Meet Geraldine Diethelm | Veterinarian and licenced Veterinary Acupuncturist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Geraldine Diethelm and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Geraldine, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
The most important factor behind our success is quality. Offering the complete package of great service/customer care, from the receptionists to the animal caregivers and technicians, kennel staff and veterinarians. Clients need to feel welcomed like family and know that they can call or email with questions and hear back from us in a reasonable amount of time. Quality medical care, with the ability to run further diagnostics in house such as in-depth labwork, xrays with immediate analysis, ultrasound and surgical care with overnight observation by competent and qualified staff. Also having the option of alternative medical care (which is where I come in), with acupuncture, massage, veterinary medical manipulation and laser therapy as well as herbal therapy. The other is truly caring and being proud of what you do and stand for. You cannot run a good business if your heart is not in it.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
We built up a Veterinary Hospital from a 2 doctor Clinic to an 8 doctor emergency and referral hospital, moving from at 2700sqft building to a 6000sqft building that we gutted and rebuilt into a state of the art care facility. It had 5 exam rooms, a separate, quiet acupuncture room, large treatment area with enclosed ICU and oxygen cages as well as a dental suite with dental xray, ultrasound, radiology unit and surgery suite. A room dedicated to contagious disease pets, the “isolation” room for puppies with kennel cough or parvo virus infection, or kittens with upper respiratory disease. And boarding kennels with wifi for owners to check in on their babies while away. All this did not come overnight. My husband and I started The Marathon Veterinary Hospital in 1998, and by 2011 we had outgrown our old building and had increased our staff from 6 full time employees to 15. We managed in the small building, but the move to the larger building was anticipated with great joy. We had to rebuild the new hospital and it took about a year. The last few months were agonizing, like waiting for Christmas when you know your extra special present is just sitting under the tree and you can’t play with it yet! When we finally moved we almost lost ourselves in all the space! Within a few years though we added over 20 more employees as we added additional services.

Our big goal is to always do your best, offer the best while giving client options in how to care for their pet. Financially the best is not always possible. So we offered reasonable financing options to help with this. It is amazing how this helped with animal care.

Lead by example. Work hard, treat those around you with respect and equality. We were always accessible, whether for case discussions in the middle of the night or when personal issues came up with staff, we were there for them. If you are not a team player, those around you will not be. Again, we never asked anyone to do something that we would not do ourselves or haven’t done ourselves.

Love your job! Every job has it’s ugly, unappealing side, but that’s life. As long as you love what you do, you will be able to master the hard times, be successful and joyful.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We are in the Florida Keys, so you are surrounded by nature and water. And usually sunshine. Just hanging out on our back porch, laying in the hammock or going for a kayak and snorkeling is a great vacation in and of itself. For the fishermen/women friends, we organize day trips with local guides and then enjoy the fruits of their labor that evening! For reef snorkeling or diving, Looe Key, Sombrero Lighthouse or Pennecamp are great options and in the summer, the water tends to be calmer and clearer. In Marathon we have the Turtle Hospital, a must-see if you want to learn all about sea turtles, The Aquarium, where you can swim with some beautiful reef fish (if you can’t get out on the open water), pet rays and feed sharks, and the Dolphin Research Center (behavioural research on the effects of dolphin on people with PTSD or disabilities). In Key West of course you will never run out of attractions, from the oldest Aquarium in Florida, to the Hemmingway house to the Butterfly Conservatory and the Mel Fisher Museum. We love to tour the Monroe County Sherrif’s Farm with Farmer Jeanne. And on Big Pine Key we always go to the Blue Hole to look for alligators and waterbirds nesting over the water. Easy, family friendly meals are always good at Boondocks, with a little mini-golf afterwards. Or The Island or Keys Fisheries for fresh seafood. Really, there are so many choices for nice meals.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My amazing husband, Douglas Mader. He came back out of retirement to join me in building an amazing Veterinary Referral Center and Animal Hospital. Without him, this would not have been possible. We are a team. And of course all our staff that supported us throughout the years at the Marathon Veterinary Hospital. We always looked at them as family, and they still are, even now that we are retired.