Dr. Michael Schaer received his D.V.M. degree from the University of Illinois in 1970. He then went to the Animal Medical Center (AMC) in New York City where he served as an intern and then as a medicine resident between 1970-73. After the residency, he remained at the AMC as a staff member in the Department of Medicine until 1977. He then joined a private small animal practice in New Jersey until late 1978 at which time he joined the faculty at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine.

Board-certified in both small animal medicine and emergency medicine and critical care, Dr. Schaer retired from the college in 2012 after 34 years of teaching and mentoring veterinary students, interns and residents. Since then, he has continued to work part time, caring for patients through the UF Small Animal Hospital as well as fulfilling various interim administrative roles at the college.

Thousands of UF veterinary alumni remember Schaer’s proscribed rules for practicing veterinary medicine, known as “Uncle Mikey’s Maxims.” Schaer’s maxims are the result of accumulated experiences that have had a huge impact on him in clinical situations, he said. He started out with 10, but his list has grown to more than three dozen. In addition, Schaer is the author of two seminal textbooks, “Clinical Medicine of the Dog and Cat” and “Clinical Signs in Small Animal Medicine.”