The Arnold Animal Hospital has a new home.
The veterinary clinic was scheduled on Tuesday, after the Leader deadline, to open its new building at 11 Municipal Drive, which is near the intersection of Hwy. 141 and Astra Way west of I-55.
“It has been a long time coming,” owner Kevin Kohne said of the move. “To see the things we have thought about, dreamt about and put on paper, come together has been is really cool. The construction company (J Hooker Construction Services in O’Fallon) and architect (Baalman Architects in O’Fallon) did a really good job of making everything look good.”
The Arnold Animal Hospital had operated out of a building at 1324 Jeffco Blvd. since 1989. The clinic originally was located at 1107 Jeffco Blvd. when Don Wilson opened the hospital in 1970.
Kohne started working at the clinic in 1987 and took over ownership in 2000.
He said the idea of finding a new location began in 2004, when the hospital started to outgrow its current building.
“We knew we needed to expand, and we made every effort to stay within the city limits of Arnold,” Kohne said. “Arnold and the surrounding area have supported our clinic going on 50 years, so we have no desire to leave. We owe a lot to the community.”
The new building is about 6,800 square feet and has eight examination rooms and more than 45 parking spaces, Kohne said.
He said the clinic’s previous 4,000-square-foot location had four exam rooms and 21 parking spots.
Kohne said the new location also has a larger observation area to take care of sick animals or animals after surgery, as well as a dental area separate from the surgery area.
The extra exam rooms have allowed Kohne to hire another full-time veterinarian, bringing the clinic’s roster up to six vets and 34 other staff members.
Kohne said that when the Animal Hospital moved to its former building in 1989, it had three veterinarians working, but had increased to five since then, which meant a larger space was needed.
“The parking had become inadequate and the number of exam rooms was inadequate. We couldn’t provide enough opportunities for our clients to come in,” he said.
Construction on the new location began with a groundbreaking on Jan. 27.
Kohne said he initially anticipated relocating near the end of August or early September.
However, a wet spring and problems that arose because of the COVID-19 pandemic pushed the opening into December.
The final stages of the move were completed Monday, Kohne said.
He said the new location should make it easier for clients to enter and exit with their pets.
“The first clinic was easily accessible, but the parking was dangerous because it was right on the shoulder of Jeffco,” Kohne said. “When we first moved (to the second location), Walmart wasn’t open, so the traffic wasn’t nearly as heavy. There were only four lanes in front our clinic, instead of six, so getting in and out of the clinic was so much easier when we first came up here. Now, it is more of a challenge.
“By moving to 141, we are hoping people still have easy access to the clinic, and we will have a stop light at the intersection to make it easier for people to get in and out.”
Kohne said the new location also should make it easier for cat owners to bring their pets in to be examined because two of the eight exam rooms will be dedicated to them. The cat-only area also will have a small ward where only cats will be kept.
He said cats may be seen in the building’s other exam rooms as well, but he wants to have the two cat-only rooms because of how some cats react to dogs or other animals.
“Some cats never see a dog, and they can get freaked out,” Kohne said. “About one quarter of our patients are cats and three quarters are dogs. But statistically, there are as many or more cats owned by people than there are dogs. A lot of it is people don’t want to take their cat to the vet because it is not a pleasant experience for the cat or the owner. By making a cat-only area, we are hoping to make the experience easier for the owner and the cat. We hope we can take better care of the cats that way.”
Kohne said it took him 16 years to choose a new location for the hospital because he wanted to make sure it was in a good place financially to expand. He also said he wanted to make sure the move wouldn’t greatly affect what the animal hospital charges clients.
“We will keep everything pretty close,” Kohne said of costs for veterinary care. “Of course, as the cost of supplies go up, we have to make adjustments for that. For services, we plan to hold those steady for the next six months to a year until we get our feet on the ground. Then we will start to re-evaluate.”