Amherst Animal Clinic
Your Local Partner for Every Step, Every Generation
Full-spectrum vet in Williamsville, NY, including reproduction, rehabilitation, and surgery.
Welcome to Pathways Animal Hospital!
Compassionate, Comprehensive Veterinary Care in Williamsville, NY
When Dr. Claudia Gray, DVM came back to Williamsville after veterinary school, she wasn’t looking for a market. She was coming home. The Amherst animal clinic she built reflects that: a privately owned, woman-led practice designed around the specific needs of the Western New York pet community she grew up in.
Pathways Animal Hospital brings together preventative health care, medical and surgical services, reproductive medicine, and rehabilitation so pet families here have access to the kind of care that usually requires driving to a major medical center. As an Amherst vet rooted in this community for over two decades, Dr. Gray and her medical team are here because this neighborhood is where they have always belonged.
Why Choose Us
The People Behind Your Pet’s Care Have Been Here For Years, Some For Decades
The support staff here isn’t a revolving door of new hires. Charleen has managed the practice for years. Jessica, a licensed veterinary technician, has been part of this team since 2013, with roots tracing back to 2000. These practice experts bring relevant care grounded in real history with the patients they serve. Stable, experienced hands in veterinary medicine make a difference your pet can feel, and the people handling them during physical exams already know them.
Reproductive Medicine Built Around Breeders, Not Borrowed From A Textbook
Most breeders in Western New York have navigated a fragmented referral system when something goes wrong. This Amherst vet consolidates it: in-house progesterone testing, transcervical insemination (TCI), semen cryopreservation with samples stored over 25 years, and prenatal support, from a team where two of three doctors focus directly on reproductive medicine. As a Certified Zoetis Freeze Center, the practice handles dog and cat care at a level of reproductive complexity most general practices simply can’t match.
The Way This Team Shows Up For A Nervous Pet Says More Than Any Review
There’s a dog who comes in twice a week for wound rebandaging. The staff makes custom bandage art for him: Cookie Monster, an underwater scene, champagne and fireworks for New Year’s. That’s not a policy, it’s just who these people are. This is furbaby care that sees the whole animal, not just the condition. The practice is housed in a warm, home-style building with a front desk that offers the kind of veterinary attention that slows down when it needs to.
Keeping Your Pet’s Care In One Place Has Real Advantages For Your Wallet And Time
Referrals cost money, cost time, and put your pet through an unfamiliar environment on top of an existing health issue. On-site digital radiography, ultrasound, digital dental X-rays for thorough dental care, and a full In-House Laboratory cover the medical care needs that would otherwise send you elsewhere. The surgical suite handles both soft tissue and orthopedic procedures, offering medical and surgical services under one roof. Emergency care is available during business hours too; call ahead and the team prepares before you arrive.
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This Practice Offers Therapeutic Options Most General Clinics Don’t Carry
Acupuncture, companion laser therapy, an underwater treadmill, and an indoor swimming pool aren’t standard at most Amherst vet clinics. Here they’re part of a real therapeutic toolkit for pets managing mobility issues, recovering from orthopedic surgery, or dealing with chronic pain. These aren’t referral services; they’re delivered in-house by the same medical team handling your pet’s preventative care. It’s an integrative approach to veterinary medicine that supports your pet’s health and well-being across the full arc of their life.
Our Veterinary Services
- Preventive Care
- Reproduction Services
- Bloodwork
- Puppy Vaccination
- Conditioning & Rehabilitation
- Veterinary Care
Preventive Care
Regular preventive care is one of the simplest ways to give your pet a longer, happier life, and Pathways Animal Hospital makes it straightforward and stress-free. We get to know your pet personally, using exams and lab work to track their health over time and flag anything unusual early. Paired with imaging technology like ultrasounds and X-rays, we build a complete health picture unique to your pet.
Should your pet ever need surgical care, our team is fully equipped to help, handling everything from everyday dentistry and spays and neuters to more involved abdominal and soft tissue procedures. As your go-to Amherst veterinary clinic, we believe continuity of care matters, so the same familiar team that sees your pet for wellness visits is the one supporting them through every stage of their health journey.
Reproduction Services
Bringing healthy animals into the world takes more than good intentions. It takes precise planning and the right diagnostics from the start. We help breeders build a solid foundation through DNA testing, blood work, and Breeding Soundness Exams that evaluate whether an animal is truly ready for reproduction and meets breed club requirements. OFA evaluations and clearances are also available to support a thorough, standards-compliant process.
One thing that makes us a trusted Amherst vet for breeders is our in-house progesterone testing machine, which produces same-day hormone results without the wait of sending samples out. That speed lets us accurately identify peak breeding windows and make informed decisions around C-section timing. Pathways Animal Hospital combines fast, reliable lab capabilities with hands-on expertise so your breeding program gets the support it deserves.
Bloodwork
What’s happening inside your pet’s body isn’t always visible during an exam, and that’s exactly why bloodwork plays such a vital role in their care. Our on-site lab runs comprehensive panels covering organ function, hormone levels, and key health markers, all with same-day results that keep your pet’s care moving without unnecessary delays. As your Amherst veterinarian, we make sure every result is reviewed thoroughly so nothing important slips through the cracks.
Pathways Animal Hospital offers a full range of in-house bloodwork, including specialized testing like progesterone diagnostics that many clinics send out to external labs. Keeping everything on-site means faster answers and a more connected care experience for both you and your pet. Whether it’s a routine wellness panel or a targeted diagnostic, our team uses every result as a tool to stay one step ahead of your pet’s health needs.
Puppy Vaccination Timelines and Medication Education
A puppy’s early health journey involves more moving parts than most new owners expect, and we think clarity makes all the difference. Our team builds a vaccination schedule tailored to your puppy’s breed, size, and lifestyle, pairing it with straightforward guidance on preventive medications so you always know what’s coming next. Puppy vaccination timelines and medication education go hand in hand, and we make sure both are easy to understand from day one.
Pathways Animal Hospital takes a hands-on approach to owner education because a well-informed owner is one of the greatest assets a young pet can have. Our Amherst vet team explains the reasoning behind every recommended vaccine and medication, including proper dosing and what to expect as your puppy grows. You leave each visit with real, practical knowledge that helps you make confident decisions for your pet at every stage.
Conditioning & Rehabilitation
Some dogs need more than rest to recover, and others need more than a daily walk to truly thrive. Our Amherst vet team works with all kinds of canine patients through our conditioning & rehabilitation program, from injured dogs rebuilding strength to overweight pets easing into regular movement to elite athletes maintaining peak performance. Every plan is built around what that specific dog needs, not a one-size-fits-all approach.
What makes Pathways Animal Hospital uniquely positioned to deliver that care is our on-site indoor swimming pool and underwater treadmill, a combination unavailable at any other facility in the area. When winter limits outdoor activity, owners bring their dogs in to keep moving, and a single treadmill session rivals the workout of an hour-long hike. Our staff and clients compete with dogs at national and international levels, so the connection to the sports dog community isn’t just a talking point; it’s woven into how we work every day.
Full-Service Veterinary Care
Your pet’s health needs don’t follow a predictable path, and having a practice that can meet them wherever they are makes a real difference. We offer full-service veterinary care spanning wellness visits, sick pet appointments, chronic condition management, senior bloodwork, and therapeutic services like laser treatments and ear infection care. Pathways Animal Hospital is designed so that your pet’s entire health journey, routine or complex, is handled by a team that already knows them.
Rehabilitation modalities that benefit both competitive sporting dogs and everyday household companions sit alongside preventive and diagnostic services, creating a genuinely connected care experience. Our Amherst vet specialists see each visit as part of a bigger picture, one where supporting the human-animal bond is just as important as treating the condition in front of us. That perspective shapes how we care for every pet and every family who trusts us with their animals.
Meet the Doctor
Dr. Claudia Gray, DVM is a Williamsville native who went to school here, built her career here, and deliberately came back here. After earning her DVM from The Ohio State University in 2000 and returning to the Buffalo area in 2003, she built a practice shaped by the specific people and animals of this community. She is a past president of the Niagara Frontier Veterinary Society and a member of the AVMA, NYSVMS, WNYVMA, and the Society for Theriogenology.
Joining her are Dr. Amanda Donovan, DVM, whose career has centered on reproductive medicine and supporting breeders through complex cases with compassionate service, and Dr. Abigail Carr, DVM, a former zookeeper with a master’s in zoo conservation biology who brings depth in animal behavior and dermatology that shapes how the whole practice approaches care. Behind all three doctors is a support team: licensed veterinary technicians, veterinary assistants, and client service staff, whose collective tenure reflects the same stability that defines the practice as a whole.
Our Mission
Some veterinary practices treat every pet the same way. This one doesn’t. Dr. Claudia Gray, DVM built Pathways Animal Hospital to reflect something she learned early in her career: the best veterinary care is personal. It accounts for who your pet is, what your family’s situation looks like, and what level of care actually makes sense right now.
That means the team takes time: time to explain blood profiles in plain language, time to walk through what a diagnosis means for your pet’s day-to-day life, time to answer the question you weren’t sure was worth asking. Preventive and healing care that truly works starts with a team that listens first. Building lasting relationships with animal lovers and their companion animals isn’t a tagline here; it’s how this practice has operated since day one, and it’s why local pets and their people have kept coming back for over twenty years.
Vet in Amherst NY Who Built Their Reputation One Difficult Case at a Time
This is a practice built by someone who never left, and that matters. Dr. Claudia Gray, DVM has spent years earning the trust of the Western New York pet community one family at a time. When you’re ready to work with an Amherst vet who is genuinely here to support you and your pet, the front desk is available at 716.936.8387 during business hours, Monday through Friday and select Saturdays, ready to get your pet on the schedule. This is veterinary care rooted in the neighborhood, built on pet care that lasts, and available when you need it most.
FAQs
Does the practice offer alternative therapies like acupuncture?
Acupuncture is available alongside companion laser therapy, hydrotherapy with an underwater treadmill, and recreational swim sessions. These options suit pets managing pain, recovering from surgery, or dealing with conditions where conventional medication alone isn’t the full answer. The team takes an integrative view: your pet’s care plan can draw from both traditional and complementary therapies based on what actually fits their situation. It’s worth raising at your next visit if you think it could help.
What can I do between visits to stay on top of my pet's health?
The Client Center on the practice website includes an online pharmacy for managing prescriptions and a Pet Education Center covering preventative health care topics by life stage. Beyond the website, the front desk team is available by phone during business hours and treats questions between visits as part of the job. Your pet’s health and well-being doesn’t have to wait for the next scheduled appointment, and this team makes sure you always have a way to stay informed between visits.
How does the practice handle pets facing serious illness or end-of-life care?
Chemotherapy and palliative care are available for pet families navigating cancer diagnoses or conditions where quality of life has become the priority. The team approaches these conversations with the same directness that defines the rest of the practice, giving you honest information to make decisions that are right for your family, not pushing a treatment plan that serves the clinic. A medical team that already knows your pet makes a meaningful difference during the hardest visits.
What does a typical wellness visit actually cover?
A wellness visit here isn’t a quick scan and a vaccine. Physical exams include a nose-to-tail evaluation alongside a review of any changes you’ve noticed at home. Depending on your pet’s age and history, the visit may include blood profiles, intestinal parasite detection, and dental cleanings relevant to their life stage. The goal is to catch things early and build a longitudinal record that makes every future visit more useful than the last.
What makes this practice a good fit for breeders specifically?
The practice functions more like a working partner for breeders than a drop-in clinic. In-house progesterone testing, TCI, semen cryopreservation with samples maintained over 25 years, and two reproduction-focused doctors on staff mean breeders aren’t navigating a learning curve at every visit. As a Certified Zoetis Freeze Center, the practice understands what’s at stake in a breeding cycle. Regional specialty hospitals refer their reproductive clients here, a professional endorsement built on consistent results.
