History

Iowa Veterinary Specialties first opened its doors (as The Animal Emergency Clinic) April 16, 1980, when eighteen local veterinarians envisioned a facility that would provide after- hour emergency care for Central Iowa's beloved pets. In just ten years time, the clinic had outgrown itself for its first time and relocated just down the street from our first home on Second Avenue. In November of 2001 the clinic again outgrew itself and IVS moved to our current home on Creston Avenue.

Thirty-five years later, with over 7,000 square feet of hospital space, Iowa Veterinary Specialties has become Iowa's premier emergency and specialty care hospital treating patients throughout the state.  Our hospital now includes a staff of over fifty employees including skilled veterinarians, highly trained veterinary technicians, and caring customer service representatives.

On February 1, 2011, the owners of Iowa Veterinary Specialties transferred ownership to Iowa State University Veterinary Services Corporation, for the purposes of providing seamless comprehensive care and improvement of the profession in collaboration with the Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center at Iowa State University.

Our hospital has invested in state of the art diagnostic equipment including digital x-ray and Computed Tomography (CT), ultrasound and endoscopy services along with a full- service in-house laboratory. Advanced treatments such as electrochemotherapy complement alternative medicine treatments like acupuncture.  Our hospital is here for your pet twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, nights, weekends, and holidays.