Got an email from our local vet today announcing that she was retiring, and selling the practice to another independent veterinarian, having turned down several much higher offers from private equity rollup funds.
I am so grateful to Burbank/Toluca Pet Hospital's Dr Skaar for this. Having watched PE-backed rollups destroy so many veterinary practices, killing pets and ruining workers' lives, it's such a relief to know that our vet put her patients first.
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Jayne 🇪🇺🏳️🌈
in reply to Cory Doctorow • • •We’ve experienced the same in the UK 😡
Our vet practice, which we’ve used since 1993, sold to a large conglomerate a couple of years ago and, since then, our bills have rocketed and the standard of care has slumped.
Unnecessary procedures have been “suggested” which we have the knowledge and experience to respectfully decline, but I imagine that others will have a beloved companion animal euthanised because of the unaffordable expense of “recommended” investigations/treatment 😡
Petra van Cronenburg
in reply to Jayne 🇪🇺🏳️🌈 • • •Justin
in reply to Cory Doctorow • • •That's awesome!
I just last week became aware of how many vets are now owned by Mars Inc alone. (2000+) As well as dog food companies, many of the major brands like pedigree and royal canine. :(
Once I found this out I looked into my vet having been suspicious recently of the high costs and nickel and diming us as of lately. Sure enough I find its part of a nationwide group of vets probably wrapped up in private equity. I haven't dug that deep yet.
Charlie Stross
in reply to Cory Doctorow • • •Aethon
in reply to Charlie Stross • • •My local optician went from reasonable price to adding “professional services” in to every layer of the process, pushing eye care from reasonable to unaffordable. My only thought is the directors sold out. I have a chronic vision issue that in theory requires regular monitoring.
Captain Jack Sparrow
in reply to Aethon • • •in which country?
Tekniquelly correct
in reply to Cory Doctorow • • •I'm so envious. Our local vet prices are extortionate now after PE ruined it. We needed to have some relatively minor treatment for our dog last year. I did the math and it would have been cheaper to fly first class to a Midwest city, stay at a 4-star hotel, have the work done, and come home than to pay the local vet.
No doubt about it, PE is literally killing pets. Everyone wants to do right by their furry friends, but when you get a quote for $10K, you start to weigh options.
Bill
in reply to Tekniquelly correct • • •@tek
Private equity destroys everything it touches.
#ProveMeWrong