VCA Animal Hospitals

Last updated
VCA, Inc.
VCA Animal Hospitals
Type Subsidiary
Founded1986;37 years ago (1986)
FoundersNeil Tauber
Robert Antin
Arthur Antin
Headquarters,
United States
Number of locations
1000+ animal hospitals
 (2020)
Areas served
United States and Canada
RevenueUS$2.1 billion (2015)
Owner Mars, Incorporated
Number of employees
27,100 (2018)
Parent Mars Petcare
Subsidiaries Antech Diagnostics
Sound Technologies
Camp Bow Wow
Website vcahospitals.com

VCA Animal Hospitals, incorporated as VCA, Inc., operates more than 1,000 animal hospitals in the US and Canada. [1] The company is based in Los Angeles, and was founded in 1986. [2] Until its acquisition by Mars in 2017, VCA traded on the NASDAQ under the ticker "WOOF". [3]

VCA was founded in 1986 by three health care company executives, [4] Neil Tauber and brothers Robert (Bob) and Arthur (Art) Antin. [3] [5] The name is an abbreviation of "Veterinary Centers of America." VCA acquired its first veterinary clinic, West Los Angeles Veterinary Hospital, in 1987. [4]

In October 2004, VCA purchased Sound Technologies, [6] a company which supplied digital radiology and ultrasound equipment to veterinary hospitals. [7] In July 2009, VCA purchased diagnostic imaging company Eklin Medical Systems, [6] which was combined with Sound Technologies to form Sound/Antech Imaging Services. [8]

In 2014, VCA acquired the dog day care center Camp Bow Wow, which had about 140 franchises in the US and one in Canada [9] and licensed The Barkley Pet Hotel & Day Spa brand in Westlake Village, California from Beverly Hills Pet Hotels, Inc.

On January 9, 2017, Mars Inc. announced its intention to purchase VCA for $9.1 billion, operating it as an independent unit within Mars Petcare. [5] VCA CEO Bob Antin remained in his position. [10]

Related Research Articles

Mars, Incorporated is an American multinational manufacturer of confectionery, pet food, and other food products and a provider of animal care services, with US$45 billion in annual sales in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iams</span> Brand of cat and dog food

Iams is an American brand of dog food and cat food manufactured by Spectrum Brands in Europe and Mars, Incorporated worldwide. The food is formulated for the puppy/kitten, adult and mature stages of life. Veterinary formulas for pets with special dietary requirements are also produced.

John Franklyn Mars is an American businessman and heir. He is the chairman of Mars, Inc. As of October 2022, Bloomberg Billionaires Index estimated his net worth at US$53 billion, ranking him the 21st-richest person in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Onychectomy</span> Surgical removal of an animals claws

Onychectomy, popularly known as declawing, is an operation to remove an animal's claws surgically by means of the amputation of all or part of the distal phalanges, or end bones, of the animal's toes. Because the claw develops from germinal tissue within the third phalanx, amputation of the bone is necessary to fully remove the claw. The terms onychectomy and declawing imply mere claw removal, but a more appropriate description would be phalangectomy, excision of toe bone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PetSmart</span> American pet supply store chain

PetSmart is a privately held American chain of pet superstores, which sell pet products, services, and small pets. It is the leading North American pet company, and its direct competitor is Petco. Its indirect competitors are Amazon, Walmart, and Target. As of 2020, PetSmart has more than 1,650 stores in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. Its stores sell pet food, pet supplies, pet accessories, and small pets. Stores also provide services including grooming, dog daycare, dog and cat boarding, veterinary care via in-store third-party clinics, and dog training. They also offer dog and cat adoption via in-store adoption centers facilitated by the non-profit PetSmart Charities.

C.H. Boehringer Sohn AG & Co. KG is the parent company of the Boehringer Ingelheim group, which was founded in 1885 by Albert Boehringer (1861–1939) in Ingelheim am Rhein, Germany. As of 2018, Boehringer Ingelheim is one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies, and the largest private one. Headquartered in Ingelheim, it operates globally with 146 affiliates and more than 47,700 employees. Unlike most large pharmaceutical companies which are listed, the company is private and fully owned by the Boehringer, Liebrecht and von Baumbach families. The company's key areas of interest are: respiratory diseases, metabolism, immunology, oncology and diseases of the central nervous system. Boehringer Ingelheim is a full member of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA). The corporate logo of Boehringer Ingelheim depicts a stylized rendition of the central section of the imperial palace of Charlemagne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pet food</span> Animal feed for pets

Pet food is animal feed intended for consumption by pets. Typically sold in pet stores and supermarkets, it is usually specific to the type of animal, such as dog food or cat food. Most meat used for animals is a byproduct of the human food industry, and is not regarded as "human grade".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Petco</span> American pet retailer

Petco Health and Wellness Company, Inc. is an American pet retailer with corporate offices in San Diego and San Antonio. Petco sells pet food, products, and services, as well as certain types of live small animals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Canin</span> Dog and cat feed manufacturer

Royal Canin is a French manufacturer and global supplier of cat and dog food. The company is a subsidiary of Mars, Incorporated. It undertakes research into the specific nutritional needs of dogs and cats.

Henry Schein, Inc. is an American distributor of health care products and services with a presence in 32 countries. The company is a Fortune World's Most Admired Company and is ranked number one in its industry for social responsibility by Fortune magazine. Henry Schein has been recognized by the Ethisphere Institute as the World's Most Ethical Company six times as of 2017.

Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc. is an American diversified company. Headquartered in Middleton, Wisconsin, it was established in 2005 as the successor company to Rayovac Corporation. It is one of the Fortune 500 companies, and among the largest of its kind on the list.

Banfield Pet Hospital is a privately owned company based in Vancouver, Washington, United States, that operates veterinary clinics. Part of the Mars, Incorporated family of companies, Banfield owns clinics in the United States, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. Founded in 1955, the company operates many of its 1,000 plus clinics inside PetSmart stores. Banfield is the largest privately owned veterinary practice in the United States. On April 2, 2014, Banfield Pet Hospital announced its headquarters would be relocating to Vancouver, Washington, from nearby Portland, Oregon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BluePearl Specialty and Emergency Pet Hospital</span>

BluePearl Specialty and Emergency Pet Hospital is a company owned by Mars, Incorporated that operates specialty and emergency veterinary hospitals throughout the United States. They currently have hospitals in 29 states, as of early 2022. The firm is one of the largest private providers of approved veterinary residency and internship educational programs in the world, and employs 1,330+ veterinarians, 1,600+ veterinary technicians, and 4,100+ other professionals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zoetis</span> American animal health company

Zoetis Inc. (/zō-EH-tis/) is an American drug company, the world's largest producer of medicine and vaccinations for pets and livestock. The company was a subsidiary of Pfizer, the world's largest drug maker, but with Pfizer's spinoff of its 83% interest in the firm it is now a completely independent company. The company directly markets its products in approximately 45 countries, and sells them in more than 100 countries. Operations outside the United States accounted for 50% of the total revenue. Contemporaneous with the spinoff in June 2013 S&P Dow Jones Indices announced that Zoetis would replace First Horizon National Corporation in the S&P 500 stock market index.

Zeuterin (zū-tur-in) is the trade name of an injectable product containing zinc gluconate and the amino acid arginine, which is used for sterilizing young male dogs without the removal of the testicles. The product is injected directly into the testicle, where the zinc gluconate destroys the sperm and causes inflammation, which leads to fibrosis and causes sterility. Sperm production continues for up to 60 days after product administration, and in some dogs does not stop completely, although the product is 99.6% effective when given to dogs aged 3-10 months of age. Following administration, the testicles atrophy; the degree of atrophy may vary noticeably between testicles. The male hormone, testosterone, is produced in limited quantities following treatment with Zeuterin, but after two years, testosterone production is similar to that in untreated dogs. The continuing presence of testosterone means that, unlike surgical castration, chemical castration does not remove the risk of testosterone-associated disease, such as prostatic disease.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Puppy cat</span> Behavioral pattern found in domestic cats

Puppy cat is a term used to refer to specific breeds of domestic cats that have unusual behavioral tendencies that are reminiscent of young domestic dogs. These are within the scope of feline behavior, and may be enhanced through selective breeding. These behaviors, not specific to any breed, include following people around from room to room, the desire to receive frequent moments of physical affection such as being held and petted, a lack of aggression toward some fellow animals, and a placid nature. While these attributes are found desirable for owners interacting with their cats, problems can occur when the felines are exposed to dogs and people who wish to harm them, with the cats possibly being too trusting and too friendly for their own good. Breeds known for these canine behaviors include the Abyssinian, Burmese, Maine Coon, Manx, and Ragdoll, though dog behavior traits can appear regardless of breed.

AniCura AB is a European family of animal hospitals and clinics focused on primary and specialized veterinary care for companion animals. AniCura AB has operations in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, France, Belgium, Portugal, Andorra and Russia. The company comprise 450 animal hospitals and clinics that are visited by 3.6 million pets every year, mainly cats and dogs. The total number of employees is approximately 11,000 of whom 4,000 are veterinarians and half have some form of specialist qualification, either national or international specialisation.

The pet industry is the market industry associated with companion animals. It includes things that are associated with the production, consumption and cultural activities linked to the market. Next to nutrition, toys and animal healthcare, new services and products like taxis, kindergartens, hotels, IT appliances, broadcasting, theme parks and funeral services are appearing on the market.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Covetrus</span>

Covetrus, Inc. is an American company providing animal health products and related services. Until 2019, it was the animal health business of VetsFirstChoice, and Henry Schein, before being divested. In 2021, the company ranked 593 on the Fortune 1000 list of the largest United States corporations by total revenue.

References

  1. Wogan, Lisa (August 27, 2020). "Washington state veterinary practice ratifies union contract". Vin.com. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  2. Lau, Edie (2014-07-11). "VCA Inc.: Gentle giant or takeover threat?". Vin.com. Retrieved 2018-11-08.
  3. 1 2 Clenfield, Jason (2017-01-05). "The High-Cost, High-Risk World of Modern Pet Care". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2018-11-08.
  4. 1 2 Larkin, Malinda (2017-03-01). "Veterinarians Incorporated". JAVMA News. Retrieved 2018-11-08.
  5. 1 2 Peltz, James F. (9 January 2017). "Candy maker Mars is buying L.A. animal hospital chain VCA for $7.7 billion". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  6. 1 2 Lau, Edie (2009-07-11). "VCA Antech expands its foray into medical technology by buying Eklin". VIN News Service. Retrieved 2018-11-08.
  7. "VCA Antech, Inc. Announces Acquisition of Sound Technologies, Inc". BusinessWire. October 4, 2004. Retrieved 2018-11-08.
  8. Lau, Edie (2017-06-08). "The dark side of modern X-ray equipment". VIN News Service. Retrieved 2018-11-08.
  9. Rusch, Emilie (2017-06-12). "Camp Bow Wow's new corporate offices in Westminster take dog-friendly to the next level". The Denver Post . Retrieved 2018-11-08.
  10. Crowe, Portia (9 January 2017). "Mars is buying a pet health company for $9.1 billion". Business Insider . Retrieved 10 August 2017.