“When people talk about Case Veterinary Hospital, they aren’t just talking about a building. They are talking about my family.”

Coming from anybody else, this statement would be a bit dramatic. However, for Carla Case-McCorvey, it is the only way to accurately describe the 100-year veterinary practice started by her great grandfather, Dr. Erle Case, at the turn of the century.

Dr. Erle Case graduated from the University of Ontario Canada in 1909. He traveled to Savannah by steamship following an employment offer. That job fell through and the rest is Case family history.
And there is tons of history.

In the early years, the Case practice was paid with chickens, provided treatments before the discovery of antibiotics and boasted the only degreed veterinarian in town. The facility now performs digital dental x-ray, laser surgery, endoscopy and laparoscopic surgery and the entire industry requires tough educational rigors.

The front halls of Case Veterinary Hospital are a virtual animal medicine time machine. Walking through those halls with Carla brings the history alive. While she has no memory of her great grandfather, recollections passed on through the generations are very vivid. As she speaks of the various antique medical pieces, she could very well be showing you old family photos. When she gets to the picture of Grandpa Erle’s old animal ambulance with the stained glass windows, her face lights up with the warmth reserved for a grandmother’s quilt. Incidentally, those very stained glass windows hang on the wall in the hospital and Carla’s face often beams.

It is also not difficult to get Carla to talk about her family. She is anxious to share those stories she knows by heart. Some she has in her own memories while others have been passed to her by her father, Jerry Case. Jerry and Carla have worked together her whole life. Jerry started out making cotton balls and sterilizing equipment. Carla recalls making the same cotton balls from a large roll of cotton. She also recalls painting the lines in the parking lot, cleaning cages and helping with whatever chores needed to be done. “I didn’t pretend to be sick a lot in school,” says Carla. “If I didn’t go to school, I went to work with mom and dad. There was no lying around the house watching television.”

Listening to his daughter tell stories and recite lineage seems to bring a sense of ease to Jerry. In the office that they share, Jerry tries to remain in the background while Carla begins the process of taking over the helm. “I am just so proud of her.”

However, Jerry insists that he never pushed Carla to take over the practice. “I just grew up doing it. It never occurred to me to do anything else. But, I never pressured Carla to go this way. I never encouraged her to do it. Of course, I never discouraged it either.”

Carla is continuing to push Case Veterinary Hospital to the forefront of veterinary medicine. By investing in continued education and training for not only herself but all the veterinarians she employs. Through researching and obtaining the newest veterinary medical equipment, Carla has positioned Case Veterinary Hospital as one of the only hospitals in the region to routinely offer endoscopic and laparoscopic procedures to its patients. This technology is compatible to what is expected in the human medical field, enabling less invasive procedures with faster recovery time and fewer complications.

While Jerry is fully aware of the changes in veterinary medicine through the years, watching his daughter brings it all into perspective.
Case Veterinary Hospital has grown into a practice involving roughly five veterinarians, seven technicians, five kennel assistants and six administrative personnel. At home, Carla is the married mother of two. Like any good father, Jerry’s first concern is for the well-being of his daughter. “I hope she continues to find balance.”

Carla has had the uncanny ability to always find that balance between being a veterinarian’s daughter, an up and coming veterinarian herself and her own passion for life. As a kid, Carla can remember the common practice of veterinarians to display actual hearts in jars of formaldehyde from dogs that had died of heartworms in order to educate clients about the disease while in the exam room. She would bring the displays from the hospital to her elementary school show and tell. The kids were amazed and her dad thought it was “pretty cool.” Her mother, Gail, was not quite as excited and even less so when Carla dropped one of the jars on the driveway.

When Carla got into her first scuffle, no doubt it was with a boy a bit bigger. Coming home dirty and scratched up, Jerry asked his young daughter what she was thinking fighting a boy twice her size. “I thought I could take him,” Carla replied. Jerry laughs even as he tells the story now. The familiar pride frames his face. That particular story is special to Jerry. It struck him then, as it does now, that Carla “didn’t ask for any quarter from me. She took personal responsibility.”

Carla still takes personal responsibility for her choices. She echoes the sentiment that she was never pushed to follow her father. Like Jerry, it has always been what she thought she would do.

Although Carla left for the University of Georgia with a slight interest in advertising, it was never enough to sway her from her desire to be a veterinarian. However, Carla knew that achieving that goal would not be easy. Individuals usually have to submit multiple applications before they are accepted. It is not uncommon for the ratio of applicants to openings to run around thirteen to one. Jerry is very honest about his concerns for Carla. “I wasn’t sure she could get in.”

Obviously, Carla did receive that acceptance letter and she did it her first time applying. It is no surprise once you realize how very personally she takes the job. Again, she reflects on her grandfather, Dr. Francis Case. “While I could have chosen a different path, I didn’t. Now what I do is a reflection on my grandpa. I would hate for Papa’s legacy to be mishandled.”