Peterson Smith Advanced Fertility Center
ABOUT
Peterson Smith is a state-of-the-art, full service, 24/7 equine
practice located in the heart of Ocala,
Florida’s horse
country. Established in 1981 by Drs. John L. Peterson and Johnny Mac Smith, it
has grown to be one of the most highly recognized equine practices in the United States. Staffed with 26 veterinarians, 9 of which are partners, Peterson Smith offers a range of services from single
patient management to large farm consultations. Peterson Smith maintains two locations in Marion County
Florida. The referral hospital,
including administrative space and ambulatory services, is located on 12 acres
near the Western edge of Ocala while the Advanced Fertility
Center is located on 92 acres in Summerfield, FL,
about 20 minutes south of the original location.
The hospital is a full-service referral hospital consisting of the following departments:
Surgery: Consists of two fully equipped surgery suites, and is staffed by four board certified surgeons. The department performs a wide range of orthopedic and soft tissue procedures using the most advanced technology available.
Medicine: Offers internal medicine diagnostics, therapeutics, and intensive care management for all horses – from neonatal foals to adults. The neonatal intensive care services are led by a boarded Medicine Internist.
Sports Medicine Center: Equipped with a nuclear scintigraphy unit, the Center’s goal is to provide the latest in
diagnostics, relating to lameness or poor-performance horses. This department is overseen by a sports medicine and rehabilitation specialist.
Ambulatory: Our ambulatory fleet of veterinarians is the largest in the southeastern United States. It covers a 50-mile radius of Ocala and offers 24-hour coverage.
Laboratory: Our on-site diagnostic laboratory originated in 1986. It provides a wide variety of tests, with strict quality control and a short turnaround time. In addition to supporting the hospital and ambulatory departments, our lab provides services for a number of area, as well as out-of-state veterinarians.
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Advanced Fertility Center
In 1999 Peterson Smith established the state-of-the-art reproductive
center. Situated in the southern part of Marion
County, the Peterson Smith Advanced Fertility Center (PSAFC) conducts all aspects of assisted reproduction at its Summerfield, Florida
facility. As part of the embryo transfer (ET) program we maintain one of the
largest recipient mare herds in the southeastern United States. This herd of
carefully selected recipient mares has allowed us to enjoy an extremely
successful ET program for over 20 years. Our experience, expertise and
facilities allow us to offer different options by which a breeder can
participate in a successful ET program.
The Advanced Fertility Center has been on the cutting edge of reproductive technology since its
inception. In March 2003, PSAFC was the first commercial veterinary operation to
produce a foal from a frozen embryo in the southeastern United States.
The entire process was performed by Peterson Smith veterinarians and staff. They are proud to continue the tradition of
staying on the cutting edge of technology by partnering with Equigea. Equigea offers everything in-house at PSAFC to produce embryos from intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Including aspiration of oocytes (eggs; OPU), maturation of oocytes, ICSI, embryo development, transfer to recipient mares and service for shipped oocytes.
PSAFC also offers a full line of stallion services allowing owners to
utilize their stallions in a fresh, cooled/shipped, or frozen semen breeding
program. As a proud member of the Select Breeders Services Affiliate Network, we
can offer our clients the leading frozen semen program in the industry. The program
is designed to provide optimal service and adheres to the strictest quality
control standards in the industry. PSAFC is also USDA approved for export
of equine semen outside of the United
States, allowing stallion owners to take
full advantage of Select Breeders Services' international network of
laboratories for storage and distribution of frozen semen.
STAFF
Philip M. Matthews, DVM
Dr. Phil Matthews graduated from the Colorado State University Veterinary College. In 1981, he moved down to Ocala, FL to join Peterson Smith as their first associate. Dr. Matthews worked as an ambulatory associate for three years before becoming a partner. In 1999, when the Peterston Smith's Advanced Fertility Center opened, Dr. Matthews worked as the director of the PSAFC and as an ambulatory veterinarian until 2012 when he went to the PSAFC full time. His passion for horses extends to breeding and racing Thoroughbreds, an endeavor that has "had him hooked" for nearly forty years.
Melissa Prell, DVM, MS, DACT
Dr. Melissa Prell is an associate veterinarian at our Advanced Fertility Center in Summerfield, Florida. Dr. Prell attended the University of Florida, earning her bachelor's degree in animal science. She then went on to graduate from Ross University with her degree in Veterinary Medicine in 2015. During her final year at vet school, she became certified in veterinary acupuncture. After vet school, she went on to complete a rotating internship at the University of Illinois in internal medicine and surgery. She continued on to a residency in equine reproduction while concurrently obtaining a master's degree from Colorado State University in 2018. In 2020, she became board certified in theriogenology.
