Profits or Pet Health?

The high cost of losing independent veterinary clinics

A friend messaged me recently to ask for veterinary clinic recommendations. She’s been happily going to the same clinic for years, but she’s had a few negative experiences lately. They’ve been unresponsive to her questions, charged her a rate that seemed too high for a test, and she no longer gets to see the same veterinarian each time.

Her experience is not unique. Large companies and private equity firms have been buying up veterinary clinics across the country. Mars (the candy bar company) is a key player, now owning over 3,000 veterinary clinics. Corporations and private equity firms now own between 30-50% of general practice clinics in our country, and 75% of specialty clinics.

Increasing costs

It’s a big reason why veterinary costs have increased 60% in the last dozen years. When big companies and private equity firms take over, they raise prices and pressure the veterinarians to see more patients and sell more products and services. The result is that customers often pay more for a worse experience.

What about your vet?

Curious about your own veterinary clinic? The Independent Vet website allows you to search for locally-owned veterinary practices. Similarly, the Private Equity Vet website tells you if a clinic is owned by a corporation or private equity.  

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