South Asheville Veterinary Emergency & Specialty (SAVES)

What South Asheville Veterinary Emergency & Specialty (SAVES) does

South Asheville Veterinary Emergency & Specialty (SAVES) is a single-site veterinary emergency and specialty hospital located at 1836 Hendersonville Road, Asheville, North Carolina, operating 24/7 for emergency intake and 8am–5pm Monday–Friday for specialty appointments by referral. Originally established in 2009 as Upstate Vet, Asheville and rebranded to SAVES in April 2023, the hospital is operated as part of National Veterinary Associates (NVA) and is AAHA-accredited as a referral center. It serves two customer segments: pet owners in Western North Carolina seeking emergency and specialty care, and primary care veterinarians who refer complex cases through an online rVetLink portal or by fax.

The hospital's clinical capability is built around an integrated, multi-specialty model under one roof — board-certified specialists in critical care, internal medicine (DACVIM, DACVECC), surgery (Diplomate ACVS), and neurology practice, supported by oncology, outpatient ultrasound, soft-tissue and orthopedic surgery, and a community animal blood bank. Diagnostic infrastructure includes on-site MRI, CT, fluoroscopy, digital radiography, ultrasound, and advanced modalities such as High-Flow Nasal Oxygen, Laser Lithotripsy, and Thromboelastography. The facility expanded from approximately 9,200 to 28,369 square feet in 2022–2023, adding five integrated surgical suites, separate canine and feline ICUs, an infectious disease isolation unit, and dedicated walk yards.

SAVES operates on a fee-for-service transaction model, with per-visit deposits required prior to procedures and balance due at discharge; consumer financing is offered through CareCredit and Scratchpay. The go-to-market motion is primarily referral-driven (rVetLink portal, referring-DVM CE, a Referral Relationship Manager) supplemented by direct consumer walk-ins for emergencies and a content/SEO presence (blog, Pet Safety Library, Spotlight Carolina media appearances). Revenue is not publicly disclosed and SAVES does not have independent funding rounds, sitting instead within NVA's portfolio economics.

Name

South Asheville Veterinary Emergency & Specialty (SAVES)

Legal name

South Asheville Veterinary Emergency & Specialty

Website

https://southashevillevets.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SAVES is a 24/7 veterinary emergency and specialty hospital in Asheville, NC, serving pet owners and referring veterinarians across Western North Carolina with board-certified specialists, on-site MRI/CT, and advanced surgical and critical-care capabilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Veterinary Emergency & Specialty Care

NAICS

Veterinary Services (54194), Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals (62231)

SIC

Services-Hospitals (8060), Services-Specialty Outpatient Facilities, Nec (8093)

akta.pro primary industry

Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care Hospitals (HLAMACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Veterinary Surgery Centers (Soft Tissue/Orthopedic/Neuro) (HLAMACAC), Veterinary Internal Medicine & Oncology Centers (HLAMACAD)

Keywords

• Veterinary emergency care
• Veterinary specialty services
• Veterinary surgery
• Veterinary oncology
• Veterinary neurology

Headquarters

HQ city

Asheville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Emergency Veterinary Services: Fee-for-service emergency veterinary care. Fees are estimated based on the pet's needs with deposit required prior to procedures. Balance payable at discharge.
2. Specialty Veterinary Services: Specialty appointments available 8am-5pm Monday through Friday. Services include internal medicine, oncology, neurology, surgery, and critical care. Outpatient ultrasound available Monday-Friday 8am-8pm.
3. Financing Programs: Accepts CareCredit and ScratchPay financing options, allowing pet owners to pay over time. CareCredit offers flexible financing for veterinary costs. ScratchPay provides 3-month, 12-month, or 24-month payment plans.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SAVES is a 24/7 veterinary emergency and specialty hospital that delivers acute emergency care, critical care, internal medicine, neurology and neurosurgery, oncology, surgery, outpatient ultrasound, and operates an in-house animal blood bank. The hospital functions as an AAHA accredited referral center serving pet owners in Western North Carolina while supporting referring primary care veterinarians with specialty expertise and advanced diagnostic capabilities.

Product overview

South Asheville Veterinary Emergency & Specialty (SAVES) is a veterinary emergency and specialty hospital offering a comprehensive suite of services including 24/7 Emergency Care, Critical Care, Internal Medicine, Outpatient Ultrasound, Neurology and Neurosurgery, Oncology, Surgery, and an Animal Blood Bank. The hospital operates as a single unified practice with board-certified specialists collaborating under one roof, providing diagnostic imaging (CT, MRI, ultrasound, X-ray), advanced surgical capabilities, chemotherapy, and transfusion medicine. The facility expanded in 2023 from approximately 9,200 to 28,400 square feet with state-of-the-art surgical suites, separate canine and feline ICUs, and an infectious disease isolation unit.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 24/7 Emergency Care

Quantifiable outcome

• Expanded from 9,222 to 28,369 sq ft facility in 2022-2023

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Veterinary Care FoundationminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2022Hilda's Hero Fund is sponsored through the Veterinary Care Foundation, a nonprofit foundation created for the purpose of helping veterinary practices manage charitable funds. Donors can contribute through the foundation's website by selecting South Asheville Veterinary Emergency & Specialty (SAVES).

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• UrgentVet: Walk-in urgent care veterinary concept (after-hours, non-life-threatening cases) with rapid franchise-style expansion. Adjacent competitor to SAVES's emergency service line, particularly for lower-acuity cases that could be diverted from a 24/7 ER.

Direct peers

• Veterinary Emergency Group (VEG): Specialty-agnostic emergency veterinary hospital chain with 24/7 walk-in ER model and rapid expansion across U.S. metros. Competes with SAVES for emergency caseload and increasingly for specialty referrals in overlapping geographies.
• Ethos Veterinary Health: National network of specialty and emergency veterinary hospitals known for advanced diagnostics (MRI/CT), oncology, surgery, and internal medicine. Comparable to SAVES on specialty depth, capital intensity, and AAHA-style referral positioning.
• BluePearl Veterinary Partners: Operates a national network of emergency and specialty veterinary hospitals offering 24/7 ER, surgery, internal medicine, oncology, and neurology. Comparable to SAVES in service mix, multi-specialist model, and referral-driven GTM; competes in regional catchments including nearby markets.
• MedVet: Veterinarian-owned network of emergency and specialty hospitals with board-certified specialists across internal medicine, surgery, neurology, oncology, and critical care. Closely mirrors SAVES's multi-specialty, referral-only specialty services and 24/7 emergency model.

Broad incumbents

• Thrive Pet Healthcare: National veterinary services platform with general practice, specialty, and emergency hospitals. Overlaps with SAVES in specialty/emergency and competes in some markets; broader portfolio means SAVES is more focused as a pure specialty/ER operator.
• VCA Animal Hospitals: Part of Mars Petcare, VCA operates a broad portfolio of general practice, specialty, and emergency hospitals. Overlaps with SAVES in specialty and emergency services but does not specialize in any single niche; serves as a benchmark for industry scale and pricing.

Others

• National Veterinary Associates (NVA): Direct parent company of SAVES. Operates a portfolio of over 1,000 veterinary hospitals across the U.S. and internationally. Comparable as the strategic owner providing capital, recruiting, and back-office infrastructure rather than a competing operator.

Regional players

• Carolina Veterinary Specialists: Multi-location emergency and specialty hospital group serving North Carolina. Directly comparable to SAVES on regional referral dynamics, specialty disciplines offered, and GP-relationship-driven GTM.
• Pet Emergency & Specialty Center: Independent 24/7 emergency and specialty hospital in the Southeast (Chattanooga area). Comparable to SAVES in scope (ER plus specialty) and referral model, though operating in a different geography with similar mid-market positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/100084279919985
• Instagraminstagram.com/hildasherofund1
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/savesasheville

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about South Asheville Veterinary Emergency & Specialty (SAVES)