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There will be new guidelines for animals travelling to the U.S. as of August 1st, 2024.

The CDC is currently updating its guidelines for Canadians.

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meet Our Veterinarians

Take a minute to get to know the veterinarians at our clinic.


Dr. Stephen Hess, DVM – Veterinarian

Dr. Stephen Hess is the owner of the Acton Veterinary Clinic.  He graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College in 1985, having earlier received his BSc from the University of Guelph. With over 35 years of experience helping many breeds of animals, Dr. Hess brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in private practice. 

He is an experienced surgeon and has performed thousands of pediatric/ adult, eye/ear, tumor removals and orthopaedic surgeries.  Dr. Hess also has a keen interest in solving medical cases with an "old school" approach while keeping a modern outlook. Having been in veterinary medicine for such an extensive time, he has seen just about everything.

Dr. Hess loves working with clients, his staff and of course, the animals.

Dr.  Hess is a family man to his 6 children and granddaughter.  When not at the clinic, which is rare, you can find him and his wife Janet on a local golf course (with his cell phone on).

Dr. Stephen Hess

Dr. Ashely Farberman

Dr. Ashley Farberman, DVM – Veterinarian

Dr. Ashley Farberman grew up north of Toronto where at an early age, she developed a love for dogs, cats and horses. With her passion for science, Dr. Ashley dreamed of becoming a veterinarian. She received her Master's Degree in Animal Science from the University of Guelph and then graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College in 2012. Dr. Ashley enjoys many aspects of veterinary medicine including preventative medicine and dentistry.

Dr. Ashley lives on a small hobby farm with her husband Shawn, their three children and their two dogs, Oona and Ozzy. With her kids and dogs in tow, she enjoys doing arts and crafts, hiking and gardening.

Dr. Ashley loves meeting new people and hopes to share a great relationship with her clients and their furry friends.

Dr. Stephan Gajadhar

DR. STEPHAN GAJADHAR, DVM - VETERINARIAN

Dr. Stephan joined the Acton Veterinary Clinic in 2021. He has been practicing Veterinary medicine for approximately 8 years before joining the wonderful team here at AVC. Having initially graduated from the University of the West Indies in the Caribbean and then subsequently doing the licensure process for North America a few years later, he has gotten a lot of interesting exposures to many various types of clinical cases from across the globe.

When not working, Dr. Stephan enjoys swimming, rock climbing, hiking and board games. He is very serious about his work and tends to be a goofball about everything else. He currently lives in Guelph with his wife and two dogs.

Dr. Stephan enjoys chatting to clients and looks forward to talking your ear off about whatever is ailing your pet. He really likes to deconstruct cases down to their bare bones and goes through things with clients in a stepwise manner. You will usually be leaving an appointment a little more enlightened and will also likely have a bit of reading material to look back on as well.

Dr. Devanshi Shah

DR. DEVANSHI SHAH, DVM - VETERINARIAN

Dr. Devanshi Shah graduated with her Veterinary Degree abroad during COVID in 2020. Once returning to Canada, she began seeking a Volunteer Veterinary Shadow position to prepare for the North American Veterinary License Exam (NAVLE). Shortly after beginning her volunteer position, she was asked to work full time as a Veterinary Technician with the Acton Veterinary Clinic. Dr. Devanshi is an outstanding member of our team, and it has been a joy watching her grow her Veterinary skills. She has since passed her NAVLE and is now a veterinarian completing her internship with us.

Dr. Dev has dreamed of becoming a veterinarian since she was in elementary school. She has a great love of animals, and is wonderful with clients, she is also fluent in multiple languages! She is instrumental in the treatment and care of our emergency cases and is also developing a strong surgical skill set with the help of her very experienced mentor Dr. Hess.

Outside of the clinic she is a full-time dog mom for her Husky Stark. She enjoys travelling, being outside in the summer and spending time with her family and friends.