RICHARD PRATHER, DVM

Ellis County Animal Hospital Shattuck, Oklahoma

Dr. Richard Prather has spent his 37-year career in veterinary medicine working alongside his wife, Dr. Angie Prather, at Ellis County Animal Hospital in Shattuck, Oklahoma. With four small communities and zero stoplights in the county, Ellis County epitomizes rural America. It is a truly agricultural environment with farming and ranching as the staple income for most residents.

Dr. Prather and his colleagues strive to provide care and services that promote healthy animals and sustainable agriculture. He shared, “We are passionate about promoting the cow-calf segment of the industry and providing herd health practices that will attract and enable future generations to thrive in rural communities.”

Veterinary medicine has been a greater career than Dr. Prather could have ever imagined when he was starting out. He reflected, “Veterinary medicine has led to incredible relationships that have deeply rooted us into the rural way of life and created opportunities for our family to travel around the world.” He is particularly fond of the unexpected, unplanned, and unexplainable challenges of mixed animal practice, remarking, “The simple fact that there is no typical day is what endears us the most to mixed animal practice.”