08/01/2026
Sharing this because we believe this to be 100% true. I have seen so many good practices bought up by large corporations. The prices have skyrocketed also they tend to push unneeded test and services, I believe at the direction of corporate. Also when multi Vet practices several vets and support staff have left.
Yes, many of these corporate own vet offices provide excellent service. For better prices and seeing the same Vet we recommend looking for independently owned veterinarian practices.
💉 Let's talk about private equity and your vet bill.
This week I spoke with two of my most beloved veterinarians, both of whom have gone out of their way to keep their practices independent and out of the hands of private equity. Both of them are passionate about it. They are exhausted by fighting it but fighting it anyway, because they believe it is the right thing for their patients and their profession.
Their concern is backed by data.
A decade ago, less than 10% of veterinary practices were under corporate ownership. In 2024, that number has jumped to over 30% of general practices. And when it comes to specialty and emergency care, an estimated 75% of practices are now under corporate ownership. From March 2020 to March 2024, veterinary care prices rose by 32%. In some cases, prices for routine services have increased by up to 100% after a clinic is acquired by private equity.
Here is how the model works: private equity firms buy up practices with the goal of scaling quickly and increasing short-term profits. They raise prices, push unnecessary services, and pressure vets to meet financial targets. Staff levels get cut. Cookie cutter corporate protocols replace individualized treatment plans. Vets are pressured to upsell patients on expensive tests and procedures, and are sometimes required to meet demanding quotas, tying their income to the revenue they generate rather than the care they provide.
All that said, I want to be clear about something important.
Veterinarians are not the problem. Veterinarians are some of the most dedicated, hardworking, and underappreciated professionals in healthcare. We love veterinarians. We need more of them. The shortage of veterinarians in this country is a genuine crisis. This is not a critique of the people doing the work but rather of the system being built around them.
What is playing out in the veterinary industry is not unique to this industry. It is the same story playing out across our entire economy. We see it in healthcare, in housing, in grocery stores, in pharmacies, in emergency rooms, in nursing homes. Private equity moves in, extracts profit, and moves on, leaving the consumer with higher prices, reduced services, and burned-out workers.
Private equity is fundamentally incompatible with patient care. Medicine, be it for humans or animals, requires relationships. It requires following a client over time. It requires a clinician who can look at a patient and make a decision based on what is best for that patient, not what is best for the boss's pocketbook. When profit becomes the primary driver, patients and others in the system suffer.
This matters enormously to us at Oly Camp Kitties, because veterinary access is already one of the biggest barriers our clients face. When vet prices go up, the people least able to absorb those costs are the first to go without. Their animals pay the price.
The two vets I spoke with this week are fighting to stay independent. They are choosing their patients over their profit margins. Because they got into this work to care for animals, not to hit revenue targets.
That deserves our respect, our referrals, and our business.
Know your vet. Ask who owns your clinic. Support independent veterinary practices whenever you can. And pay attention to what private equity is doing... not just to your vet, but to everything in our economy. What life do you want to lead, and what system do you want to live in? Think about it and vote with your dollars. 🐾
