The crew at Guthrie County Veterinary Clinic includes Dr. Doug Frels, Dr. Donna Paglialunga, Dr. Abby Frels, Anna Wilson, Clint Frels, Dr. William Frels, Shelby Gustin, Jorja Hoover, Brittney Lyon, Brianna Rutherford and Kennidi Patrick.
Every day is different in their business.
By Rich Wicks | Guthrie Center Times
If you go to the Guthrie County Veterinary Clinic and ask for Dr. Frels, you’ll need to be more specific. All four of the veterinarians at the clinic are related. Dr. Doug Frels and his wife, Dr. Donna Paglialunga, started the clinic, and have since been joined by their son, Dr. William Frels and his wife, Dr. Abby Frels.
William recently took time to explain his path in becoming a veterinarian in Guthrie Center. Growing up with parents who are both veterinarians, William was around the practice and the animals, but he doesn’t remember a specific moment when he decided to follow in his parents’ career footsteps.
“I definitely always saw it as an option. As I grew up, I saw the good and the bad, but I decided when I was in college,” William said.
The Guthrie County Veterinary Clinic is located at 2305 Maple Ave. in Guthrie Center.
In 2015, William graduated from Iowa State University with a bachelor’s degree in animal science and a minor in agronomy. He then went on to the ISU College of Veterinary Medicine, graduating in 2019. Along the way, he met another veterinary student, Abby, and the couple is now married and has one young son.
William explained that this path has obvious similarities to his parents’ path.
“My parents met in veterinary school at Ohio State University, and they ended up in Guthrie Center,” William said. “My parents went out on their own about 1998. They started the practice, and this building has been here since 2005.”
William described the two main types of services that are involved in operating a veterinary clinic in farming country.
“We’re probably close to 50/50 taking care of small animals, mostly cats and dogs, and then another 50% would be the large animals. In this area, it’s predominantly beef cattle,” William said. “I do a lot of the cattle work, and I also do some small animal when necessary. We’re a true mixed practice.”
One of the small animal services the clinic provides is cat boarding and dog boarding.
“The dogs and cats are kept separately, obviously,” William said. “The kennels have in-floor heat, and we have a large fenced-in yard for the dogs to run. It’s pretty busy this time of year with people going on vacation.”
The clinic offers another service for smaller animals.
“For small animals, we offer laser surgery. That can reduce inflammation. That’s an option that not all clinics have,” William said.
The clinic is located at 2305 Maple Ave., just across the road from the county fairgrounds. William said the clinic supports the Guthrie County Fair and the Iowa State Fair and provides some services for animals large and small that are being taken to the fairs.
“For 4-H and FFA, if they’re going to the State Fair, we write health papers for things like that,” William said. “We like to support those young people, and for a few years, my wife has judged the pet show at the county fair.”
Regarding livestock, William said there’s a clear philosophy.
“We like to be a valuable part of the producer’s team in livestock production,” William said. “On the large animal side, we’re pretty traditional there. We offer on-farm services, and we also have a haul-in facility, and we offer reproductive ultrasound on beef cattle.”
Although four veterinarians in one clinic may sound excessive, William explained.
“We’re the only veterinary clinic in Guthrie Center. Other clinics would be at least 20 miles away,” he said.
Though the bulk of the practice is dealing with large livestock and cats/dogs, the clinic does deal with other creatures at times.
“We do work for some producers that have elk,” William said. “And the most unusual animal I’ve worked on was a tortoise. Every day is different in this business.”