Kara O’Brien

Kara’s interest in the veterinary field began at the age of 12 when she had the opportunity to shadow the family veterinarian. She always knew her goal was to turn her passion for helping animals into a lifelong career.

Kara officially entered the veterinary profession at the age of 18, working in a kennel. There, she advanced throughout several different roles in the hospital, rounding out her experience ahead of the next stage of her career. Kara has experience in emergency as well as general practice, internal medicine, and surgery.

When she’s not in the clinic, she enjoys helping her grandmother with her family-owned baking business as well as spending time with her own dog Bane, a 5-year-old Pitbull. She enjoys working with pets who have behavioral issues and require extra care, time, and patience – especially in new settings like visiting the veterinary office. Her own dog is in this category, so she has the opportunity to practice her skills on a regular basis, even when not at the practice.

Kara is extremely proud to be a Fear Free Certified Professional and lead a Fear Free team. This helps to ensure every pet who visits UrgentVet is cared for in a manner that keeps them calm, relaxed and supported. She’s also delighted to be a part of the Gastonia, North Carolina community and honored to serve pets and pet parents there.