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When he started Omaha Vaccine in 1964, Dr. Robert “Doc” Asmus worked as veterinarian in the largest stock yard in the world—the Union Stock Yards in Omaha, Nebraska. Every day, thousands of cattle, hogs, and sheep were shipped by rail and truck to Omaha, where they were sold to packing houses, breeders, and feed lots.

More than $2.5 million dollars worth of livestock were handled daily in the yards, and 250 acres of pens spread in every direction from the Livestock Exchange building in its center.

The heat and smell were overwhelming, and the pace was breakneck as 50,000 head of cattle-a-day made their way through the pens. They had to be weighed, fed, watered, and kept track of.

These were the pens Doc Asmus walked, day in and day out, in the late 1950s and early 60s, tending to sick animals. Walking this massive expanse, the time he spent getting from patient to patient was delaying the crucial medical attention his animals needed.

“There’s got to be a better way,” he thought.

This insight lead Doc Asmus to start Omaha Vaccine—a store where ranchers in the stock yards could buy vaccines, antibiotics and supplements to administer on their own. If an animal had a cold or a respiratory disease, medication could be given right away, without waiting for Doc to show up in person.

Doc Asmus’s innovative idea had an immediate effect on the overall health of animals, and transmission of infectious disease dropped significantly.

A New Location, and a Hub

Omaha Vaccine took off, and by 1982 was so large it had to move out of the stock yards. Doc Asmus erected a building right across the street, which remains today as an animal hospital.

The Omaha Vaccine building, still standing at 30th and L Streets in Omaha, was a hub for ranchers and farmers at the time. Customers remember placing an order over the counter, and then talking shop over a cup of coffee while they waited for the order to be pulled.

The Master Catalog

As the Stock Yards declined over the end of the 20th century, Omaha Vaccine took another pioneering step by a starting a catalog. Not quite as thick as a Macy’s catalog, the black-and-white newsprint book sold everything from horse bridles and dog leashes to vaccinations for cattle, hogs, horses, and swine.

In 1984, Asmus sold Omaha Vaccine to ConAgra, which owned it until 1996, when they decided to sell all non-food related businesses. It was bought by Scott Re*****on, himself the founder of a veterinary pharmaceuticals company, like Doc. He remains the owner today.

Into the 21st Century

Re*****on introduced full color to the catalog, and took Omaha Vaccine into the 21st century. Recognizing the increasingly important role pets play in our lives, he created the Pet Supplies Delivered catalog, and later website, to meet the needs of pet owners.

Doc’s vision lives on, with Pet Supplies Delivered putting medical treatment directly in the hands of consumers when they need it, and at a lower price.

Although the store was closed in 2000, customers can still experience the neighborhood feel of the old days by stopping by Pet Supplies Delivered’s new headquarters at 11701 Centennial Rd. Suites 2&3, La Vista, NE 68128. Full-time staff pharmacists are available for personal consultation.

Pet Supplies Delivered continues to pride itself on a close, hands-on relationship with customers, always listening to feedback, and adding new products by request whenever possible.