Dr. Schwartz's Farewell Letter

To my dear clients,

I’m writing to inform you all of my upcoming retirement from clinical work and seeing patients. My last day will be at the end of May.

After thirty-five years since graduating from veterinary school and forty-nine years since starting my first job in a vet clinic, it is time to start a new dedication. I have devoted myself wholeheartedly to the compassionate care of my patients, I have been witness to great innovations in my profession and I am excited for the future both personally and professionally. I’m not retiring from the veterinary profession altogether, as I will serve the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine on The Dean’s Advisory Council. I will be involved in getting students into the school and have endowed a scholarship to help them get through school. After graduation, I will mentor new veterinarians and hope to be instrumental in expanding class size, since we desperately need more veterinarians nationwide.

I would like to thank my staff for all of their help and service throughout the many years that we’ve worked together. Lisa and Michael have been with me from the very beginning and will continue to serve our clients and patients as they always have. I owe them both a huge debt of gratitude. Maggie, Victor, Selida and Rick have also been a very important part of the clinic and have cared for the patients as if they were their own. They, along with the rest of the staff, have become an extension of my family and have served all of your families as well. Most importantly, I would like to thank my family. My wife and two daughters have supported me through all of the joys and heartaches that my profession brings with it. I am very happy to be able to spend more time with them in the coming years.

You can feel confident in my staff of doctors going forward. They have devoted their lives to helping the clients and pets just as I have. Drs. Lee, Forsythe, Bhuta and Park are all the future of veterinary medicine. I’m very pleased to announce the addition of Dr. Esmerelda Cano who will be joining our team in March. Please help us in welcoming her next time you’re at the clinic.

We have all weathered the storm of the pandemic and I’m pleased to say that my health remains good despite everything that we’ve gone through. Our Hospital Manager, Cristina Pendergraft, joined us about 8 months into the pandemic and was instrumental in keeping all of us safe and protected.  This has not been an easy couple of years for you, or us, and I greatly appreciate your confidence and trust as you’ve stood by us through it all. I thank you for that.

I wish you all health and prosperity,LA Schwartz, DVM