Trusted Veterinary Care for Every Pet
Lakewood Animal Hospital is led by licensed veterinarian Dr. Michael Miller, as well as a compassionate and enthusiastic team, dedicated to the health and wellbeing of pets in the Morris, Illinois area. Whether it’s dogs and cats or more exotic pets, we’re committed to quality care, service, and veterinary expertise on behalf of your animals.
Introduction to Our Practice
At Lakewood Animal Hospital, we understand how much you love your pets. Our goal is to support that important human-animal bond by helping you keep your pets healthy. Beyond first rate medical care, we strive to make our clinic welcoming, low-stress, family-friendly, and comfortable so that we can be the vet you and your pets enjoy visiting! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to text or email us, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
Our team emphasizes preventative health care while also providing urgent care appointments as well as routine surgical and dentistry procedures. From the first day you bring your new pet home, we encourage ongoing preventative care personalized to your pet’s lifestyle — including wellness exams, vaccines, parasite preventions, and labwork screenings — to promote optimal health and protect against threatening, preventable conditions. We are also here to help when your pet encounters health issues. From treating ear infections and seasonal skin allergies to long-term management of medical conditions like arthritis or diabetes, we enjoy helping you keep your pets happy and healthy. When the time comes to say goodbye to your beloved pet, we are here to help you provide comfort and relieve suffering through compassionate and peaceful end-of-life care.
Our vision is to help you and your pets have a better day whenever you visit our practice. Again, if you have any questions, please contact us via text message, phone call, or email.
Our History
In June of 1951, Dwight Veterinary Clinic opened its doors under the ownership of Dr. Robert K. Gay. At this time, the practice was predominately related to livestock. However, with the change in agricultural practices during the late 1950’s, Dr. Gay’s practice gradually shifted to treating companion animals.
In 1975, Dr. Gay opened Pine Bluff Animal Hospital and expanded the practice to six veterinarians. At this time, the practice was 60% small animal and 40% large animal. A new partnership was formed in 1999 with four veterinarian co-owners, and the practice now solely focused on small animal care.
To better serve the pets and pet owners of Morris, Illinois, Lakewood Animal Hospital opened its doors in 1992. The practice added its fourth location in 2011, Skinner Animal Clinic in Wilmington, Illinois.
To allow for the retirement of 3 of the veterinarian business partners, in 2015 ownership was transferred to a new partnership. In 2023, the four veterinarian partners elected to split up the ownership so that the doctor practicing at each of the four locations would obtain ownership of their location, and at that time Dr. Michael Miller became the owner of Lakewood Animal Hospital.
R. Todd Gay, DVM
Dr. R. Todd Gay retired in September of 2016 after working with our practice for 33 years. In retirement he has enjoyed traveling and spending time with his family.
Dr. R. Todd Gay received his Bachelor of Science Degree with honors from Eastern Illinois University in 1979 and obtained his DVM at the University of Illinois in 1983 with honors. He joined our practice the same year.
Throughout his career he was a member of the American Veterinary Medicine Association, the American Animal Hospital Association, the American Heartworm Society, and the Cornell Feline Health Center. We appreciate everything he did for our practice and miss his presence in our hospital.
