Dr. Richard Gesell's path to veterinary medicine began a little differently than most. Raised on a horse farm in southern Maryland, he earned a degree in Paramedicine from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and worked as a firefighter/paramedic in Maryland and North Carolina. Looking for an opportunity to grow beyond human healthcare and drawn back to the animals he had grown up around, he returned to school and earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2006.
After graduation, Dr. Gesell moved to Northeast Texas, where he spent several years working primarily as a dairy veterinarian. In 2010, he joined a mixed-animal practice in Quitman, Texas, where his interests increasingly shifted toward small animal medicine, surgery, anesthesia, and feline medicine.
Dr. Gesell has completed Fear Free certification training and is USDA accredited. He maintains active membership in the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), Texas Veterinary Medical Association (TVMA), Independent Veterinary Practitioners Association (IVPA), Association of Exotic Mammal Veterinarians (AEMV), and American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association (AHVMA). He is also active with Christian Veterinary Mission (CVM), reflecting the role his faith plays in both his personal life and his approach to serving others through veterinary medicine.
Today, surgery is Dr. Gesell's primary clinical passion. He enjoys everything from routine procedures to exploratory surgeries, C-sections, and orthopedic procedures, particularly when surgery provides an opportunity to solve a problem and make an immediate difference in a patient's life. His interest in anesthesia, which began during his years as a paramedic, naturally complements his surgical focus.
Dr. Gesell describes his overall approach to medicine as conservative and practical. He prefers to start with the basics, work through a problem step by step, and then consider the patient's long-term health. His interest in nutrition has also led him to explore approaches beyond conventional veterinary medicine. He incorporates nutrition, supplements, and herbal therapies when appropriate while continuing to use traditional medicine and surgery. For him, the goal isn't to choose between different philosophies of medicine—it's to determine what combination makes the most sense for the individual patient.
That same philosophy applies to working with pet owners. Dr. Gesell believes the owner is an important member of the healthcare team. His responsibility is to explain what he believes is the best medical recommendation, but he also recognizes that there is rarely only one possible path forward. He wants owners to ask questions and participate in decisions so the veterinary team can develop a plan that considers both the needs of the pet and the needs of the family.
In 2013, Dr. Gesell and his wife, Dr. Kristina Gesell, felt called by God to find a place where they could practice veterinary medicine together. The opportunity to purchase Acton Animal Hospital was the right fit, and after welcoming their first child, they knew Granbury was where they wanted to build their family and their future.
That family remains a major part of Acton today. Drs. Richard and Kristina Gesell practice alongside one another, and their daughter, Amelia, works alongside them as part of the hospital team. For Dr. Gesell, one of his greatest accomplishments has been watching both his family and the Acton team grow together.
That experience has shaped Acton into a team-centered rather than doctor-centered hospital. Team members are extensively trained in both veterinary medicine and client service and are empowered to use their skills to the fullest extent of their roles. Clients may spend as much time communicating with a veterinary technician or assistant as they do with a veterinarian. The goal is for the entire team to understand the medicine, communicate consistently, and work together to care for the patient and the person attached to them.
Teaching is an important part of that philosophy. Dr. Gesell enjoys helping develop future veterinary professionals, including high school students completing veterinary assistant training, pre-veterinary students from Tarleton State University, veterinary students completing clinical experiences, and members of the Acton team.
Acton also works with local animal and community organizations, including Hood County Animal Control, Friends for Animals, Happy Kats, Lambs Haven, and Hood County Animal Hovers. The Gesell family is also involved with StoneWater Church.
Away from the hospital, Dr. Gesell enjoys woodworking and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu—a sport his daughter introduced him to and that he began after turning 50. At home, the Gesell family currently shares life with two dogs—a Sheepadoodle and a Great Pyrenees—nine cats, chickens, and fish. In true veterinary-family fashion, not every pet arrived through careful planning; one of their cats simply followed Amelia home from the bank next door and decided to stay.
After more than two decades in veterinary medicine, Dr. Gesell remains interested in challenging the assumptions of how veterinary practices are supposed to operate. He looks both inside and outside veterinary medicine for better ways to care for patients, serve clients, develop team members, and grow the practice.
Ultimately, though, his measure of success is much simpler: the lives Acton has touched and the relationships it has built.
For Dr. Gesell, veterinary medicine is about serving people through their pets and fulfilling Acton's mission every day:
We make a difference.