Dr. Jagjit Brar has spent more than four decades in veterinary medicine, including nearly 30 years caring for pets at Palos Pet Clinic in Palos Hills.
Since the late 1990s, Brar has been the steady hand behind Palos Pet Clinic at 10504 S. Roberts Road, building his practice on something increasingly rare: compassion.
“I grew up with animals,” Brar said, recalling his childhood in India. One of his earliest memories is of a family cow injuring her horn. “The way the veterinarian took care of our cow impressed me,” he said. That moment lit a spark that never faded.
Before opening the Palos Hills clinic, Brar launched Dorchester Animal Hospital on the southeast side of Chicago in 1981. He’s been practicing since he graduated veterinary school in 1963 — and he’s stayed remarkably grounded.
“I don’t do exotic animals — just dogs and cats,” he said, laughing.
Inside his small but busy clinic, the walls hold more than medical charts. They hold stories.
One in particular stands out: a brown Labrador whose family couldn’t afford the thousands usually needed for surgery. Rather than let the dog’s fate be decided by money, he performed the surgery himself for $800 — and told the family they could pay him later.
“The dog lived three more years,” Brar said, smiling warmly. “They were so happy they even framed a photo of me with our clinic cat.”
Today, surgeries like a pyometra can cost anywhere from $1,000 to $5,000 elsewhere. Brar never lets price stand between a pet and a second chance.
“My compassion, my love for animals — that’s what drives me,” he said.
His reputation reaches far beyond Palos Hills. Some clients drive from Bensenville and Hyde Park, and many have stayed loyal for 25 or 30 years.
“We hug when we see each other,” he said. “We know each other’s families.”
At Palos Pet Clinic, it’s not about offering flashy services or running a big operation. Brar keeps a tight-knit team — and some of his staff have been with him for decades.
“I have one girl who’s been with me for 35 years,” he said proudly.
What Brar hopes people feel when they walk through his doors is simple: family.
“I hug everybody,” he said. “I don’t let anybody leave without a hug.”
Outside the clinic, Brar keeps just as busy. A lifelong practitioner of yoga, he taught classes while in graduate school in Minnesota, and credits yoga for his health and longevity. He also paints, writes short stories in Punjabi, and stays active in public speaking through Toastmasters and veterinary associations.
Throughout his career, Brar has taken on leadership roles across the veterinary field.
He served as president of the Chicago Veterinary Medical Association and the Illinois State Veterinary Medical Association, and spent 11 years on the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation’s Veterinary Licensing Board. His contributions earned him multiple lifetime service awards, including recognition from the University of Illinois — a rare honor for a non-graduate.
He’s also shared his veterinary knowledge with wider audiences, appearing about a dozen times on NBC and ABC programs. His work has been recognized in professional journals like JAVMA (Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association).
Despite the accolades, Brar doesn’t focus on plaques or awards. What matters most, he said, are the lives touched inside his small clinic.
At home, life has grown quieter. His children, Amar and AJ, are grown, and while he doesn’t currently have a dog or cat, the many pets he cares for each day more than fill that space.
When asked if retirement might be in sight, Brar smiled. “I’m not retired,” he said. “Not yet.”
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