About Passionate Paws

Dr. Susan Bonilla, MS, CVA, CCRP, CACP Veterinarian 

During my last year of Vet School my oldest dog, Ruffles, started to suffer from arthritic pain. Unfortunately, due to her advanced liver disease she could not take traditional pain medications. Even when I tried other types of pain medications, it would agitate her liver. Stephen and I were devastated that we might be forced to put our beloved dog down because she was in chronic pain. How can I, studying to become a veterinarian, be out of options to help Ruffles? Was I really going to put her to sleep not because of her liver shutting down but because of arthritic pain? I was distraught that I ran out of options to help my own dog.

Thankfully, my clinical year of Vet School was at the University of Florida where I was introduced to a vast range of complimentary options that would be able to help Ruffles. It was at this point I decided that I wanted to be an Integrative Veterinarian. I would use all my training learned in Vet school but also offer complimentary treatments such as acupuncture to all my patients.

Upon graduating Vet School, I fed my passion for complementary care and continued my education in integrative options. Over the course of a year, I became certified in acupuncture from the Chi Institute and canine rehabilitation from the University of Tennessee. Most recently, I became certified in animal chiropractic from Options for Animals Chiropractic College.

I am so happy to be able to offer all my patients advanced medicine while also offering complimentary options. And Ruffles benefitted from all of it! She lived a beautiful and pain-free life for 20 years and 3 months!

/sbonilladvm

Dr. Carlie Brue, CACP Associate Veterinarian

Dr. Carlie Brue began her journey with Passionate Paws an Associate Veterinarian at our Waxhaw location in September 2020 and will be leading the team at our Weddington-Matthews location opening January 4. Dr. Brue knew that she wanted to become a veterinarian ever since she was ten years old. Through chiropractic work over the years, she has seen positive changes in the movements and attitudes of healed animals.

While studying at Vet School, Dr. Brue was excited to witness real cases and numerous specialties in the broad spectrum of veterinary medicine. By seeing this, she was not only excited to handle real cases herself but was also privy to the significance of each specialty. Some of the most fulfilling moments of her career thus far have involved being “the first to diagnose a disease,” Brue states. “Being able to be there for someone who is in need” and seeing the owners’ appreciation for her help is also very rewarding. Additionally, if pets are diagnosed with more chronic illnesses like cancer, it can be very satisfying to see them recover, living out their lives healthy and cured.

/crbuedvm

Tri-W News Feature: Dr. Carlie Brue Joins Passionate Paws Animal Hospital

Dr. Stephanie Izurieta, HABC Associate Veterinarian

While in veterinary school, I had the unfortunate event of a break in happen in my home. While I was not there, my dog Godric was. Physically, he was unharmed… but the emotional damage was evident. He became afraid of loud noises and sudden movements, he had a fear of men – especially if they were wearing a hat. He started redirecting his fear into aggression when he was around other dogs. He had lost his confidence and happy-go-lucky mindset because his fear was all encompassing.

He was diagnosed with “global fear” and I decided then to learn all I could about canine behavior and how I could better help him gain his confidence back. I focused my clinical year elective courses on behavioral medicine and found ways to implement them at home. Through these electives, I found the best approach was an integrative one. I was able to use medication to help increase that fear threshold, and use a combination of environmental enrichment, positive reinforcement, calming jackets/collars, and pheromones to help my fur baby learn to cope.

As the years have gone on, I have seen my boy bounce back! I was worried when any big change was looming- anytime we moved, or when we were expecting our first child, I would watch and wait to see his reaction. However, Godric took it all in stride. I was able to tailor a plan just for him, and I was seeing amazing results.

This is why I love practicing integrative medicine. It’s why I love being fear free. I want to find what works for each one of my patients and create a treatment plan unique to them. It is wonderful to see a once fearful patient come up to you wagging their tail, or coming out of their carrier with confidence and curiosity. I became a veterinarian to help strengthen that human-animal bond between pet parents and their fur babies, and have learned that treating a pet’s physical and emotional health as a whole is one of the best ways to achieve that goal.

I am pleased to say that Godric is now a happy 11-year-old dog, and has a 6-year-old goofy dog brother, Finnick, to help balance out his anxieties! My two kids are some of his favorite humans because of all of the positive reinforcements they give him (read: dropped food), and my husband can gladly wear his baseball cap around the house without Godric barking! New situations still take some adjustment, but we have learned what works best for our fur baby, and I look forward to finding what works best for yours!

Associate Veterinarian

Bio coming soon

Hospital Administrator

I have always been that person pets gravitate toward, especially the ones that “never go up to new people”. This quality is what brought our middle fur-baby, Scrappy, into our home and hearts. I found Scrappy abandoned on the street, malnourished, and completely matted and filthy. That first night with us, Scrappy slept in the washroom, I slept just near to the room so she would not feel alone. When Dr. Bonilla checked on us in the morning, Scrappy had made her way to me during the night and curled up comfortably next to my head. From that moment on, we have been inseparable.

/stephenbonilla