Who owns your vet?
By Richard Barker, editor. Last checked 16 October 2026.
Many practices that look independent are owned by a large group. When the CMA reported, only two of the six groups used one brand name across their practices, so a practice can keep its local name after it is bought and you may not know. The CMA named six large groups, and from 23 March 2027 practices in a group must show the group's name at least as prominently as their own.
Over 60%
Over 60% of vet practices are owned in whole or in part by six large groups. In 2013 the figure was about 10%.
18.3%
Between January 2023 and July 2024, average prices at practices owned by Medivet, IVC, CVS, VetPartners and Linnaeus were together 18.3% higher than at independent practices. For Pets at Home the CMA found the evidence not conclusive.
The six large groups
CVS
- Owned by
- A listed company
- How it works
- Grew mainly by buying practices. All its practices are listed under “CVS Vets” on its website.
- Also owns
- referral centres, out-of-hours services, diagnostic laboratories, an online pharmacy
IVC Evidensia
- Owned by
- Private equity investors
- How it works
- Grew mainly by buying practices. It has announced a single brand for its practices.
- Also owns
- referral centres, out-of-hours services, crematoria, an online pharmacy
Linnaeus
- Owned by
- Mars Petcare
- How it works
- Grew mainly by buying practices.
- Also owns
- referral centres, diagnostic laboratories
Medivet
- Owned by
- Private equity investors
- How it works
- Uses the Medivet name across its practices. Under its partnership model, a number of practices are owned jointly by Medivet and the vets who work there.
- Also owns
- referral centres, diagnostic laboratories
Pets at Home
- Owned by
- A listed company
- How it works
- Grew by opening new practices rather than buying them, under one brand. Most of its practices are joint ventures, owned together with local individuals, usually vets.
VetPartners
- Owned by
- Private equity investors
- How it works
- Grew mainly by buying practices.
- Also owns
- referral centres, crematoria, an online pharmacy
From the CMA's final report summary, paragraph 23 and footnote 5. “Also owns” lists only the businesses the CMA named.
Why ownership matters
The CMA found that, on average, prices at five of the groups were higher than at independent practices. For at least three of the groups that bought practices, average prices at those practices were about 9% higher four years later than their earlier trend. Some groups also own the out-of-hours services, laboratories, crematoria or online pharmacies that practices use.
That doesn't mean a group practice is a worse choice. Prices and care vary between practices in the same group, and from one area to another. It does mean the owner is worth knowing.
How we will show ownership
Each practice page will say who owns the practice, where that information came from, and when we checked. Where a practice is part-owned, such as a joint venture, we will say so. If we don't know, we will say that too.
Sources
- Veterinary services for household pets: summary of final report, Competition and Markets Authority, 24 March 2026.
- Veterinary Services Market Investigation Order 2026, Competition and Markets Authority, 22 September 2026.
CMA documents are Crown copyright and used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.