Rice Pet Clinic Staying True to its Roots

A Neighborhood Practice is Born
Dr. George Krienke was prepared to go back to Wisconsin to get a job in veterinary medicine closer to home, but by the time he graduated from veterinary school his wife had already climbed the ladder at her job which led him to buy a practice in Minnesota. A decision that years later has impacted an entire neighborhood, multiple family generations and shaped Rice Pet Clinic into what it is today.

“When we started there was hardly anyone in the area,” Dr. George said. “I considered ourselves a neighborhood practice, we had our roots down deep and grew with the people who moved in.”

Dr. George bought space in a strip center and opened his practice. “We made our own sign on a 4 by 8 piece of plywood that we cut into two and wrote Rice Pet Clinic on it,” Dr. George recalled.

In 1965, Dr. George bought a corner house that was for sale and started to expand. By 1975 he built the building that Rice Pet Clinic still operates out of to this day. While he grew his practice, he became instrumental in advancing the profession in the state of Minnesota as well. Perhaps the biggest impact that is still making a difference, was becoming one of the founding members of what is now known as the Animal Emergency & Referral Center of Minnesota (AERC).

“We took our own emergency calls and were sometimes working until 5 a.m. the next morning.” Dr. George said. “Everybody was wearing out. Every time we got together as veterinarians at seminars we asked each other, ‘when are we going to start an emergency clinic?’”

After attending a seminar, Dr. George took notes and came back with a plan. He just needed partners willing to take out their checkbooks. AERC was born with 18 original partners that Dr. George rounded together and is still operating 24/7/365 nearly four decades later.

From Living in the Clinic Basement to Ownership
Dr. George’s nephew Dr. Tim Krienke always wanted to be a veterinarian. He grew up in Green Bay, WI., and would visit Dr. George on a regular basis. After living in the dorms his freshman year of college, he spent the next two living in the basement of Rice Pet Clinic. He said it was a great setup other than trying to sleep through the occasional barking.

Dr. Tim spent his first year out of veterinary school at a different practice before working for his uncle for a few years. He then bought the practice in the early 1990s and owned it until 2018.

“When Tim took over the practice I wasn’t quite ready for it, but I put in one condition that I could keep my office,” Dr. George said. “I think it helped out for the first few years…”

“But ten years later his wife finally told him it’s time to give that office up!” Dr. Tim interrupted while laughing.

Dr. Tim said he repainted the lobby and made a few small touch-ups, but that the feel of the clinic largely stayed the same. He watched as multiple generations started to come through the clinic doors including one that stands out the most.

“Dr. Donnell Hansen (BluePearl Pet Hospital and founder of Four Legged Tooth Fairy), reminded me that she used to come here when she was in grade school,” Dr. Tim said. “We have a lot of stories of multiple generations coming to the clinic but it was when the third generation started coming in that I realized I have been at this for awhile!”

New Beginnings
In 2018, after years of Rice Pet Clinic being owned and operated by the Krienke’s, Dr. Tim decided to sell. In his eyes, he couldn’t have found better people to take over than Drs. Jason and Madison Nordaune.

“We always say how lucky are we to have them follow us up,” Dr. Tim said. “Their whole philosophy and the way they give people respect and options. It’s the way I would want to practice. They have been the best individuals I could have sold to.”

While they had big ideas for the clinic right after buying, adversity struck the Nordaunes just months later.

“Our house burned down,” Dr. Jason said. “We lost both of our dogs and our two kids were under the age of two at the time. Suddenly we were navigating the trauma of losing two pets, losing our possessions.”

After a tough personal stretch followed by the pandemic, the Nordaunes are settled in and nearly done with a large clinic remodel. They have kept the neighborhood roots intact while adding their own touches. One way is by utilizing the basement space that was previously used for storage...and Dr. Tim’s bedroom.

“This project has doubled the size of our hospital because the renovated basement has the exact same footprint as our upper level,” Dr. Jason said. “My personal favorite part of the project is that we were able to greatly improve our ability to serve clients who may have physical handicaps. The basement space of our building has two handicap parking spaces immediately in front of the new entrance to the building which will allow any handicapped clients to comfortably be able to access an examination room and be with their pet as they receive service.”

The new space now has 6 examination rooms, 1 surgical suite, 1 dental surgical suite, 1 radiology department, 2 treatment spaces, bathrooms on each level including a handicap accessible one, 1 fenced in space for staff to be able to walk pets to collect samples or offer bathroom breaks and an expanded parking lot to offer space for additional clients and staff.

“One of the main things that we thought about when constructing our new space and expanded team was to look to offer as fear free of an experience as possible,” Dr. Jason said. “One of the main ways we do this is to help people check directly into an examination room and also to be able to check out directly from the same room.”

On a recent visit, Dr. George, now in his mid-90s, looked around admiring the clinic he started. “I’m very proud of Drs. Jason and Madison and what they have done here,” Dr. George said. “Everything has to advance and get newer. It’s really nice.”

And the Krienke’s will always hold a special place in Dr. Jason’s eyes. You can see it right when you walk in with the motto, “Trust is Key Since 1963” branded across the clinic.

“Every time I have had the opportunity to talk to these two guys, they have been supportive and felt like family,” Dr. Jason said. “They started the clinic and created a brand that is strong and special. They are the story of the clinic.”

*As of this story going to print in the July/August MVMA Messenger, the Nordaunes were putting the finishing touches on the remodel. Follow the MVMA on Facebook @MN.VMA to see final pictures when they are ready!