Want another reason to love our local vets? They are independent and owned by the Canadian vets who operate them.
In recent years, large corporations have been busy buying independent veterinary clinics around the world. This includes Canada and B.C., especially in the larger centres. CBC’s MarketPlace estimates that over half of the clinics in the Okanagan and Lower Mainland may be owned by big corporations. Even smaller centres such as Quesnel and Williams Lake have seen their clinics bought out.
But who owns the big corporations? No surprise – they are mostly American companies. The “big three” in Canada are VetStrategy, NVA and VCA (VCA is owned by the same company that brings you Mars bars).
These companies argue that they can bring more efficiency and consistency in care. And they say they can provide better benefits and opportunities for all their workers.
But without competition, especially for services such as emergency care and other specialized care – companies can raise prices because they are the “only game in town”. And consistency can mean less flexibility and more pressure to move pets through the clinic quickly. While most of the staff remain after a buyout, they are not necessarily able to offer the same service to our pets. Our partner organizations that work with “corporate” clinics report higher turnover, employee burnout and less satisfaction with their ability to attend to individual needs.
We are very fortunate to have worked with vets and vet teams who live in the community and have committed to help the animals and their families for the long haul. They are supportive of efforts of rescue and volunteer groups and make programs like SpayAid possible. Remember - when they discount their rates to provide these community services, it quite literally comes out of their pocket.
At least one of the “big three” is taking steps to become a publicly-traded company. In their efforts to deliver even more money to global shareholders, what do you think they would do with such programs?
So, feel extra good (and grateful) the next time you take your cat or dog to our local vets for their annual checkup. You are “buying Canadian” and supporting a business that has proven they are there for you, your pets and our community.
Alistair Schroff is with Increased ACCESS (formerly Lakes Animal Friendship Society).
