Curious- are you doing this to seek them out or to avoid?

Many vet clinics made ridiculous money. PE firms like money. Matter of time,

Again, what do you call Big Money.

Absolutely not defending the corporations, their sole function is to make money. They will take as much as they can. They also, often foster a corporate mentality with their staff-emergency calls at 4:30....oh, sorry-go to the ER we close at 5:00.
You DON'T want to have to go to the ER, most are corporate owned. Most referral centers are corporate owned.

I agree, look for the practice where the owner is on premises. But-they have to charge more because the corporations have driven up the cost of staff and supplies.

Need beer to really get into this problem

Please support your veterinarian if they still own their own place! Competing with corporations is getting harder and harder. Please buy your products from your vet instead of chewy. I know it may be a little cheaper but all you are doing is sending that ceo on another vacation.
Also, please just be kind to your veterinarian. A Thank you or a tray of cookies goes a long way.

PE pays really really well for larger multi Dr practices. They also pay staff and Dr's really well, with excellent crazy benefits. The pro's are they have made private practices step up their game in terms of being better business people and paying better, the con is they have upped the fee structures across veterinary medicine. My fees have probably increased 30-40% in some areas, and we make no money in the pharmaceutical arena anymore. The dynamic has changed, to where we charge more for being an actual Dr, and our diagnostics are so much better, and therefore much more expensive. The quality of care and expectation of care is so much higher than 25 years ago, it's just a different animal today.

The Mars corporation owns VCA, Banfield (Petsmart), BluePearl, and they are all now working in concert with each other. Banfield patients receive reduced fees at other Mars veterinary hospitals (VCA and Bluepearl emergency clinics have significantly discounted exams for Banfield patients). Overall, corporate fees are much higher than private practices in my experience, but the quality really still lies in the individual DVM's experience and skill set.

DVM

DVM97 said:

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PE pays really really well for larger multi Dr practices. They also pay staff and Dr's really well, with excellent crazy benefits. The pro's are they have made private practices step up their game in terms of being better business people and paying better, the con is they have upped the fee structures across veterinary medicine. My fees have probably increased 30-40% in some areas, and we make no money in the pharmaceutical arena anymore. The dynamic has changed, to where we charge more for being an actual Dr, and our diagnostics are so much better, and therefore much more expensive. The quality of care and expectation of care is so much higher than 25 years ago, it's just a different animal today.

The Mars corporation owns VCA, Banfield (Petsmart), BluePearl, and they are all now working in concert with each other. Banfield patients receive reduced fees at other Mars veterinary hospitals (VCA and Bluepearl emergency clinics have significantly discounted exams for Banfield patients). Overall, corporate fees are much higher than private practices in my experience, but the quality really still lies in the individual DVM's experience and skill set.

DVM

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The BANDFIELD in the Houston Galleria area was a worthless POS place to take your dogs…the best thing I ever did was stop using them… I was tempted to go in their after I left and tell them to all go F off…my Jack Russel had a serious pain issue and they told me go to the pet emergency room over a two day period, I tried taking him back the next morning when one of their other vets was working…. These vets obviously didn't know what they were doing, were dumb asses, or were lazy or had some type of rules from big brother

I actually went to the Pet Emergency room and they said he's just in pain so he will have to wait 12 hours till they can see him because other animals were in more serious condition (which was understandable), they suggested taking him to his normal vet which was Bandfield. Anyway, i then drove 2 hours to my mom's private vet and the vet gave the Jack Russel a pain shot and some pills for 30 days…. She diagnosed his problem immediately and said he should be fine within a week of meds. She didn't even XRay him because she had seen the same issue many times before.

screw Banfield …. When they eventually screw you over with your pet you will understand why people like me never went back to that POS place. Worst experience ever as a pet owner. I made those idiots refund the 2 dogs annual plans after I let them have it. They gave me my money back and I've never been back and I also let all my other Friends with pets know what they did and suggested for them to go find a personal vet that cares about your animals- not a roving vet place like Banfield where your dog may never be seen by the same vet

Had a long conversation about this with our long-time vet last week. She and her husband own their own practice but the private equity factor is driving up costs for everyone (I'm sure this is just how the market works in an attempt to force all local ownership out in favor of PE firms). I know that part of the reason they are able to offer the care they do is because of the family values they operate their clinic with. Most of their staff has been with them for years, and they love our dogs like their own. They provide the best care imaginable and have called us multiple times after hours or on a weekend to check on our dogs after a vet visit. I know that their operating costs just continue to go up, but I'll gladly support them (even if it means paying just a little bit more) for the rest of time.

Pet insurance is used by less than 2% of my clients and plays zero into my fee structure or billing.
I explain pet insurance as essentially being layaway for vet care. You're paying a monthly fee for a bill that's eventually gonna come due. Maybe not in the first few years, but eventually something will be needed. And some insurance companies pay towards wellness care. And with the fees/bills that we have for surgeries and sick patients, insurance is smart for some clients. The key is sign up for the right coverage and when your pet is relatively young.

PE is finding its way into every service industry. HVAC, plumbing, vets, dentistry, medicine. It's honestly pretty awful.

Private Equity = Public Enemy