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By 2024, the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic and a wave of corporate consolidation of veterinary practices resulted in there being only one 24/7 emergency veterinary hospital left serving New Mexico and parts of southern Colorado. This critical gap in emergency care exposed an urgent need for more accessible services in the region and left the community scrambling to find care for their pets.
In response, Drs. Julia Donnelly, Nicole Chamney, and Sonja Sims joined forces to establish Mosaic Animal Emergency & Specialty in Santa Fe. With two of the three born and raised in New Mexico, and all three having dedicated over a decade to serving the local community, they were well-equipped to provide the high-quality emergency and critical care services that the region desperately required.
They acquired a 16,000-square-foot building at 2001 Vivigen Way—the site of a former emergency veterinary hospital that closed at the start of the pandemic—and have transformed it into a sophisticated ICU, isolation wards, onsite diagnostic imaging, lab and pharmacy, overnight and multi-day hospitalization capacity, and even a patient kitchen to accommodate special diets. Mosaic Animal Emergency & Specialty opened its doors in August 2024, just 85 days after purchasing the building—a testament to the team’s ability to make things happen fast.
Mosaic Animal is transforming the veterinary care experience. For example, pet patients are placed in specialized CASCO enclosures instead of traditional cages, giving them a calmer, quieter environment during hospitalization. In addition, the entire staff is currently undergoing rigorous training in techniques to prevent and alleviate fear, anxiety, and stress in pets in the hopes of earning national certification – the first of its kind in New Mexico.
Mosaic Animal prides itself on recruiting high-level, meticulously trained team members to care for our patients. Our board-certified critical care specialist heads up our Emergency and Critical Care department and we are actively recruiting other specialists to join the team at Mosaic Animal. The hospital also offers telemedicine consults, leveraging technology to provide convenient local access to advanced specialty expertise.
It all underscores where Mosaic Animal’s priorities lie. As an independent, locally-owned practice, our focus is squarely on meeting the needs of our community—not those of shareholders. We are here to serve pets, their parents, the referring veterinarian community, and our staff.
A third-generation Santa Fe local, Dr. Julia Donnelly possesses a deep commitment to the community of Northern New Mexico. After graduating from high school at the age of 15, she pursued a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of New Mexico. Following graduation, she accepted a full-time research associate position at the university and published two peer-reviewed journal papers. Dr. Donnelly’s educational journey continued at Colorado State University, where she pursued a master’s degree in biomedical sciences and then a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 2013. After graduation, she excelled as the lead veterinarian at a busy urgent care hospital in Colorado before returning to New Mexico to be closer to family. In 2019, she started her own thriving veterinary relief practice, which provided services to 22 stand-alone veterinary hospitals throughout New Mexico. Having seen the effects of the veterinary shortage in her community first-hand, in 2024 she co-founded Mosaic Animal Emergency and Specialty with her two partners.
Dr. Donnelly shares her life with her amazing husband Dave and their pitbull Prudence. She is an avid beekeeper and river rafter, and volunteers with several local non-profit organizations.
Originally hailing from Canada, Dr. Chamney first embarked on her medical journey as a Registered Nurse, graduating from the University of Saskatchewan, College of Nursing. After graduation, she dedicated a significant portion of her nursing career to Pediatric Emergency and Intensive Care and fell in love with the practice of Emergency medicine. Her passion for knowledge, and an interest in alternative healing methods, then moved her to pursue a three-year Master of Science degree in Oriental Medicine at Southwest Acupuncture College in New Mexico. Wishing to combine her love of medicine, alternative therapies, and animals, Dr. Chamney then went on to earn both a DVM and an MBA in 2014 from Colorado State University. Following graduation, she completed two post-graduate internships focusing on Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care Medicine before moving back to New Mexico to work as a full-time small animal emergency veterinarian. Having developed strong ties to New Mexico, Dr. Chamney co-founded Mosaic Animal Emergency and Specialty in 2024 with her partners to address the critical shortage of emergency care in Northern New Mexico.
Outside of work, Dr. Chamney is an avid runner and marathoner, and lives with her partner Kim, five cats, and a pitbull named Luna.
Dr. Sonja Sims also hails from the high deserts of Northern New Mexico and presently calls the sleepy village of Los Ranchos home. Originally drawn to the culinary arts, her interest in food pushed her to venture west to attend the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. Prior to enrollment, a call from home to care for her ailing Grandfather resulted in an abrupt life change. Embracing this new direction, Dr. Sims moved back home to pursue a bachelor’s degree in biology and chemistry from the University of New Mexico. A lifelong animal advocate and lover, armed with a continued interest in health and healing, she followed her passion to Colorado State University, where she graduated with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 2012. Dr. Sims has been working as a full-time emergency veterinarian in New Mexico. After partnering with the Veterinary Care Foundation for the past 7 years, Dr. Sims is wildly excited to co-found Mosaic SAVES, a 501(c)(3) non-profit. The mission of this project is to remove the financial barriers that limit life-saving emergency care to the community of New Mexico.
In her spare time, Dr. Sims enjoys gardening, cooking, exploring new destinations, and spending time with her husband, three beloved children, three cats, three dogs, and Mr. Bingsley, their rescue African Grey.