Vet services: who owns the practice, whether it says so, and how to reach care
Most people pick a vet by distance, a friend's recommendation, or who can see the animal this week. Ownership rarely comes up, yet it has moved quickly: a 2022 statement by the chair of the US Federal Trade Commission cited an estimate that corporate consolidators had reached close to half of all companion animal practice revenue. This guide covers who owns what, how to find out, and what you can ask for at any practice. It cannot tell you how good any clinic's care is.
The short answer. Ownership is checkable, and some chains state it plainly: Banfield says it joined Mars in 2007, VCA says it joined Mars in 2017, Petco's Vetco Total Care hospitals sit inside Petco stores, and Chewy's clinics carry the Chewy name. Others do not: Thrive's homepage does not name its investor, TSG Consumer Partners, and AmeriVet's about page does not name AEA Investors. Wherever you go, you can ask for a written prescription and fill it elsewhere, and you can see whether your state's veterinary board offers a license lookup, as California's does. In an emergency, go to the nearest emergency vet; ownership questions can wait.
The data, at a glance
Who a practice answers to, as scored in the explorer. Higher means ownership closer to the people treating your animal:
Who owns what
| Name on the door | Owner, from a page we opened | Size, as reported |
|---|---|---|
| Banfield Pet Hospital | Mars, since 2007 (Banfield's own site) | more than 1,000 hospitals across the US and Puerto Rico |
| VCA Animal Hospitals | Mars, since 2017, in a $9.1 billion deal (Today's Veterinary Business) | more than 800 hospitals in the US and Canada at the deal |
| NVA | JAB Holding, since 2019 (AVMA News) | more than 1,500 hospitals and pet resorts in 2023 |
| Ethos Veterinary Health | split off by NVA in 2023 (AVMA News) | 145 specialty hospitals |
| Thrive Pet Healthcare | TSG Consumer Partners portfolio (TSG's site) | about 340 hospitals and 115 clinics |
| AmeriVet | AEA Investors, bought February 2022 (AEA's release) | about 140 hospitals in 30-plus states then |
| Vetco Total Care | Petco, listed on Nasdaq as WOOF | nearly 100 hospitals inside Petco stores in 2022 |
| Chewy Vet Care | Chewy, a public company (AVMA News) | 18 clinics in five states; a deal announced in April 2026 would make 47 |
| University teaching hospital | the university | Cornell's sees more than 39,000 patients a year |
| Independent practice | the vets who work there | varies |
Saying so. Banfield's about page states the Mars link, and VCA's says it "joined the Mars family in 2017". Thrive's homepage says it is "backed by a community of veterinary experts" and names no investor. AmeriVet's about page names no owner either.
Why regulators care. In 2020 the FTC required NVA and Compassion-First to sell three clinics as a condition of merging. In 2022, reviewing a further JAB deal that would have put nearly 100 specialty and emergency clinics under one owner, FTC Chair Lina Khan called the pattern "stealth roll-ups" and warned that a focus on short-term profits in health care can "reduce quality of care, increase costs". The proposed order added a 10-year requirement for FTC approval before JAB buys specialty or emergency clinics within 25 miles of its own in California or Texas. That is the regulator's concern about a pattern, not a finding about any one clinic.
What you can ask for anywhere
- A written prescription. AVMA policy says vets "shall honor client requests to prescribe rather than dispense a drug", and that you can fill a prescription at any pharmacy. That lets you compare medicine prices.
- A written estimate before planned treatment, so you can compare and plan.
- Who owns the practice. A plain question. If the answer is vague, the table above shows where to look.
- A license check. Some state boards publish this. California's Veterinary Medical Board, for example, lets you verify a license, see disciplinary actions and file a complaint.
Other ways in
Video vets. Dutch offers 10-minute video calls and says over 90 percent of cases can be treated virtually. It says emergencies, wounds needing stitches, and anything needing blood work, imaging or surgery go to an in-person clinic.
Teaching hospitals. Veterinary colleges such as Cornell's run teaching hospitals, and AVMA publishes the official list of accredited colleges. Cornell's takes referrals from other vets, offers scheduled appointments, and runs emergency service around the clock.
If you care most about...
| If you care most about... | Look at | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Local, vet-owned care | an independent practice; ask who owns it | the treating vet is the owner |
| Knowing who you are paying | chains that name their parent on their own site | disclosure varies a lot |
| Getting seen soon | large chains, or a video service for non-emergencies | more locations; Dutch says its calls run nights and weekends |
| Public accountability | public companies and university hospitals | filings or an institution stand behind them |
| Medicine costs | a written prescription | you can shop the pharmacy |
There is no single best kind of vet. A chain may be the only practice with an opening this week, and an independent practice may not offer the hours or specialists you need.
What we're not telling you
We do not rate quality of care, prices or staff, and ownership changes faster than any table. Location counts are dated to their sources. Records are US only. Nothing here is veterinary advice: your vet, or an emergency vet if it cannot wait, is the right person for your animal.
How we made this
We take no money from any practice, chain or investor. Every ownership fact above comes from a page we opened in September 2026. If a practice has changed hands, tell us through Contribute.
Sources
- FTC, Chair Khan's statement on JAB, NVA and SAGE (2022, PDF), checked 2026-09
- FTC, NVA and Compassion-First divestiture (2020), checked 2026-09
- Banfield, about, checked 2026-09
- VCA, about us, checked 2026-09
- Today's Veterinary Business, VCA now under Mars ownership, checked 2026-09
- AVMA News, NVA splits into two businesses (2023), checked 2026-09
- TSG Consumer Partners, Thrive Pet Healthcare, checked 2026-09
- Thrive Pet Healthcare, homepage, checked 2026-09
- AEA Investors, AmeriVet acquisition (2022), checked 2026-09
- AmeriVet, about us, checked 2026-09
- Petco, veterinary joint venture release (2022), checked 2026-09
- AVMA News, Chewy and Modern Animal (2026), checked 2026-09
- AVMA, use of prescription drugs in veterinary medicine, checked 2026-09
- California Veterinary Medical Board, consumers, checked 2026-09
- Dutch, how it works, checked 2026-09
- AVMA, accredited veterinary colleges, checked 2026-09
- Cornell, Companion Animal Hospital, checked 2026-09
Compare vet services on ownership, disclosure and access by your own weighting in the vet services explorer.