Free Exam, $10,000 Surgery: How Corporate Vets Really Make Their Money

Does your vet clinic feel different lately? The sign out front looks the same. The logo hasn’t changed. But something feels off, and you can’t quite put your finger on it.

Maybe it’s harder to see the same doctor twice. Maybe the staff keeps turning over. Maybe your last bill was much bigger than you expected. There may be a reason. Big companies have been quietly buying up vet clinics all over the country. They usually keep the same name and the same logo, so nothing looks different from the outside. Most pet owners never find out.

West Coast Animal Hospital · Linda Vista and Pacific Beach, San Diego · About a 6-minute read

Big companies now own a big share of vet clinics

Ten years ago, about 1 in 10 vet clinics in the U.S. was owned by a corporation. Today, experts estimate the number is somewhere between 30% and 50%. In specialty care, like surgery, cancer care and heart care, it is closer to 75%.

Many of these companies are backed by private equity. Private equity firms buy businesses, work to grow profits fast, and often sell them again within several years. That plan may work for some businesses. Pet health care is different. Your pet’s health does not run on an investor’s timeline.

To be clear, this is not about the vets who work there. Many doctors at corporate hospitals are skilled and caring. The problem is who sets the prices, and why.

The low price that gets you in the door

Corporate clinics are very good at marketing. You may have seen offers like these:

• A free first exam
• A very low exam fee
• Cheap vaccine deals or a low monthly wellness plan

These are what we call shoppable services. They are easy to compare online. You can call three clinics and ask what an exam or a rabies shot costs. Because people compare these prices, clinics keep them low. Some even lose money on them. That is on purpose. The goal is to get you and your pet through the door.

When your pet really needs care, that’s when they pounce

Now picture a different day. Your dog ate a sock. By the afternoon he is throwing up and can’t keep water down. An X-ray shows a blockage in his stomach or intestines. He needs surgery, and he needs it today.

This is where they really get you. You can’t shop around. There is no time to call three clinics and compare. You are scared, your dog is hurting, and you are standing in an exam room holding an estimate for thousands of dollars. You sign it, because what else can you do?

This is when the corporate pricing model pounces (pun intended). The care you can’t easily shop for is where the big profits are made. We call these non-shoppable services. They include:

• Surgery for a blockage from a swallowed sock, toy or bone
• Knee surgery for a torn ligament (TPLO) or a kneecap that slips out of place
• Dental care with X-rays and pulled teeth
• Lump removal
• Bladder stone surgery
• Scans, like X-rays, ultrasounds and heart ultrasounds
• Long-term illness care for diabetes, thyroid disease, kidney disease and heart disease

For services like these, corporate-owned practices are often two to three times more expensive than a private practice for the same care. A free exam does not help much when the surgery estimate is thousands of dollars higher.

What we charge for care you can’t shop for

We don’t think you should have to guess. That is why we post prices for many non-shoppable services on our pricing page. Here are a few examples:

Surgery prices cover the whole visit: tests before, anesthesia, the procedure, medicine and follow-up. Every pet is different, so we show a range. Before we start, one of our vets examines your pet and gives you a written estimate. See all of our prices.

And yes, we charge for our exams. Our exam fee is fair, because our surgery prices don’t have to make up for a free one.

Have an estimate? Get a competing quote first.

If another clinic has given you an estimate, don’t sign it yet. Send it to us first. That is why we built our Competing Quote Request tool.

1. Fill out the short form and send us the estimate you were given.
2. We look at the same plan of care.
3. We tell you what we would charge for the same care. Then you decide.

Request a competing quote

Relationships, not transactions

West Coast Animal Hospital is family owned. Dr. Megan Gibbings owns our practice. Every choice about your pet’s care, and about your bill, is made right here in San Diego. Not at a head office in another state.

That changes how we work. Corporate systems are often built to make the most of each transaction: more visits per shift, more add-ons per bill, more money per client. We are built around relationships. We want to meet your pet as a puppy or kitten, see them through their middle years, and care for them as a senior. We want you to trust us enough to come back, and to tell your friends.

Specialists come to us, so your doctor stays with you

When a pet needs a specialist, most clinics send you somewhere else. You start over at a new hospital, with a new doctor, new paperwork, and often a much bigger bill. Your regular vet may not hear what happened for days.

We do it differently. Visiting specialists come to our hospital to care for your pet here:

The best part: your own West Coast Animal Hospital doctor stays in charge the whole time. The same doctor sees your pet through surgery and recovery, through a sudden illness or flare-up, and through years of managing diabetes, thyroid, kidney or heart disease. You never have to retell the whole story. Your doctor already knows it.

Specialist visits are for pets who are already patients with one of our doctors. Your doctor manages the case and brings in the specialist. So if you think your pet might need extra care someday, the best time to get set up with us is now, before something goes wrong.

What you can do today

• Find out who owns your vet. Ask the front desk, search for your clinic on Private Equity Vet, or read our guide: Who Owns Your Vet?
• Always ask for a written estimate before any surgery, dental or long-term treatment starts.
• Send that estimate to us for a competing quote before you say yes.
• Check our prices any time on our pricing page.
• Book a first visit so we get to know your pet while they are healthy.

One more thing: we are not an emergency hospital. If your pet has an emergency, go to the nearest 24-hour emergency hospital right away.