About Great Road
Veterinary Hospital

Great Road Veterinary Hospital was originally created by Dr. Mark Smith, a University of Pennsylvania Veterinary School graduate, in early 1981. Mark is a native Actonian, now residing in Maine. It is noteworthy that when Great Road Veterinary Hospital was sold to Dr. Kelman in 2002, all communication with the Acton Town Hall mentioned Dr. Smith’s father, the long-standing chair of the history department of the Acton School System. Permits in small towns can be a complex issue, and connections were never a bad thing to have.

Dr. Kelman purchased Great Road Veterinary Hospital from Dr. Smith in 2002. Dr. Smith had developed a loyal cliental base and was somewhat surprised to see a stranger in the place of “their family veterinarian”. The veterinary staff change was a bit abrupt, and many of the “New Englanders” view change with suspicion. One surprised client, who had blocked off all of the parked cars with her school bus, engine left running, demanded a bottle of “those pink pills” and refused to move the bus until her request had been satisfied. Over the years, we have gotten to know those clients, their pets, and quite a bit about veterinary medicine and human behavior that was not taught in veterinary school.

In the following years, as veterinary medicine changed, so did the nature of our practice. Pain control protocols became the standard of care with ongoing improvements every year. With the recognition that many pets, particularly cats, did not enjoy trips to the veterinary hospital, we started a protocol to keep cats as calm as possible using separation from dogs (where possible) , pheromone therapy, catnip, hiding places, gentle restraint, and where necessary anti-anxiety medications. At the same time, the recognition that Behavioral Medicine was a valid subset of Veterinary Medicine became clear, and with additional training under diplomates of the American College of Veterinary Behavior, behavior consultation became an option for care. Great Road Veterinary Hospital became an early member and supporter of the MSPCA / SNAP low-cost spay and neuter program. After many year’s hiatus and with the partnership of the Acton Department of Public Health, Great Road Veterinary Hospital initiated a low-cost Rabies Clinic for Acton and the surrounding towns. We hope to have this operational once again once COVID-19 is under control.

The world of technology has not stood still, and Great Road has endeavored to keep up with appropriate modern technology. Our x-ray systems have gone from “dip tanks” to automatic developers and now to a digital system. Similarly, dental procedures, in years gone by thought of as primarily extractions of infected teeth, are now modern procedures, always including digital x rays and our third generation of high-speed dental equipment. We also utilize a small ultrasound machine where required on a regular basis.

Some of our proudest moments were and are the veterinary support of Acton’s previous Police Dog “Miso” and the current dog “Shane”. They are very different animals with very different purposes and we remain proud to support these veterinary “First Responders”.