Caring Hands Animal Hospital

Your pet means the world to you. That means the world to us. And when it comes to love, only the best will do. We use cutting edge diagnostics to stay ahead of health issues. We are one of the fewer than 15% of animal hospitals who are AAHA accredited

Caring Hands Animal Hospital opened its doors in the fall of 2007. While working at and managing various animal hospitals in northern Florida, Dr. Leslie saw that pet owners are most concerned about how much veterinarians and staff care about them and their pets. She observed that often veterinary care givers became hurried and even callous towards the needs of the clients and their pets. The name Caring Hands was chosen to help remind us all about why we are really in this profession. The facility in Lake City is a bit of a local historical landmark in that it was originally a Pizza Hut constructed in the 1970’s. Most long-time residents of Lake City, including Dr. Leslie, remember eating pizza in this building. When the new Pizza Hut was built closer to the interstate, the building served as a Mexican restaurant for a time before sitting vacant for a couple of years. Dr. Leslie purchased the building from the original owner, Mr. Ansbacher, who at one time had 33 Pizza Huts in northern Florida. After extensive remodeling and a 21-foot addition, Caring Hands Animal Hospital emerged from the construction dust. Caring Hands Animal Hospital became accredited by The American Animal Hospital Association in 2008, just 6 months after opening and the first accredited hospital within a 40-mile radius. The AAHA standards we follow and the equipment within allow us to offer high quality care to our clients, but it’s really our attitude that sets us apart from the other hospitals in the area. In 2018, Dr. Leslie and partners decided to purchase a second location in Live Oak, FL which was formerly Live Oak Animal Clinic. The name was changed to Caring Hands of Live Oak and the facility gained AAHA accreditation in 2019. Clients will often see Dr. Leslie and familiar staff members at both locations since doctors and staff are shared between clinics

Mission — helping them live the longest, happiest life possible is our mission. We are dedicated to finding the answers that matter