McKayla Baker has two dogs, Casey and Nettles, who for years she took to the same local veterinary clinic — until a few years ago, when she noticed changes like extra fees and recommendations for expensive treatments.
She found out that the clinic she thought was still independently owned had been acquired by a big corporation backed by private equity. That got her wondering:
To what extent has private equity quietly consolidated Vermont's veterinary market? And what are the primary hidden risks for pet owners like me?
Click here for photos and a full episode transcript.
Update 9/16/26: Before publication, we contacted McKayla’s vet to give them an opportunity to respond to the concerns she raised in the story. The practice didn’t respond until after publication. They did not address the specific treatment decisions McKayla described, but said while the practice is part of a larger network, clinical decisions remain with its local veterinarians and care teams — and added that being part of a network provides additional resources and treatment options.
This episode was reported by Josh Crane. Editing and production from the rest of the BLS team: That’s Burgess Brown and Sabine Poux. Our intern is Sarah Bokelberg. Our executive producer is Angela Evancie. Theme music by Ty Gibbons; other music by Blue Dot Sessions.
Special thanks to Zoe McDonald and Francis Wong, Kathleen Lanphear, Pam McCann, and Kim and Scott Martin.
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