Steve Pelton, DVM

Dr. Steve Pelton is a General Practitioner and the owner of Hearthstone Animal Clinic since August of 2007.

Dr. Pelton was born in Churchville Chili, New York, and moved to Kingwood, Texas, when his father was transferred for work. It was during his time in New York that the saving of one pet and the loss of another influenced his decision to pursue a career as a veterinarian.

His home in western New York was surrounded by open fields, woods and farmland, which Dr. Pelton enjoyed roaming with his young and curious Irish Setter. During one late night walk on a very cold snowy night, his Irish setter took off running. Dr. Pelton was only about seven or eight at the time and when he finally found his dog, there was an older black Lab curled up in the snow, barely alive. With his father’s help, the two wheeled the dog to their home and then on to a local veterinarian. After a lot of care, the poor dog recovered and his owner was found. That dog went on to live many more great years.

“However, a year later we lost our Irish setter to a rare type of kidney cancer,” Dr. Pelton says. “He was only 4 years old and the loss hit me very hard at the time. These two experiences really were defining moments that led me to recognize I wanted to spend my life caring for animals.”

Dr. Pelton attended Texas A&M University where he received the Dean’s Award for Biomedical Science all four years of his undergraduate education. In 1996, he earned Bachelor of Science degrees for both Biomedical Science with an advanced Biotechnology option and Veterinary Science. Later that same year, he enrolled in Texas A&M’s College of Veterinary Medicine where he graduated Cum Laude after earning his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 2000.

His areas of special professional interest include internal medicine, soft tissue surgery and dermatology. Dr. Pelton is also a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Texas Veterinary Medical Association, and the Harris County Veterinary Association.

Dr. Pelton and his wife Amanda, a manager of the Pet Boutique next door to our clinic, have a young daughter, Kylie Addison Pelton, born November 12, 2009. “She is an absolute joy and I couldn’t imagine my life without her in it!” he says.

At home, Dr. Pelton has a number of pets. Ava is a Rhodesian ridgeback that he purchased after the death of his beloved White Lab named Callie. Ava comes from a very distinguished line of champion ridgebacks that have excelled in shows for obedience and agility.

Zeta is a mixed breed dog rescued from a shelter that Dr. Pelton worked at during veterinary school. He and other students were there to participate in the shelter’s euthanasia process in order to learn how vitally important spay and neuter programs are. Zeta had been badly burned and was slated to be put down, but as Dr. Pelton was about to administer the drugs, “She looked up at me with these beautiful little blue eyes and this sad little face. I just couldn’t do it, so I adopted her.” A veterinary school soft tissue surgeon performed the surgery to repair the burns and Zeta has been doing great ever since.

Osiris is a purebred Ragdoll cat. “A client at my old practice came in one day with two little Ragdoll kittens and I fell in love with them” he says. “So, later that week I found a breeder and got Osiris.”

Stoli is a cat that Dr. Pelton rescued after a client had found him as a kitten in a ditch one cold rainy day. Stoli had been hit by a car and his front legs were mangled and broken, but otherwise he seemed okay. Dr. Pelton decided to provide care for the kitten and provide a temporary home for him. “That was three years ago, so I am pretty sure he is our cat now,” he says.

Dr. Pelton’s interests include running, working out, golf, and doing as much as possible with his daughter.