Slidell Veterinarians
Blaine J. Firmin, DVM, Owner
A Metarie, LA native, Dr. Blaine J. Firmin credits the time he spent during his childhood on both his maternal and paternal grandparents' farms with motivating him to pursue a career in veterinary medicine. "Between the two farms, they raised quail, ducks, chickens, hogs, cows, and horses," he recalls. "The farms taught me the care and respect it took to raise animals. I just used my education to go one step further."
Dr. Firmin served for six years in the United States Navy on the nuclear cruiser USS California. After the Navy, he attended the University of New Orleans, where he was a pre-med and biology major. Following his junior year, Dr. Firmin was accepted to Louisiana State University's School of Veterinary Medicine. He graduated in 1994 with his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine and purchased Slidell Veterinary Hospital in 2005.
For Dr. Firmin, it's the problem solving aspects of veterinary medicine that he finds the most rewarding. "Everyday is a new challenge and totally unique, so you have to make the solution fit the individual patient," he says.
Dr. Firmin is a member of the Southeast Louisiana Veterinary Association (as well as its past president), the Florida Parishes Veterinary Medical Association, the American Veterinary Medical Association, and the Louisiana Veterinary Medical Association. His professional interests include orthopedics, ophthalmology, and ear surgery.
When not working at the hospital, Dr. Firmin stays active in veterinary organizations. He also enjoys fishing and woodworking. He and his wife, Cheryl, have two sons: Christian, who is following his father's footsteps at LSU's School of Veterinary Medicine, and Jacob, who is 6 years old. The family has two pets at home: Cole, a black Labrador, and Demon, a grey tabby cat. Dr. Firmin also cares for Puff, his clinic cat, and a golden retriever named Stanley.
Ronald C. Francis, DVM
Dr. Ronald Francis founded Slidell Veterinary Hospital in 1962, and, although he sold the practice to Dr. Firmin in 2005, continues to bring his considerable experience and skill to our patient care.
Dr. Francis earned his bachelor's degree in animal science from Louisiana State University and his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine. He is a member of the Southeast Louisiana Veterinary Association, the Florida Parishes Veterinary Medical Association, the American Veterinary Medical Association, and the Louisiana Veterinary Medical Association. His areas of professional interest include dermatology and surgery.
Outside of the hospital, Dr. Francis enjoys fishing and watching Fox News. He has also been active in the Rotary for 50 years. He and his wife Joyce have five children and 14 grandchildren. They also care for four cats.
Martina Mahly, DVM
Beginning in childhood, Dr. Martina Mahly loved helping animals. "I would always pick up any sick, injured, or orphaned animal and hide it in my room to nurse it back to health until my mom would say, 'What's that smell?'," she says. "Then I would get busted and have to beg my mom to keep it."
For Dr. Mahly, a career in veterinary medicine was all she ever considered. "I just always knew it was what I wanted to do," she says. "When experience and hard work pay off and my patients get better, it makes my day."
Dr. Mahly attended the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and left after her junior year when she was accepted to veterinary school. She earned her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Louisiana State University's School of Veterinary Medicine in 1988. Dr. Mahly is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association and the Florida Parishes Veterinary Medical Association. She joined Slidell Veterinary Hospital in 2006.
In her free time, Dr. Mahly enjoys cycling, hiking in America's national parks, painting, and gardening. She is also a member of the Church of the King and the Crescent City Cyclists. Dr. Mahly has two cats: Winnie and Lil Black Kitty.
Robert C. Gros, DVM
Dr. Robert C. Gros has been an associate veterinarian with Slidell Veterinary Hospital since July 2008. Originally from New Orleans, Dr. Gros wanted to become a veterinarian ever since a compassionate veterinarian treated and saved his first puppy from distemper, even though Dr. Gros had very little money for payment.
While curing illness and returning happy, healthy pets to their parents are his greatest sources of satisfaction, it was Dr. Gros's brush with local fame that is one of the most memorable of his veterinary career. "Joey Heatherton, a singer and actress, flew into New Orleans to play at the Blue Room with a Yorkie puppy in her coat pocket," he recalls. "On arrival, the puppy started having seizures due to hypoglycemia. On an emergency call after midnight, I treated and saved her puppy. The incident made the paper. In the article she said, 'A very cute veterinarian saved my puppy.'"
Dr. Gros earned his bachelor's degree in veterinary science from Louisiana State University. He went on to Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine, where he earned his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 1972.
Dr. Gros is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Louisiana Veterinary Medical Association (past president), the Southeast Louisiana Veterinary Association, and the South Mississippi Veterinary Medical Association. He is also a past member of the Louisiana Animal Welfare Commission and an alternate delegate representing Louisiana in the American Veterinary Medical Association. His areas of professional interest include soft tissue surgery and dentistry.
In his spare time, Dr. Gros enjoys travel, photography, boating, and fishing. He and his wife Gerri have two daughters, Stephanie and Kimberley, and four grandchildren. They also have a cat, Jumper.
Joseph William Greely, DVM
Dr. Greely always knew he wanted to have a medical career and it was his time spent working in a veterinary hospital while in college that led him to devoting his life to animal care. "It was really the profession that chose me," he says, "not the other way around."
Dr. Greely grew up in Baton Rouge and received his bachelor's degree in animal sciences from Louisiana State University in 2007. He went on to Louisiana State University's School of Veterinary Medicine, where he earned his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 2012.
"Surgery is the most satisfying part of being a veterinarian," he says. "Whether it's dental, orthopedic, or soft tissue surgery, the ability to significantly improve the quality of life for both my patients and clients is very gratifying."
One of Dr. Greely's most memorable experiences involved a cat, who was once friendly but had not been affectionate towards his owner for years. "It was difficult to examine him, but I noticed significant gingivitis and advised a dental prophylaxis," Dr. Greely recalls. Radiographs revealed an abscessed canine, which was extracted. When the cat returned to the hospital two weeks later for a re-check, his owner was amazed at how affectionate he had again become. "To this day, I will never forget how profound dental pain can be and how proper treatment can significantly change the quality of life for both my patients and their owners," Dr. Greely says.
Dr. Greely is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association and the Louisiana Veterinary Medical Association. His professional interests include dentistry, dermatology, soft tissue and orthopedic surgery. He joined Slidell Veterinary Hospital in December 2013.
Outside work, Dr. Greely enjoys rooting for all the LSU sports, especially the football team, trying different restaurants, and playing racquetball. He is married to Rachel Anne Greely and together they care for three domestic shorthair cats, Mogley, Mister Kittles, and Franklin, and two dogs, a pit bull named Shiva, and a pit bull mix named Hera.