary Specialists of the Rockies. He is an Illinois native who left the land of Lincoln to serve his country.  After graduating With Merit as a Systems Engineer from the United States Naval Academy, he served six years in the Navy, including tours on board an aircraft carrier and inside of Cheyenne Mountain working for NORAD.  He received the Joint Service Achievement Medal for his service as NORAD Air Battle Management Officer during the attacks of September 11, 2001.  Following Naval Service, Doctor Paul returned to Illinois for Veterinary School, where he concentrated on Wildlife and Conservation Medicine and ran the Wildlife Medical Clinic.  After graduation, he returned to Colorado for an Internship in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery.  For the past 10 years, Doctor Paul has served as a Senior Emergency Associate, Locum Emergency and General Practice Relief Doctor, and Veterinary Acupuncturist.  He also does consulting work for a pet services company.  When he is not helping make Veterinary Specialists of the Rockies the premier emergency/specialty hospital in the Front Range, he enjoys hiking, traveling, paddleboarding, playing poker, listening to music, and seeing shows and movies with his family.  He is married to JoAnn, an experienced Veterinary Technician, and they have two kids, Ella and Gavin.

DVM, Emergency Veterinarian

Emily Deutsch

Dr. Emily Deutsch is a native of Littleton, Colorado. She graduated from Colorado State University with a bachelor’s degree in biology/ biomedical science, then from CSU’s School of Veterinary Medicine, earning a doctorate in veterinary medicine. For six years, both prior to and during vet school, she worked as a veterinary technician in Fort Collins, Colorado.

She recently completed an emergency and critical care internship at DoveLewis Emergency Animal Hospital in Portland, Oregon.

Dr. Deutsch always has loved animals and enjoys both the challenges and rewards of providing emergency medical care and support to her patients and the humans who love them.

In her free time, Dr. Deutsch enjoys cooking, hiking, and painting. She has a yellow Labrador Retriever named Frisco who loves walks, cuddling, and stealing spots on the couch. Frisco has a good friend, a  five-year-old flame-point Siamese cat named Jorah. Jorah has a big personality and enjoys exploring, sitting in the sun, and lying on Dr. Deutsch’s laptop keyboard while she attempts to work.

DVM, Emergency Veterinarian

Luanne Strom

Dr. Luanne Strom, DVM is an Emergency Veterinarian for Veterinary Specialists of the Rockies. Luanne is a Colorado native, originally from Ft. Collins. She went to undergraduate school at Penn State, where she also played Division 1 soccer and then proceeded to earn her Master’s degree at Colorado State University. Dr. Strom completed her veterinary education at Ontario Veterinary College (the oldest veterinary school in North America), followed by a rotating internship at Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital.

In her free time, Luanne enjoys hiking, mountain biking, running, and any outdoor activities in the mountains. She and her partner share their home with a cat named Tyson, an epileptic Frenchie named Boo, and their running partner, Scout, a Rat Terrier/Chihuahua mix.

DVM, Emergency Veterinarian

Carrie Daly

Dr. Carrie Daly, DVM is an Emergency Veterinarian for Veterinary Specialists of the Rockies. She graduated from the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine in 2009. She has had an eclectic career since then, having practiced in Hong Kong, Minnesota, Oregon, and now Colorado (which is where she hopes to hang her hat for years to come)! She loves all species but is particularly fond of grumpy older cats.

Carrie has 3 human children (delightful 5-year-old twins and a gently vivacious 4-year-old), as well as a rambunctious Dutch Shepherd pup named Mabel. She can often be found fostering a gaggle of kittens as well. For this reason, she considers herself to be both a manager and purveyor of chaos! In her free time, she enjoys running trail marathons/ultramarathons, international travel, teaching yoga to adults and kiddos, unsuccessful attempts at meditation, and above all else – a good long nap.

DVM, MS, Emergency Veterinarian

Joel Bea

Dr. Joel Bea, DVM, MS, is an emergency veterinarian for the Veterinary Specialists of the Rockies.

Born in New Orleans, LA, Dr. Bea attended the University of California at Davis. He studied zoology for his undergraduate degree and later earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree, as well as a Master of Science in Comparative Pathology in 2005. Dr. Bea’s areas of clinical interest include anesthesia and internal medicine, especially the treatment of acute kidney and respiratory diseases.

Dr. Bea spent 15 years as an emergency veterinarian in multiple large referral veterinary hospitals, both here in Colorado and in Connecticut at the Cornell University Veterinary Specialists.

When not at work, you can find Dr. Bea in the mountains. He and his wife enjoy hiking with their two pups. Leah is a 12-year-old cattle dog mix, and Brewster is a 2.5-year-old border collie. They also have a kitty, Bristo, and two horses, Friendly and Chance.

DVM, DACVIM (Cardiology)

Kendra LaFauci

Dr. Kendra LaFauci, DVM, DACVIM (Cardiology), is leading the cardiology department at Veterinary Specialists of the Rockies for Petcardia, our in-house cardiology partner. Dr. LaFauci earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Tufts University, followed by a rotating internship at VCA Alameda East. She recently completed her residency in cardiology at CVCA in Annapolis, Maryland, and has returned to Colorado to lead the Petcardia team here at Veterinary Specialists of the Rockies.

To schedule a Cardiology appointment with Dr. LaFauci at Veterinary Specialists of the Rockies in Castle Rock, call 720.724.8013.

DVM, DACVS-SA

Jeremiah Moorer

Dr. Jeremiah Moorer, DVM, DACVS-SA at Veterinary Specialists of the Rockies. He grew up in South Georgia and graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Georgia in 2008. He completed a 1 year rotating internship at Texas A&M University after graduation. He then spent 1 year at the Dallas Veterinary Surgical Center as a surgical intern before obtaining a residency in small animal surgery at Oklahoma State University. He completed the 3 year residency at Oklahoma State University in 2013 and then stayed on as faculty for the following year. During that time he also passed the ACVS certification examination in 2014 to become board-certified in small animal surgery. After leaving OSU, Dr. Moorer spent 3 years in San Antonio in a multi-specialty hospital performing soft tissue, orthopedic, and neurologic surgeries. Dr. Moorer has been in Colorado since 2017 and started Trek Veterinary Surgery in 2019. In his spare time Dr. Moorer enjoys spending time with his wife and son, hiking, camping, hunting, and training for triathlons.

DVM, DACVIM (Internal Medicine)

Sarah Schmid

Dr. Schmid enjoys diagnostic puzzles and the challenge of managing the whole patient. Her specialist interests include gastrointestinal disease, hepatobiliary disease, kidney disease, and interventional procedures. She also has a passion for teaching, which she shares through giving continuing education lectures to the veterinary community and mentoring young veterinary professionals. Dr. Schmid has locumed at the University of Wisconsin and continues to stay active in research and scholarship.

Dr. Schmid has two adventurous cats, Penny and Koda, who have traveled with her across the country during her academic pursuits. Although originally from Wisconsin, they are excited to call Colorado their new home. Dr. Schmid spends her free time outside hiking, biking, and kayaking. She also enjoys creative pursuits such as painting, designing Halloween costumes, and musical theater.

Inventory Manager

Mo Good

Mo Good is the Inventory Manager for Veterinary Specialists of the Rockies. Mo began her career in the veterinary field when she was in high school. While pursuing her passion for pets, she met her husband named Russ. Mo and Russ ran a small animal hospital together before Hurricane Katrina. Their team of doctors immediately relocated to assist in animal rescue efforts while Mo remained in Chicago to run Fur Keeps Animal Rescue. The fast-paced lifestyle over those few months led her into emergency work as a Veterinary Technician.

Mo’s real enthusiasm for the job is two-fold; high volume laboratory workloads and delivering high quality care to the patients in I.C.U. After Mo finished her Associates degree in Business Management, she attended Bel-Rea Institute of Animal Technology. Mo is a Certified Canine Myotherapist, Certified Veterinary Technician, and hopes to VTS in clinical pathology.

Mo and Russ have a variety of pets. Ditka, a Corgie-Rottweiler mix, is the doting big brother who believes the Exotic Shorthair, Trillian, is his own personal pet. Zelda is a Wire-Haired Terrier mix that would prefer to be on a paddleboard or wrapped around your neck, like a scarf. Their newest addition is a female Pug, named Curmudgeon, who became the unofficial mascot of VSR.

Outside of work, Mo pursued an exciting quest: backpacking the 483-mile Colorado trail, which she finished in September 2017. She is an avid gardener, gamer, horror movie fan, and hiker.

Certified Veterinary Technician - Head Tech

Steph Romero

Steph Romero is the Head Technician for Veterinary Specialists of the Rockies. Steph has lived in Colorado since she was ten years old, originally residing in the Chicago area.

She started working in emergency and critical care as a Technician Assistant while she attended Bel-Rea Institute of Animal Technology. While attending school, she discovered her passion for critical care medicine. Her experience includes a year in general practice and nine years as an emergency technician.

Outside of work, Steph enjoys the outdoors where she loves skiing, hiking and paddle boarding. She has four dogs: Sebastian, a Labrador; Zoe, an Australian Kelpie; Elvis, a Dachshund mix; and Harley, a Chihuahua. She also has a cat named Bonkers.

BS, CVT, VTS (ECC) – Head Tech

Janette Vuksinich

Janette is native of Colorado and works as a head technician for Veterinary Specialists of the Rockies. She obtained her associates degree in animal science from the Bel-Rea Institute of Animal Technology. After working in Emergency and Critical Care medicine for a few years she went on to become a boarded veterinary technician specialist in emergency and critical care medicine. In 2019 she graduated from Metropolitan State University of Denver with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and Chemistry. Janette also holds a license in the state of Colorado as an Associate Broker in real estate.

In her free time Janette loves travelling all over the world learning about different cultures and experiencing the beauty each destination has to offer. She has a passion for scuba diving and has enjoyed adventures diving with Tiger sharks on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and Hammerhead sharks and Whale sharks in the Galapagos Islands. In addition to traveling Janette enjoys taking in the beauty of the Colorado Rockies while hiking, biking, camping, and spending time with family and friends.

Certified Veterinary Technician

Rachel

Certified Veterinary Technician

Stephanie

Certified Veterinary Technician

Jake

Lead ER Technician

Sarah

Certified Veterinary Technician

Cristen

Technician Assistant

Libby

Technician Assistant

Gabe

Client Service Representative

Cathy Spaid

A native of Colorado, Cathy began her veterinary field career in 1995. Starting as a veterinary receptionist at a small clinic in Parker, she soon went on to manage two large, 24-hour emergency animal hospitals by being exceptionally attentive to the needs of her clients and caring deeply for her “four-legged fur babies”. She was asked to help open two private practice clinics in Parker before going to work for a veterinary neurology facility in 2015. In 2018, Veterinary Specialists of the Rockies asked Cathy to join their team and she gladly accepted.

Cathy and her husband have one daughter. Cathy is an avid supporter of local animal rescues, local veterinary rehabilitation organizations, and Friends of Douglas County K-9. Her cheerful personality and bright smile are the first things to greet you when you visit Veterinary Specialists of the Rockies. Cathy’s veterinary knowledge and professionalism will help you and your four-legged fur baby throughout your experience with us.

Customer Service Representative

Kylie

Customer Service Representative

Nalia

Facilities Maintenance

Sergio