Why is our front door still locked?
Why do you try to fit in, when you were born to stand out? Dr. Suess
We wanted to take a moment to help explain why our front door is still locked to the public. The months of Lockdowns and Covid restrictions on businesses were very stressful on most of us humans, however, we learned very quickly that the pets were much less stressed in the veterinary setting when the hospital was not bursting with barking dogs, distressed meowing/hissing of cats, or a lobby full of people making noises and sudden moves.
When restrictions lifted, we opened our door back up only to find pets (and therefore pet parents) with increased anxiety again. As a bold move, we locked our door for good, and our pets and clients with appointments can now come in without having to brave the noise and extra anxiety of having to deal with several other animals, people, and children. Many pets are coming in sick and already stressed so adding more anxiety to both pet and owner is not ideal.
Our Goals with this Decision:
- Decreased stress on the pet and pet owner by decreasing the anxiety of other animal interactions. You have a room cleaned and ready for you when you enter.
- Increased safety of your pet. We have had several pets try to escape the exam rooms when fearful. Having the door always locked, protects them from accidental escape.
- Increased safety for our staff. We have had a few recent instances of potential robberies we have seen individuals lingering outside our door without pets then suddenly making rapid moves for the door but running away immediately when they felt the resistance on the door.
- Improved use of our staff. With persistent shortages of employees, we can use our staff more effectively to help pets directly rather than having to sit at the desk in case someone walks in without an appointment.
- Increased privacy dealing with financial discussions and emotional decisions.
- Car side delivery of your prepaid medications and prescription diet refills for client convenience.
- A much more pleasant environment to work and visit.
Helpful Hints:
- Call ahead for refills of medication and food. This will allow us to run out to you similar to a drive-through lane 😊
- You can always knock on the door if you are not able to get through on the phone or in case you have an emergency.
- We close from 12-1:15 pm for staff lunches and to allow us to complete cases from the morning. You can still call us as we have our remote receptionist available during this time.
- We allow medications to be picked up after 5 pm M-F (if you alert us) by placing your items outside the building in a patio box. This is not an option for controlled substances.
Our Mission
We have a vision of modern medicine with a casual and enjoyable environment to help build long term relationships with clients, patients, and staff. Our lobby wall states: “May you enter as guests but leave as friends” and we mean it. Our clients are considered extended family, and we experience their joys and pain along with them. We are continuously striving to understand and adapt to create options for people living varied lifestyles and financial abilities to do our best for their companions in each individual situation. Veterinary medicine with realistic expectations tailored for individuals and their pets is the goal at this practice. In a world with large corporations taking over veterinary practices built upon a profit-over-passion mentality, our mission is to stay small, warm, flexible, and personable. We make every effort to create a work environment for staff to feel valued, protected and encouraged to use their skills and compassion to make a positive experience in someone’s life every day.
Why Choose Us?
Animal Health Care Veterinary Hospital is a full-service veterinary medical facility, located in Rochester, MN. The professional and courteous staff at Animal Health Care Veterinary Hospital seeks to provide the best possible medical care, surgical care and dental care for their highly-valued patients.
We are committed to promoting responsible pet ownership, preventative health care and health-related educational opportunities for our clients. Animal Health Care Veterinary Hospital strives to offer excellence in veterinary care to Rochester, MN and surrounding areas. Please take a moment to contact us today, to learn more about our veterinary practice and to find out more information about how Animal Health Care Veterinary Hospital can serve the needs of you and your cherished pet.
We pride ourselves on being a local veterinary clinic which is firmly supportive of our Rochester community.

Dental Health
Dental hygiene is an important part of your pet’s health, because dental disease can be associated with other serious health problems such as heart disease and kidney disease.

Internal Medicine
We cover all areas of internal medicine, including: Cardiology; Ophthalmology; Neurology; Dermatology; Gastroenterology; Orthopedic surgery; Oncology; Endocrinology; among others.

Wellness Care for a Lifetime
Wellness examinations help us establish a relationship with you and your pet. Through your pet’s physical examinations, other wellness procedures, and our consultations with you, we get to know your pet and learn about his or her lifestyle, personality, health risks, home environment, and other important information.

Cardiology Services
We are committed to helping improve the lives of pets with heart-related issues.

Digital Radiology & Ultrasound
Radiographs are an important tool that can help us make a correct diagnosis for your pet. Our ultrasound technology is state-of-the-art. By utilizing these advancements in veterinary medicine, we can identify issues more efficiently and accurately.

Dermatology
Pets experiencing skin issues are unhappy and uncomfortable. We get to the foundation of the itchy issues and to help your pet look and feel his very best!
What Our Clients Say

Team Member 1
Company Role

Team Member 1
Company Role

Team Member 1
Company Role