Award-Winning Heart + Paw Veterinary Grooming and Daycare Centers Announce Co-Ownership Program

Heart + Paw, a multi-service pet care company leading the future of veterinary care in digitally enabled and thoughtfully designed locations is announcing an industry-leading co-ownership model, providing an opportunity for entrepreneur-minded veterinarians to design, build and co-own a Heart + Paw practice.

Currently, the Heart + Paw portfolio includes 10 de novo practices and 18 family partner locations, for a total of 28 locations across 10 states. Going forward, co-owned, brand new de novo practices will be the predominant model driving growth in the Heart + Paw portfolio, with new locations sought up and down the East Coast.

“We’ve designed an exciting, new co-ownership program that makes veterinary practice ownership in reach for entrepreneur-minded veterinarians. We are leveraging our deep experience building and owning veterinary practices by partnering with veterinarians who want to lead the future of veterinary medicine,” said Heart + Paw Chief Executive Officer David Lasus. “Our veterinary co-owners will lead their practices while Heart + Paw provides them with expanded business expertise, mentorship, a community of like-minded practice owners and a best-in-class support team.”

Heart + Paw works with prospective veterinarian co-owners to align on desired geography and ensure fit within the Heart + Paw community. Then, if needed, Heart + Paw will facilitate an arrangement with preferred lenders that provides access to the funding needed for co-ownership, a possibility that may be insurmountable to many who wish to own their own practice. Once approved, the team works together to identify the site, custom-design, build and open a Heart + Paw de novo location. The co-owner and Heart + Paw are partners throughout the entire process, allowing for the new Heart + Paw location to be tailored to the skill set and expertise of veterinarian co-owner.

Some of the many signature elements of the Heart + Paw de novo centers include:

• A welcoming family room courtyard where pet parents are encouraged to stay and work while their loved one is undergoing a procedure;
• Separate canine and feline exam rooms designed to minimize patient stress with comfortable floor exam pads, lift tables and cat-friendly exam shelving;
• Separate state-of-the-art surgery and dental suites equipped with the most advanced equipment such as digital dental radiology, ultrasound, heated surgery tables, surgery lasers, state-of-the-art monitoring equipment;
• Team focused design with staff break room and doctors’ offices;
• Thoughtfully designed complementary services such as Grooming and Daycare with a focus on low stress, staff well-being and client transparency; and
• A client portal with real-time scheduling to deliver high-quality medical care, a superior customer experience and more!

Each co-owner will lead their Heart + Paw practice supported by a veterinarian-led operations team who provide medical and business guidance. Founded by a veterinarian in 2018, Heart + Paw was started to reimagine pet care and deliver pet-focused signature low-stress veterinary care experience for pets and pet parents. Central to its mission, Heart + Paw is equally committed to its veterinary teams, giving them the ability to practice in a healthy, happy, sustainable and successful way. Each Heart + Paw is fully supported by a veterinary-led operations team and a community of like-minded veterinarians. The co-ownership model offers a turnkey, technologically forward practice; a comprehensive benefits package and the ability to grow and share in the profits produced by the practice.

The result is the ability to deliver the very best quality veterinary care and lead the future of the industry through a commitment to continual learning and innovation. This hands-on approach to continual learning includes side-by-side mentoring of doctors through surgeries, complex cases and relief and the Heart + Paw community provides a platform for the sharing of ideas and innovative approaches to medicine to deliver the best possible outcomes.

Heart + Paw is dedicated to continuous improvement across its centers, which means ongoing investments including state-of-the-art surgery suites with monitoring equipment and diagnostic equipment, such as leading-edge radiology and ultrasound equipment, cytology machines and more, all designed to deliver low-stress veterinary care. In addition, Heart + Paw recently debuted its custom-built, easy-to-use online portal Heart and Paw, which provides immediate access to your pets medical records and valuable health information, while also providing the ability to schedule and manage appointments at your fingertips.

Each practice is fully supported by the Heart + Paw Support Center, which includes marketing, accounting, human resources, recruiting and information technology. This enables each veterinarian team the freedom to practice the highest level of care, grow a practice and treat pets and their parents like family in the way no one else ever has.

Heart + Paw is also committed to protecting the staff’s wellbeing by providing a happy, healthy and financially rewarding workplace for all team members. In 2022, Heart + Paw received both national and local recognition as an “employer-of-choice” and a Top Workplace based on employee feedback. Heart + Paw earned Great Place to Work Certification, recognized worldwide as the global benchmark for identifying and acknowledging outstanding employee experience. In Pennsylvania, where the company is headquartered, Heart + Paw was also named a Top Workplaces 2022 by the Philadelphia Inquirer. This recognition is based solely on employee feedback across 15 culture drivers that are critical to the success of any organization. Core to its culture is the Heart + Paw signature Doctor Rewards program which addresses critical industry-wide issues in veterinary medicine like the need for higher wages, bolstering tenured longevity and providing tools aimed at addressing compassion fatigue.

“We’re actively seeking and partnering with like-minded veterinarians who want to lead the future of the profession and serve as an integral part of their local community,” said Heart + Paw co-Founder and Chief Veterinary Officer Dr. George Melillo. “At Heart + Paw, we empower your team to do their best work by providing them with the autonomy and a support network that includes training, mental and physical health benefit packages and attractive financial incentives.”

Veterinarians interested in co-ownership can find more information and get in touch with Heart + Paw at Heart and Paw.