WHY FINDING A PRIVATE VETERINARY CLINIC MATTERS NOW MORE THAN EVER
Most people know Mars, Incorporated as the company behind familiar brands like M&M’s and Snickers, but few realize just how deeply it has expanded into the pet care industry. Mars isn’t just making candy anymore; it now quietly owns one of the largest networks of veterinary hospitals, diagnostic laboratories, and pet food companies in the world.
Through its Mars Petcare division, the corporation has acquired major veterinary chains such as Banfield, VCA Animal Hospitals, BluePearl Specialty & Emergency Hospitals, AniCura, and Linnaeus. Together, these brands represent thousands of veterinary clinics and hospitals across the United States and around the globe. Mars also owns Antech Diagnostics and Sound, two of the largest laboratory and imaging providers used by clinics nationwide for bloodwork, pathology, and X-rays. In short, Mars now controls not only where pets are treated, but also how their test results are processed, giving it unprecedented influence over nearly every step of a pet’s medical care.
Its reach extends far beyond veterinary services. Mars also owns some of the most recognized names in pet nutrition, including Royal Canin, Pedigree, Whiskas, Nutro, Sheba, and Eukanuba. This means one corporation now plays a major role in determining what our pets eat, where they receive medical care, and even how their lab work and diagnostics are handled. That level of consolidation should concern every pet owner who values transparency, competition, and individualized care.
Over the years, I’ve had countless conversations with veterinarians throughout New England, and a troubling pattern keeps resurfacing, one that my own veterinarian first warned me about more than five years ago. He’s been repeatedly approached in his private Massachusetts practice by corporations and private equity firms offering to buy him out at prices no independent veterinarian could ever compete with. These offers come persistently and have become nearly impossible for small, family-owned clinics to avoid.
Some veterinarians, determined to preserve their independence, have even chosen to sell their practices at a financial loss to another individual rather than to a corporation. But that, too, has proven risky. Many have since discovered that the “independent buyer” they trusted turned around and resold the practice to a corporate chain just months later for a significant profit.
This is the current reality of the veterinary industry: corporate conglomerates are aggressively acquiring private hospitals, emergency clinics, laboratories, and even pet insurance companies. Giants like Mars now own a staggering portion of these facilities under their Mars Veterinary Health umbrella. As a result, what was once a profession rooted in community trust and personal relationships is rapidly transforming into a profit-driven enterprise. Prices have soared, treatment options have narrowed, and many compassionate veterinarians are finding themselves constrained by corporate policies and metrics rather than guided by the needs of their patients.
For pet owners, this matters. When a single corporation dominates the veterinary and pet food markets, it threatens the very foundation of personalized, compassionate care. Independent veterinarians, the ones who know your pet’s history, personality, and quirks, are being pushed out by corporate chains whose primary allegiance is to shareholders, not animals.
The best way to protect the integrity of veterinary medicine is to support independent, locally owned clinics. Before scheduling an appointment, ask who owns the practice. Choose veterinarians who still have the freedom to make medical decisions based on your pet’s best interests, not a corporate quota.
By consciously choosing independent veterinarians, we preserve what truly matters: compassion, integrity, and genuine connection. Together, we can ensure that veterinary care remains a calling of the heart, not a line item in a corporate portfolio.
Most people know Mars, Incorporated as the company behind familiar brands like M&M’s and Snickers, but few realize just how deeply it has expanded into the pet care industry. Mars isn’t just making candy anymore; it now quietly owns one of the largest networks of veterinary hospitals, diagnostic laboratories, and pet food companies in the world.
Through its Mars Petcare division, the corporation has acquired major veterinary chains such as Banfield, VCA Animal Hospitals, BluePearl Specialty & Emergency Hospitals, AniCura, and Linnaeus. Together, these brands represent thousands of veterinary clinics and hospitals across the United States and around the globe. Mars also owns Antech Diagnostics and Sound, two of the largest laboratory and imaging providers used by clinics nationwide for bloodwork, pathology, and X-rays. In short, Mars now controls not only where pets are treated, but also how their test results are processed, giving it unprecedented influence over nearly every step of a pet’s medical care.
Its reach extends far beyond veterinary services. Mars also owns some of the most recognized names in pet nutrition, including Royal Canin, Pedigree, Whiskas, Nutro, Sheba, and Eukanuba. This means one corporation now plays a major role in determining what our pets eat, where they receive medical care, and even how their lab work and diagnostics are handled. That level of consolidation should concern every pet owner who values transparency, competition, and individualized care.
Over the years, I’ve had countless conversations with veterinarians throughout New England, and a troubling pattern keeps resurfacing, one that my own veterinarian first warned me about more than five years ago. He’s been repeatedly approached in his private Massachusetts practice by corporations and private equity firms offering to buy him out at prices no independent veterinarian could ever compete with. These offers come persistently and have become nearly impossible for small, family-owned clinics to avoid.
Some veterinarians, determined to preserve their independence, have even chosen to sell their practices at a financial loss to another individual rather than to a corporation. But that, too, has proven risky. Many have since discovered that the “independent buyer” they trusted turned around and resold the practice to a corporate chain just months later for a significant profit.
This is the current reality of the veterinary industry: corporate conglomerates are aggressively acquiring private hospitals, emergency clinics, laboratories, and even pet insurance companies. Giants like Mars now own a staggering portion of these facilities under their Mars Veterinary Health umbrella. As a result, what was once a profession rooted in community trust and personal relationships is rapidly transforming into a profit-driven enterprise. Prices have soared, treatment options have narrowed, and many compassionate veterinarians are finding themselves constrained by corporate policies and metrics rather than guided by the needs of their patients.
For pet owners, this matters. When a single corporation dominates the veterinary and pet food markets, it threatens the very foundation of personalized, compassionate care. Independent veterinarians, the ones who know your pet’s history, personality, and quirks, are being pushed out by corporate chains whose primary allegiance is to shareholders, not animals.
The best way to protect the integrity of veterinary medicine is to support independent, locally owned clinics. Before scheduling an appointment, ask who owns the practice. Choose veterinarians who still have the freedom to make medical decisions based on your pet’s best interests, not a corporate quota.
By consciously choosing independent veterinarians, we preserve what truly matters: compassion, integrity, and genuine connection. Together, we can ensure that veterinary care remains a calling of the heart, not a line item in a corporate portfolio.
The Corporate Takeover of American Neighborhoods:
How Big Investors Are Also Buying Up Single-Family Homes - and What It Means for Families
How Big Investors Are Also Buying Up Single-Family Homes - and What It Means for Families
Over the last decade, an unsettling trend has been reshaping American home ownership: large corporations and private equity firms are quietly buying up single-family homes across the country. What began as a small-scale investment strategy after the 2008 housing crash has now evolved into a powerful, profit-driven force reshaping communities, pricing out families, and redefining what it means to own the American dream.
The Scale of the Shift
There are roughly 86 to 88 million single-family homes in the United States today, accounting for nearly 70% of all housing units nationwide. Historically, these homes were owned by individuals and families, the backbone of stable, owner-occupied neighborhoods.
But that balance is shifting. As of 2025, institutional investors, including real estate investment trusts (REITs), private equity firms, and corporate landlords, own an estimated 1.5 million single-family homes, or about 3–4% of the national market. While that percentage may sound small, the concentration in certain areas is staggering. In cities like Atlanta, Phoenix, Charlotte, Tampa, and Las Vegas, corporate ownership of single-family homes now exceeds 25% of available properties.
Who’s Buying America’s Homes?
The biggest players in this market include Invitation Homes, American Homes 4 Rent (AMH), Progress Residential (owned by Pretium Partners), Tricon Residential, and FirstKey Homes. Many of these are backed by Wall Street investors and pension funds, entities that have discovered that renting homes to middle-income families can be a lucrative, long-term business model.
After the 2008 housing crisis, these firms began purchasing thousands of foreclosed homes in bulk, often for pennies on the dollar. What began as an opportunity to “stabilize neighborhoods” quickly turned into a business empire. With access to massive capital, these corporations can outbid ordinary families, often paying cash and closing in days, leaving first-time home buyers unable to compete.
The Consequences: Rising Costs and Vanishing Opportunities
As institutional investors accumulate more properties, the impact ripples through the housing market.
When corporations dominate local inventory:
Home prices increase, as cash-rich investors drive up bids.
Rents soar, as corporations standardize rates and target returns.
Maintenance suffers, with remote management and cost-cutting practices replacing the personal pride of local ownership.
Home ownership declines, especially among young families, middle-income buyers, and minority households who face intensified competition.
Even more concerning, when neighborhoods are largely owned by investment firms rather than residents, the sense of community changes. Decisions about upkeep, tenants, and even local engagement are made by distant executives, not neighbors.
A Shift from Homes to Portfolios
This trend reflects a broader economic transformation: homes, once symbols of stability and family, are now treated as investment instruments. Real estate portfolios are bundled, securitized, and traded on global markets much like stocks or commodities. The result? The everyday home buyer is competing not with another family, but with multinational corporations backed by billions in private capital.
Why It Matters
This corporate housing boom threatens the foundation of the American middle class. Home ownership has long been the most reliable path to generational wealth and stability. But when large investors remove affordable homes from the market, that pathway narrows. Families are left renting indefinitely, while investors collect the equity and appreciation once reserved for homeowners.
What Can Be Done
While this trend can feel overwhelming, awareness is the first step toward change.
Consumers, policymakers, and communities can help re-balance the market by:
Supporting legislation that limits institutional ownership of residential real estate in certain markets.
Encouraging local and state governments to create tax incentives or priority programs for first-time home buyers.
Promoting transparency, requiring disclosure when a property is purchased by an institutional investor.
Educating buyers and renters on who owns their homes, because every lease and mortgage tells part of the story.
A Call for Conscious Ownership
Just as we’ve seen in the veterinary industry and other sectors, corporate consolidation often begins quietly, but its effects ripple widely. What’s at stake isn’t just property, but community itself: who lives next door, who maintains the homes, and who builds equity in the neighborhoods we love.
Protecting the future of American home ownership means preserving access to single-family homes for the people they were meant for, families, not funds. Because a house should be more than an asset; it should be a home.