Tim Paladino likes things in multiples. At home, he’s got triplets and twins, ages 4 and 6 respectively. (That doesn’t add up to a “bajillion,” which is how he described their number, but it’s plenty.)
At work, Paladino has occasion to deal with sextuplets — or more. The owner of Allpets Animal Hospital at 2102 N. McKinley St. and, just recently, a satellite office in Roland, is balancing T-ball with a 70-hour work week. He takes care of cats, dogs and what he calls “exotic stuff,” including snakes, rabbits, reptiles, “and a fair amount of avians.” He doesn’t do venomous reptiles. If your rattlesnake has a mouth infection (one man’s complaint), slither elsewhere.
When Paladino, 42, graduated from Louisiana State University’s veterinary school 15 years ago, animal medicine was a different ball of fur. Today, Paladino has his own ultrasound equipment and can run his own labs, a departure from the past. Medicines are better, too.
Paladino’s pet peeve: Don’t drive with your dog in the back of your truck. He said he can’t count the number of dogs he’s seen with fractures, or worse, from falls from trucks (especially grim for leashed dogs). Do the duck hunter thing: Get a carrier.
Being a vet isn’t the easiest career choice. People are hugely attached to their pets, especially when they’re their lone companion, and when he can’t help it’s hard. But the flip side includes puppies and kittens and making dogs well.
Little Rock is full of good vets, Paladino said. The best know that veterinary medicine is a “customer-oriented type of deal.” When you’re worried about your heart, a rude secretary seems inconsequential. Get rude service when you’re taking Fido in for his shots, and next year Fido will go elsewhere.
If the Best of Arkansas voters know what they’re talking about, Fido’s been faithful to Allpets.
— Leslie Newell Peacock