Alpine Veterinary Hospital

Located in the beautiful, rural San Luis Valley of southern Colorado, Alpine Veterinary Hospital serves six counties and is the oldest continuing practice in the area.

Our practice has five mixed animal veterinarians and two full service locations, one in Monte Vista and one in Alamosa.

We offer livestock, equine, and companion animal medicine and surgery.

The history of Alpine Veterinary Hospital is long and fascinating.

The property in Monte Vista, which is the original hospital, was actually once a sugar beet factory in the early days of the town.

Dr. Arthur G. Wadleigh, a native of Missouri and graduate of the very first class of DVMs at Colorado State University (then called Colorado A&M) in 1910, moved to Monte Vista in 1917 where he continued an already impressive career.

He was on the executive committee of the Colorado Veterinary Medical Association, lectured and served on many national boards, and published numerous papers and reports on livestock medicine.

He built the original veterinary hospital (parts of which are still in daily use) in the 1940’s and retired in 1956.

Dr. Wadleigh sold the practice to Dr. Jay Childress, a Kentucky native and 1952 CSU graduate who had worked for Dr. Wadleigh as a student and then as an associate.

Dr. Childress and his wife Maudie grew the practice immensely during his 21 year tenure as an owner, improving the facilities, adding an xray machine and autoclave, as well as founding what is now the Conour Animal Shelter next to the hospital. Read this great article about Dr. Childress from CSU: https://cvmbs.source.colostate.edu/amazing-alumni-dr-jay-k-childress/.