Dr. Richard Gesell was raised in southern Maryland, and attended college at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, graduating with a degree in Paramedicine. After working as a paramedic in Maryland, and North Carolina, he decided to go back to school and become a veterinarian. He graduated from North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2006 and moved to North East Texas to work as a dairy veterinarian. In 2010, Dr Gesell joined a mixed animal veterinary practice in Quitman, Texas and developed an interest in small animal veterinary medicine and surgery, specifically in feline medicine, surgery, and anesthesia. In 2013, Drs. Gesell purchased the Acton Animal Hospital in Granbury Texas to continue a career in small animal medicine exclusively. The primary species Dr. Gesell works with are cats, dogs, and small mammals (exotics) such as rabbits, ferrets, rats, and guinea pigs.

Dr. Richard Gesell is married to his lovely wife Kristina, who is also a veterinarian and partner in Acton Animal Hospital. They have one daughter Amelia Grace. He also has 4-legged children consisting of two dogs and four cats.

Dr. Kristina Gesell grew up in Maryland outside of Washington, D.C. She attended college studying Pre-Veterinary medicine at the University of Findlay in Ohio. After graduating summa cum laude, Dr. Kristina Gesell entered veterinary college at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine graduating in 2001. Dr. Gesell practiced small animal veterinary medicine and surgery in a rural community in Fuquay Varina, NC. To continue to develop her knowledge and skills, she joined Veterinary Centers of America practicing in Cary, North Carolina and Dallas, Texas. She developed an interest in internal medicine and completed board certification with the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners specializing in canine/feline practice in 2011. She has developed a special interest in oncology and endocrinology. In 2013, Dr. Gesell purchased Acton Animal Hospital with her husband Dr. Richard Gesell.

Dr. Kristina Gesell is married to Richard and has a beautiful daughter (a veterinarian in the making) named Amelia Grace. She also has two dogs and four cats to round out the family. Her hobbies, when not working with animals, include quilting and knitting.

If you would like more information about the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners please click here.

Dr. Alyssa Coville is our part time associate veterinarian. She is a 2015 graduate of Auburn University in Alabama, but originally is from rural New York. Don’t be surprised, you won’t hear a New York accent, as she has also lived in Colorado, Nebraska, and Tennessee, before settling in Texas after vet school. Dr. Coville is married to Shane Durant of Granbury, and after spending the last couple years working in Fort Worth, she looks forward to continuing to provide high quality medicine in a more familial setting. While Dr. Coville is passionate about all aspects of veterinary medicine, she especially enjoys ophthalmology, dermatology, infectious disease, and surgery.

When not at work, she can be found riding her horses, tending to her chickens and garden, or just enjoying the outdoors with her dogs.