Pet Project - Father/Son Team Care for Community's Animals

Jonesboro Animal Hospital news article It may well have been curiosity that killed the cat but at Jonesboro Animal Hospital on Georgia Highway 138, that same curiosity has saved the lives of many a feline as well as dogs and numerous other pets. Don McMillian, Jr., D.V.M., owner of the hospital which he purchased from his father, Don Sr., D.V.M., four years ago and who still works with his son, credits the success of the business not only to his employees but to he and his father's innate inquisitiveness regarding veterinary surgery and medicine. Their experiences combined span more than 74 years. "My dad and I are never satisfied until we find the answer to any situation we may face when examining a pet," said McMillian, who has been in the business 23 years and his father, 51. "No matter what or how long it takes, we are never satisfied until we find out the answer," he added. "When a professional loses that interest and inquisitive nature to better himself and his chosen career, then it is time for him to find something else." In addition, Don Sr. said, the success of the practice can also be traced in keeping up with and having on hand, the latest veterinarian equipment to go along with that knowledge. Don, Jr. said many father-son professional teams are not able to pull off working together in the same business, at the same time and in the same location, but they follow one simply rule to resolve any differences, whichever one can prove it is right. "Dad and I can disagree on something, but there is never any emotional baggage which comes out of any disagreements," he said. "Once the disagreement is over, nothing attached to it ever lingers." Although he said the practice endeavors to keep felines and canines healthy through its enhanced wellness program of diet, increased exercise and regular physical examines, the surgical procedures he and his father have performed have gone from the regular removal of tumors and lesions in pets to others which have been quite extraordinary. "I guess I have performed more than 10,000 surgical procedures on animals," Don, Jr. said. "However, I consider each, as my father does, of primary importance to this practice because that surgery is of primary importance to that animal's owner and we hope to convey that same personal concern to the owners." Asked to define a successful businessperson, this father-son team agreed it lies in a constant quest to improve one's knowledge and skills. "The foundation of any business success, regardless of its nature, is a person's desire of that individual to do his best," Don, Jr. said. "If I know I have done that, then I am satisfied, both as a professional and as a person."