The Corporate Takeover of Veterinary Care: When Profits Trump Pets
Explore how corporate ownership is reshaping veterinary care, raising concerns about profits taking priority over pet well-being.
In recent years, the veterinary care landscape has undergone a seismic shift. What was once a field dominated by small, privately owned clinics built on long-term relationships with pet owners is now increasingly controlled by large corporate entities like VCA (now owned by Mars, Inc.). On the surface, this trend may look like progress—bringing efficiency, standardization, and access to more resources. But behind the scenes, a darker reality is emerging: veterinarians are being pushed to prioritize profits over pets.
The Quota Pressure: More Surgeries, More Revenue
Many corporate-owned clinics have begun implementing monthly performance metrics that include quotas for procedures like surgeries and diagnostic tests. Several veterinarians, speaking anonymously, report that these quotas often pressure them to recommend invasive or costly treatments that may not be strictly necessary. The intention? Boost clinic revenue and meet shareholder expectations. The result? Ethical compromises that strike at the heart of the profession.
This shift fundamentally changes the patient-care dynamic. Where once decisions were made based on what’s best for the animal, now those decisions are often filtered through a financial lens. The traditional “treat conservatively first” model is being replaced with a fast-track to drugs and surgery. And if those interventions fail? Euthanasia often becomes the final, heartbreaking stop.
The Toll on Vets: Burnout, Depression, and a Mental Health Crisis
These pressures are not just hurting animals and their owners—they’re also devastating the very people tasked with care. Veterinarians now suffer from one of the highest suicide rates of any profession. Long hours, emotional exhaustion, and moral distress from having to prioritize revenue over care have created a mental health crisis in the industry.
Burnout is rampant. Many vets enter the profession because of a deep love for animals, only to find themselves trapped in a system that often contradicts their core values. They’re told to upsell wellness plans, push surgeries, and limit time with patients to stay “productive.” The compassion that drew them to the field is being systematically eroded.
A New Path: Integrative and Holistic Veterinary Medicine
In response, a growing number of veterinarians are looking for a way out—not from the field, but from the system. Many are turning toward alternative and holistic treatments, seeking to reconnect with a more balanced and humane form of care. Practices like massage therapy, acupuncture, light therapy, and botanical medicine are gaining ground, offering gentler, more individualized treatment options for pets.
Organizations like the CuraCore and the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association (AHVMA) are stepping up to train vets in complementary modalities with courses in veterinary acupuncture and massage. These approaches not only broaden the range of tools available to treat animals but also help restore a sense of agency and purpose to veterinarians who are burning out in the conventional system.
A Call for Change
What’s happening in veterinary medicine is a microcosm of a larger issue playing out across healthcare: the commodification of care. As the profession becomes more entangled with corporate interests, the risk is that the unique bond between vet and patient—and the trust that pet owners place in them—will be lost.
The path forward lies in rethinking how we value veterinary care. That means empowering vets to prioritize patient well-being over profit, supporting integrative medicine, and addressing the mental health crisis within the profession head-on.
Animals aren’t revenue streams. They’re family. And the people who care for them deserve to practice in a system that honors that truth.