Our Story
More Than a Company —
A Family Behind Every Diagnosis
Família Bacellar was built on the conviction that veterinary care is, at its core, a matter of trust. For over a decade, we have brought clinical excellence, specialist expertise, and genuine warmth to every animal that walks through our doors — and to the families who love them.
Born from a Family's Passion for Animals
Família Bacellar started exactly the way you might imagine: with a family that had always believed animals deserve the same careful, compassionate medicine that we would want for ourselves. What began as a single-room practice run by a husband-and-wife team of veterinarians has grown, carefully and deliberately, into one of the region's most respected multidisciplinary animal hospitals.
The name was never a marketing decision — it was simply who we are. We answer to it the same way we answer to our patients: with full attention and a deep sense of responsibility. Every hire, every piece of equipment, every protocol has been chosen with that same family accountability in mind.
"We never wanted to be the biggest clinic in the city. We wanted to be the one you'd trust with the animal that sleeps on your bed."
— Dr. Cristina Bacellar, Co-Founder & Chief VeterinarianThat philosophy has guided every decision since day one — from the specialists we recruit, to the diagnostic technology we invest in, to the way our reception team greets a nervous cat carrier at eight in the morning.
Mission, Vision & Values
Three commitments, lived every day — not printed on a wall and forgotten. They shape how we hire, how we treat, and how we communicate.
Our Mission
To deliver clinically excellent, ethically grounded veterinary care that honours the bond between animals and their families. We treat every patient as if they were our own — with precision, patience, and genuine affection. We do not cut corners on diagnostics, on time, or on honesty.
Our Vision
To be the veterinary reference of choice for families who refuse to compromise on quality — a place where specialist knowledge, advanced technology, and human connection exist under one roof. We invest continuously in education, equipment, and team culture so that what we offer tomorrow is better than what we offer today.
Our Values
- ✓Transparency — clear communication about diagnosis, options, and costs, every time.
- ✓Compassion — for the patient, and for the worried family in the waiting room.
- ✓Rigour — evidence-based medicine, not guesswork.
- ✓Teamwork — every professional here knows that the best outcome is a collective one.
animal families
team members
under one roof
year after year
A Team Built Around Shared Conviction
We do not simply hire credentials — we look for professionals who share our belief that veterinary medicine is a vocation, not just a career. Everyone here, from our senior surgeons to our reception coordinators, has chosen to be part of a practice that takes the long view: relationship over transaction, thoroughness over speed, honesty over convenience.
Our veterinarians hold advanced qualifications from national and international institutions and participate in continuing education programmes throughout the year. But beyond technical mastery, what unites the Família Bacellar team is a culture of mutual accountability. Cases are discussed. Second opinions are encouraged. No one here works in isolation when a patient's wellbeing is at stake.
Dr. Cristina Bacellar
Chief Veterinarian — Internal MedicineWith over 18 years of clinical practice, Cristina leads the internal medicine service and remains the clinical anchor of the team. She trained in Brazil and Portugal, completed a residency in small-animal internal medicine, and has a particular focus on endocrinology and gastroenterology. She still takes consultations every day.
- CRMV-BA
- Internal Medicine
- Endocrinology
Dr. Rodrigo Bacellar
Head of Surgery & Clinical DirectorRodrigo oversees the surgical and operational side of the practice. A soft-tissue and orthopaedic surgery specialist, he has performed over 3,000 procedures and trained other veterinarians through structured mentorship programmes. His calm, methodical approach is something the whole team has absorbed.
- CRMV-BA
- Soft-Tissue Surgery
- Orthopaedics
Dr. Fernanda Leal
Veterinary DermatologistFernanda joined the team five years ago to build what has become one of the most active dermatology services in the region. She manages chronic skin, ear and allergic conditions across species — including exotic animals — and runs a dedicated dermatology clinic on alternating weeks throughout the month.
- Dermatology
- Allergology
- Exotic Species
How We Work Through a Case
From first consultation to long-term follow-up, our process is designed to be thorough, transparent and genuinely centred on your animal's individual needs — not a standard script.
Listen & Assess
We begin by listening — to you, as the person who knows your animal best. A thorough history, a careful physical examination, and time to understand the full picture before any assumptions are made.
Investigate Precisely
We recommend only the diagnostics that will genuinely change our clinical decision-making. Labs, imaging, and specialist consultations are ordered purposefully — with a clear rationale explained to the guardian at every step.
Plan Together
A diagnosis means nothing without a plan the family can understand and follow. We discuss findings, options, prognosis and cost openly — and we build the treatment pathway together, based on what is medically best and practically possible.
Follow Through
Care does not end at discharge. We schedule follow-ups, monitor results, adjust protocols when needed, and remain reachable for the questions that inevitably arise at home. Long-term relationships, not one-off encounters.
What Makes Us Different
There are good veterinary practices in every city. Here is what we believe sets our approach apart — and why the families who find us rarely look elsewhere.
Specialists On-Site, Not On Referral
Most general practices refer complex cases outward, creating delays, lost context, and additional stress for the animal. We have built the team so that dermatology, surgery, imaging, cardiology screening, and internal medicine all happen under one roof — with the same people who already know your pet.
No Unnecessary Tests — Genuine Medical Honesty
We choose diagnostics based on clinical need, not revenue targets. If a case can be managed conservatively, we say so. If a more aggressive approach is genuinely warranted, we explain exactly why. Our families trust us precisely because we do not over-prescribe or over-investigate.
The Same Vet, Every Visit
Continuity of care is not a luxury — it is a clinical advantage. Wherever possible, we maintain the same primary veterinarian for each patient. They know the history, they notice changes, and the animal trusts a familiar presence. That consistency improves outcomes in ways that are hard to measure but impossible to ignore.
A Physical Environment Designed for Animal Comfort
Our clinic layout separates cats and dogs in waiting areas, uses pheromone diffusers in consultation rooms, and minimises noise transmission across spaces. A calmer animal is easier to examine, reacts better to treatment, and recovers faster. Small design choices make a significant clinical difference.
Transparent Estimates Before You Commit
Financial surprises at the end of a consultation erode trust. Before any procedure or diagnostic workup, we provide a clear written estimate with itemised costs. We discuss options at different price points where they genuinely exist. No pressure, no ambiguity.
An Ethic of Long-Term Relationship
We are not interested in the single visit. We invest in understanding each family — their lifestyle, their animal's history, their preferences around treatment — so that every appointment builds on everything that came before. This is veterinary medicine as it should be: a relationship across a lifetime.
Animal Welfare Initiatives
Supporting local rescue organisations with discounted health assessments and vaccination programmes for adoption candidates.
Owner Education
Free monthly talks on preventive care, nutrition, and responsible ownership — open to the entire community, not just our clients.
Internship Programme
We welcome veterinary students and recent graduates into structured clinical placements, contributing to the next generation of the profession.
Sustainable Practice
From pharmaceutical waste disposal to paper reduction, we actively minimise our environmental footprint across all clinic operations.
Committed to the Community We Are Part Of
A family-named practice carries a family's sense of responsibility — not just to its patients and clients, but to the wider community in which it operates. We have always believed that a good veterinary clinic makes the neighbourhood around it a better place for animals.
Over the years, that belief has taken concrete shape: partnerships with animal rescue groups, free educational events, support for adoption drives, and an open-door internship culture that helps young veterinarians enter the profession with real clinical grounding behind them.
None of this is marketing. It is simply the natural extension of caring about animals — which, for us, has never stopped at the clinic door.
- ✓ Partnered with three local rescue organisations since 2018
- ✓ Over 200 families reached through our annual education series
- ✓ Structured internship placements each semester