Dr. Caroline Chamarande was born and raised in Fontainebleau, France. After receiving her French baccalaureate, she earned her Bachelor of Science and her Master's degree in Chemistry from American University. She worked for the chemistry department at the Naval Research Laboratory in DC but abandoned her career as a chemist to follow her lifelong dream of becoming a veterinarian. She graduated Cum Laude from the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine (VT). After 24 years of service at a practice in Falls Church, Dr. C decided that it was time for a change. She joined Mainstay Veterinary Practice where the owner and staff share her values in providing quality veterinary care and believe in strengthening the bonds between pets and their families to assure a long and happy relationship.
Dr. C has an active interest in Internal medicine and Animal Behavior and Training. She is a longtime member of AAHA, VVMA, NVVMA, and D.C. Academy of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Chamarande is federally accredited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which authorizes her to perform evaluations and issue International Health Certificates for pet travel.
In her free time, Dr. C enjoys time with her husband, three children, and her furry pets. She has a frequently-rotating “pet population” at her house as she often finds herself taking in animals that need new homes. Currently, the pet population at Dr. C’s household consists of Lazarus (a rescued Yorkie), Chewy (a rescued Anatolian Shepherd), and Rosie (a re-homed chihuahua).
Dr. C enjoys the atmosphere at Mainstay for it allows time to get to know the pets and their owners, educate owners on veterinary care, discuss training, play with puppies and kittens, and just plain socializing pets She enjoys French baguettes and cheese, Heath bars, Coke Zero, and Christmas as her favorite food, candy, drink, and holiday, respectively. Her favorite movie is "The Lost Boys," and she enjoys tennis as a hobby. Her favorite superhero is Spiderman, and she finds educating clients to be the most rewarding part of her job. Delivering bad news to owners is the hardest part of her job. She has a memorable medical case involving a Yorkie puppy with parvo that she has cared for since he was surrendered to her. In her free time, she enjoys horseback riding and would spend a day with Sandra Bullock if given the chance. If she could only work on two types of cases in veterinary medicine for the rest of her life, they would be dermatology and endocrinology [citation].