97-Year-Old Vet Clinic Has New Owner

An old veterinary practice in Franksville will have a new owner.

Veterinarian John Fritsche bought the 10203 Northwestern Ave., in 1967; he retired in August. Now, veterinarian Ed Susmilch has bought the practice and he’ll be the fourth owner of the practice, which began in 1915.

Susmilch graduated from veterinary school in 2001 at the University of Illinois, worked for a veterinary practice for a year and served in the military for three years. He bought Prairie Side Veterinary Hospital in Kenosha five years ago. He had been looking for years to buy a second practice, and he found the Franksville-based veterinary clinic.

“I loved this clinic,” he said. “The people here are nice and it’s a nice practice. There’s so much potential here,” Susmilch said.

The practice will focus on cats and dogs, and Dr. Deb Hollis will serve as the main doctor at the practice.

“I was lucky to get Dr. Hollis,” he said. “We have a very similar style.”

Susmilch plans to make a number of upgrades to the Franksville Veterinary Clinic. They plan on offering advanced dentistry, surgical services, and nutritional products. Susmilch plans to expand the business by adding another surgical suite, and treatment room.

But the emphasis will also be on education.

“We want to focus on prevention and wellness because that is the best thing for your animal. But if your animal is sick, we want to cure those chronic illnesses as well,” Susmilch said. “We want to focus on quantity of life and quality of life.”

The hours of operation are: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to noon Saturday.