Alpine Animal Hospital Doctors
Carlton Van Horn, DVM - Founder
Dr. Van Horn graduated Murphy High School 1971 and went on to pursue Veterinary Medicine as his career path. He established Alpine Animal Hospital and has been practicing Veterinary Medicine in Murphy, NC since 1983.Married to Patti, the Van Horns have 3 children who are young adults and pursuing their careers. Patti works alongside Doc as his Office Manager. Doc and Patti celebrated their 30th anniversary in 2015.
Education:
- Associate of Science Degree Young Harris Jr. College 1973
- B.A. Zoology UNC Chapel Hill 1975
- Attended NCSU to complete Pre-veterinary studies
- Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) Auburn University 1981
Community Involvement:
- Past Board of Directors for MEAC (Mountain Emergency Animal Center)
- Past Board of Directors – Valley River Humane Society
- Past Member Cherokee County Board of Health (three terms)
- Past-Chairman Cherokee County Board of Health
- Past-President of Murphy Chapter of American Red Cross
- Past-President of Murphy Little League Baseball
- Past-President of Cherokee County Soccer League
- Coached Little League Baseball
- Coached Recreational Soccer
- Past-Referee High School Soccer
- Past-Referee High School Wrestling
“Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.” – Robert A. Heinlein
Amanda Gambill, DVM
Dr. Gambill is a graduate of Andrews High School (2002), Western Carolina University (2006) and the College of Veterinary Medicine at North Carolina State University (2011). Though a former Army brat, she considers herself a local and a Cherokee County native with parents hailing from Robbinsville and Nantahala.
She established Marble Veterinary Hospital in 2020 after working as an associate veterinarian, relief veterinarian, and owning a practice in a neighboring county. And then in 2025, joined forces with Dr. Van Horn at Alpine Animal Hospital.
Dr. Gambill has a special interest in comfort or palliative care for pets and is a certified Peaceful Euthanasia Veterinarian. She also maintains her USDA accreditation for small animals.
Dr. Gambill and her husband, Andy, have two growing daughters and are members of Marble Springs Baptist Church. Together, they enjoy spending time with their friends and family, watching their favorite show, Survivor, and vacationing. Dr. Gambill also enjoys reading fiction and cooking in her free time. Over the years, they’ve had a menagerie of pets that tend to always include a rescue of some kind, a few pugs and a couple of cats!