Latest news with #VetPartners
The National
07-07-2025
- Health
- The National
Borders vet goes 'mobile' for pet owners unable to travel
Galedin Vets in Duns is launching Galedin on the Go – a mobile veterinary service for people who are unable to travel to their new practice at Putton Mill, such as the elderly and housebound. It will also help to ensure that pets that are anxious about travelling in a car or that become overly stressed visiting a practice still have access to healthcare as they will be seen in their own home by a vet accompanied by a veterinary nurse. READ MORE: 239-year-old island inn with beer garden hits the market Galedin on the Go will offer appointments for routine and preventative healthcare such as vaccinations, taking blood samples, injections for pets on long-term medication, nail clips and health checks. Galedin Vets, which is part of VetPartners, a larger veterinary group led by vets, has been caring for the small animals, horses and livestock of the Scottish Borders and Northumberland for almost 200 years, and has branches in Berwick, Duns, Galashiels and Kelso. The new home service, which is being launched by vets Alice Jenkins and Alison Rodger, will initially cover Duns, as well as the villages of Gavinton and Preston. Alice said: 'We're committed to providing the best possible care for our patients and the home visit service will enhance the great service we already provide for clients at our new practice at Putton Mill, as well as reduce stress for pets, be more convenient for owners and provide compassionate, personalised care. 'While the modern, new practice has helped us to enhance the service we could provide, with much better facilities like separate dog and cat kennels, the latest high-tech equipment and much more space, we recognise it is further away, so we wanted to ensure everyone has access to great healthcare. READ MORE: Scottish airport's staff get cash bonuses for spotting oversize bags 'If dogs or cats get really anxious travelling in a car or coming into the practice, or elderly pets have mobility issues, the home service will ease the worry for owners because it's important pets maintain their vaccinations and have health checks so we can easily spot anything before it becomes an issue.' Galedin Vets has also launched a campaign to increase the number of cats and dogs being protected against outbreaks of serious diseases. The Vaccination Re-Engagement Campaign is aimed at dog and cat owners with unvaccinated pets, whether their core vaccinations have lapsed beyond three months or they have adult pets that have never had core vaccinations. These pets can receive a vaccination programme for the price of a booster.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New £1.7m veterinary clinic opening soon in Caerphilly
A new £1.7 million veterinary clinic is opening soon. Caerphilly Veterinary Clinic will open its doors at Castle View Shopping Centre on Monday, July 7, offering expanded services and upgraded facilities to meet growing demand. The new centre will include six consultation rooms, two operating theatres, an on-site laboratory, and dedicated waiting areas for cats and dogs. Sarah Light, practice manager at Caerphilly Vets, said: "Our new clinic is going to transform what we can do. "We pride ourselves on offering outstanding care for our patients and we've opened the new clinic because we want to help more pets and introduce new services as we are already at full capacity in Market Street." The practice will now be able to offer additional services including orthopaedic and specialist surgeries, pain management clinics, physiotherapy, and behavioural training. The clinic is the result of a £1.7 million investment from VetPartners, a veterinary group. Caerphilly Vets has served the community for nearly 40 years. Ms Light said: "Clients can also be assured that our team remains the same, and they will continue to see the vets, nurses, and receptionists that they know and trust." An open day will be held on Saturday, July 5, from 10am to 2pm.
Daily Mail
28-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
VetPartners tycoon Jo Malone raking in millions
A leading chain of vet surgeries set up by a woman inspired by the James Herriot books saw its sales leap as bills for pet owners soared. Turnover at VetPartners, founded in 2015 by veterinarian Jo Malone, surged by nearly 18 per cent to £853 million from £723 million. It comes as the rapid, debt-fuelled growth of big vet firms has sparked an investigation by the competition watchdog due to fears pet owners are being hit with crippling bills. Malone, 50, became a partner at a York vet surgery in 2009, having followed a career dream that began when, as a girl, she had a pet goldfish. She took inspiration from the books of James Herriot, the pen name of Yorkshire vet Alf White. VetPartners began as a start-up six years later but over the next ten years, with the involvement of two private equity firms, has become a huge chain with 800 locations. 'There's not one bone in my body that's financially motivated,' claims Malone. But the married mother-of-two lives in a £2 million, nine-bedroom home near Thirsk in North Yorkshire, near where White once lived in a modest terraced house. The stone mansion sits at the end of a long, gravel drive, surrounded by extensive gardens with sculpted shrubs and a swimming pool. Despite the sales rise, costs – including servicing £1 billion of debt – ultimately resulted in a £253 million loss after tax in the recently released accounts for the year to June 30, 2024 – far higher than the £81.9 million loss in the previous year. VetPartners' annual reports say Malone and two other executives were paid undisclosed sums via BC Partners. The private equity firm handed £21.3 million to 28 unnamed 'members' the previous year, meaning their payday is likely to be in the hundreds of thousands of pounds. Pet ownership exploded in the pandemic, spelling big business for major UK vet chains, which control nearly two-thirds of a market previously dominated by independent vet practices. This leaves owners increasingly at the mercy of large corporations, with few other options if prices are raised. The Competition and Markets Authority began its investigation into the sector last year due to 'multiple concerns' pet owners were being ripped off. According to the watchdog, spending on vet services rose by 10 per cent a year from 2013 to 2020 and by 20 per cent a year from 2020 to 2023. The number of UK households with a pet has increased from 41 per cent in 2019 to an estimated 60 per cent last year. VetPartners was approached for comment.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
York vet soothes cats with classical music - but Bach is banned
A veterinary practice is soothing cats with classical music. Tower Vets, in Fulford Road in York, has been playing Classic FM to its feline inpatients. The practice said this is part of a series of improvements to make vet visits less stressful for cats. The music is played in the practice's new cattery, where cats await treatment or surgery. The practice has said that Bach is banned from the playlist. Tower Vets, part of York-based veterinary group VetPartners, has been awarded Cat-Friendly Clinic Status by the International Society of Feline Medicine in recognition of the thoughtful touches that have been made to the practice. Senior vet and clinical lead, Vicky Weston, said: "Playing classical music is really soothing to our cat patients and helps to create a calming and relaxed environment. "It's also soothing for our colleagues when they go into the cattery, and our patients pick up on team members being relaxed and it makes them feel comfortable. "The cats are happier in the practice and that makes us happier, too." The practice has also made other changes to help the cats feel more comfortable, including a separate cat-only waiting room away from the noise, sight, and smell of dogs. Calming pheromone sprays and diffusers have been placed in feline-only areas. Team members have undergone training on the best ways to handle cats, and the practice has appointed veterinary nurse Megan Brown and vet Hannah Reddel as cat advocates to oversee the improvements. Vicky, who is an RCVS Advanced Practitioner in Small Animal Medicine, said: "Even cats that have grown up in a household with a dog can feel frightened when strange dogs are around them. "The less contact cats have with dogs they don't know, the more comfortable they will be. "Anything we can do to lower their stress levels makes them easier to handle and they have a better experience in the practice. "Clients like the cat-only waiting area and feel their cats are much calmer. "The changes we've made have created a better client experience for those owners who feel stressed bringing their cats to vets. "It can put people off bringing their pets to the practice for important routine care if they know their cat will be upset. "If we can make it nicer for cats, people are more likely to bring their pet in." Tower Vets already has dog-friendly clinic status. Tower Veterinary Group has branches across York in Acomb, Fulford Road, and Haxby.
