Our practice was founded in the late 1970’s by Drs. Jerry Ferguson and David Hines. Initially, the practice was located in rented space in the White Western Star Trucking Building in the Glenn E. Neilson Industrial Park. In the early 1980’s, Drs. Sue Ashburner and Malcolm Gray took over the practice and undertook to construct our present practice building at 6002 50 Avenue on Highway 17 North in Lloydminster. It was opened in 1982.
Dr. Richard Starke joined the practice in 1983 after graduating from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon. His areas of practice focus included small animal medicine and surgery, as well as swine production medicine. He married Dr. Alison Chiswell in 1984, and became a full partner in the practice in 1985. Dr. Chiswell brought extensive experience working in companion animal practices in Saskatoon when she joined the practice that year.
Dr. Ashburner left the practice in 1987 and is presently a member of the teaching faculty at the Veterinary College in Saskatoon. Dr. Lori Linney worked with us from 1987-88, developing a keen interest in the emerging field of game ranching which led her to take a position with a practice in New Zealand. Dr. Cheryl Herman joined the practice in 1989, after having worked with us for 3 summers as a veterinary student.
In 1990, Dr. Gray retired from general practice and sold his share to Dr. Chiswell. That same year, Dr. Morgan Scott joined the practice. Drs. Herman and Scott were married in 1991, and left the practice in 1992 when Dr. Scott began studies for his Master’s degree at the Ontario Veterinary College in Guelph.
Dr. Daryl Hanley joined the practice upon his graduation from veterinary college, focussing primarily on cattle medicine, reproduction, and surgery. The following year, Dr. Sonia Kollassa joined us to focus on equine medicine, reproduction and surgery. Drs. Hanley and Kollassa became partners in the practice and in life with their marriage in 1994. Later that year, we took over vacated space on the main floor of the building and did a major renovation on our facilities, which have been considered a model for multi-species practices in Western Canada.
In 1995, Dr. Corin Berg joined our practice, after having interned with us as a veterinary student the previous summer. His practice interests include cattle medicine, and small animal orthopedic surgery. Dr. Berg became a partner in 1999. In 2000, Dr. Kristine Rempel joined our team, bringing with her interests in all species developed while working at practices in Provost and Lethbridge. Dr. Rempel married in 2004 and has since moved to Macklin, SK to raise a family and continues to work in Provost. In July 2002, Dr. Trent Wennekamp joined the practice team, after having interned with us during the summer of 2000 and then spending a year in practice in Kataia, New Zealand. Dr. Wennekamp became a partner in the practice in 2004.
Spring, 2005 saw Dr. Becky Newman (Mitchell) join our practice after working as an intern with us in 1999 and then practicing in Fort Macleod, Ponoka and New Zealand. Dr. Newman also became partner in 2007. Dr Joanne Heaver joined the practice in the fall of 2007, after working in Claresholm and Lethbridge, and then joined as a partner in 2012 when Dr.’s Starke and Chiswell retired from practice to pursue other interests.
In May, 2012 after graduation, Dr. Taryn Schachtel(Holtby) joined our practice with interests in bovine reproduction and equine sports medicine, surgery and dentistry. This was followed shortly after with Dr. Maria Brink joining us in July 2012 as a new grad out of Ohio State University. Her primary interest was small animal medicine and surgery before leaving the practice in September 2014. In November 2014, Dr. Dayle Borchardt joined the practice after spending 18 months in a mixed practice in Melville, Sask. Her interests include prevention and wellness medicine, anesthesia/analgesia and rehabilitation.
At Lloydminster Animal Hospital, our goal has always been and will continue to be to strive to provide our clients in the Mid-West and the wide range of animal species they represent with prompt, up to date veterinary service.