Interstate Veterinary Hospital was started by Dr. Mark R. Nelson in 1974 with the current hospital opening in the summer of 1975. Initially, 75% of the business was large animal including mainly dairy cattle and equine. The companion animal part was 25% at that time.

The hospital was built to accommodate both large and companion animals. The floor plan has remained the same with the exception of the large-animal surgery area which has been converted to kennels and runs. The building was initially over-built for the companion animal services with the understanding and hope that in time the companion animal portion of the practice would grow to utilize the entire building.

We have seen tremendous growth and change in the veterinary needs of our surrounding communities. Although companion animal needs have consistently increased with time, in the mid 80’s and early 90’s we saw a dramatic decrease in dairy cattle, due to loss of the family farms. Since that time, the structure of our practice has changed to 80% companion animal and 20% large animal. This change has allowed us to fully utilize our building and increase our support staff accordingly.