Love your Pet........­Know your Vet!

We all love our pets...but do you really know the vet that treats them?

• Who really is your vet?
• Who owns the practice you are taking your pet to?
• What is important to your vet and the staff at your practice?

Take a moment to read the information below and learn about the difference between a "Self-Owned" veterinary practice and the corporate owned practice. 

Are you aware of the changes in the Veterinary Profession?

In the UK, there have been great changes in the veterinary profession during this last decade. There are two basic models when it comes to veterinary practices:

a)   Independent/ Self-owned or

b)   Corporate or Chain practices.  

When considering your options for veterinary care, it’s useful to know the difference.

The most common UK model is still the privately owned practice, like Daisy Street Vets.  These are usually owned and operated by an individual vet or a group of vets (John and Sam in our case).

On the other hand, a corporate practice is run as a corporation and will have multiple locations regionally, or even nationally. It was predicted that roughly 50% of vet practices would be owned by corporates by the end of 2018 and this number is expected to peak at 70% within the next five years. Corporate practices began to appear in 1999 after a regulation that restricted non-veterinary ownership of clinics was relaxed.

These corporations usually consist of a board of directors, shareholders, location managers and appointed vets in assigned surgeries. This is very different from the traditional business model of private practice.

What about in our local area?

In Blackburn and the surrounding area, this type of corporate practice is now the norm. Even practices that are marketed as providing independent veterinary services or run as a non-profit making models, follow this non-traditional format.

Daisy Street Vets is now the ONLY “SELF-OWNED” veterinary practice in Blackburn and the surrounding local area, following Springfields recent departure this Christmas. Our vets own, manage, run the practice and make all the decisions themselves.

So many pet owners will soon be taking their pets to vet clinics owned by a corporate entity rather than by the traditional “independent”, individual vet running his own small business. 

Self-owned v Corporate. Why does it matter to you?

All vets – whether operating as independent or part of a corporation always have your pets best interests at heart. Our small, traditional framework means that:

• We are easily able to provide continuity of care – Do you know the staff and vets individually and do they know you and your pet?

Self run, family-style, independent practices, such as here at Daisy Street Vets, usually have a low staff turnover. Here at Daisy Street, we can provide a high level of "continuity of care" and you can see the same familiar faces, who know your pets treatment history, every time you visit. Similarly, as the pet owner, you’re likely to form a one to one trusted relationship over time with an individual vet - here you have the choice of seeing John or Sam, all of whom have been here at the practice for over 16 years and you can ask to see your preferred vet. 

• Each individual vet can make their own decisions tailored to your case or situation.

Importantly, our individual vets are able to discuss and make decisions on the best course of treatment for you and your pet. Our business model means each individual vet has the capacity to alter care decisions and normal procedures and protocols. This may be done by discussing individual treatment options, cost options and ongoing care plans. We do not have any shareholders or targets and so we are happy to discuss and tailor treatments to suit you. 

• We make immediate decisions there and then - Time can be critical.

Owning the practice enables our vets to be able to discuss options with you and make a decision there and then, thus reducing the time to start a treatment plan for your pet.  Our vets, operating in this traditional way are empowered to resolve all treatment decisions or issues, right away. 

• Our driving force of care is NOT driven by profit.

Sam and Johns driving force for the practice is to provide the best care we can for your pet. As we do not have shareholders or targets, we can concentrate on developing the practice to benefit our clients and their animals. 

What do you want for your pet?

For many people location, accessibility and cost may be the driving force and so, as with the corporate world of opticians, a local corporate style practice, similar to SpecSavers, may be what you are after.

If however, you are looking for veterinary care with a personal approach as described above, then you may wish to look for a self-owned practice. They can be difficult to find, but we are out there and we are worth finding!

Follow this link to find an “Independent”, self owned vet near you, or call in to see us here at Daisy Street Vets.