Blue Cross Animal Hospital

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Good Medicine, Caring People! Blue Cross Animal Hospital located in Minneapolis, MN provides exceptional veterinary services to keep your pet healthy. Blue Cross Animal Hospital Provides the following services:

Wellness Care
Senior Pet Wellness
Vaccinations
Spay/Neuter
Pet Dental Health Care
X-ray
Prescriptions (full on-site pharmacy)

Specialites: Dogs & Cats ONLY

Areas Served: Southwest Minneapolis, Edina, Richfield, South Minneapolis, Bloomington

Payment Types Accepted: Cash; Check; Debit Card; Discover; MasterCard; VISA

Year Founded: 1930

Languages Spoken: English

Brands: Hills Prescription Diet, Purina Veterinary Diet, Royal Canin Veterinary Diet, Heartgard Plus, Frontline Plus

Professional Associations: American Veterinary Medical Association, Minnesota Veterinary Medical Association, Minnesota Board of Veterinary Medicine

Biography: Blue Cross Animal Hospital was established in the early 1930’s by Dr. Vincent Robinson from Iowa. The original practice saw both small and large animals and was located in a house next door to where our current building stands. Dr. George Hartle, another Iowa State graduate, took over the practice after Dr. Robinson passed away. During the 1940’s the practice changed to focus on small animals only and Dr. Hartle hired associates.

In April 1955 Dr. James A. Smith joined Blue Cross as an associate and eventually became a partner, then the owner. Dr. Smith retired in 1988 and still visits bluecross pictureBlue Cross occasionally.

The current owner is Dr. Debra Hlavka (“Dr.Deb” since her last name is hard to pronounce) a 1982 U of M graduate.

Currently we have a total of four doctors, all U of M graduates.

Over the years Blue Cross has changed from a wooden house to our current building that was a variety store until 1958. Adding an addition and remodeling in 1960 doubled the size. Changes inside have gone on through the years but the outside changes from year to year with the flower boxes and planters. We have had the opportunity to see many changes in our neighborhood – from horses to cars, hardware stores to banks, pharmacies to coffee shops, theaters to restaurants – we enjoy being a part of the history and we will be here long into the future.