Who owns veterinary clinics in Texas’s four biggest metros?

Mars and Thrive accounted for 215 documented clinics

Mars’s count includes 96 Banfield, 66 VCA and five BluePearl locations. The lists for Mars and Thrive are the most complete. The 54 other network locations are individually verified examples from several groups, including NVA and Ethos, VetCor, Mission Pet Health, United Veterinary Care and Chewy. They provide a floor for those groups.

A chain can have a family owner or a private-equity sponsor

Banfield, VCA and BluePearl sit under family-owned Mars. TSG Consumer acquired a majority stake in Pathway Vet Alliance, the company behind Thrive, in 2020. NVA and Ethos share a JAB investment grouping. Southern Veterinary Partners and Mission Veterinary Partners combined under the Mission Pet Health name in 2025. Grouping those names under their parents gives a more accurate picture of ownership than counting the logos. Mars company list · TSG majority investment announcement · NVA and Ethos announcement · Mission Pet Health announcement

Two general practices can share a parent even when their names and locations give customers real choices about convenience. The modeled trip from VCA Angel to Banfield Flower Mound Town Center was 0.84 miles. In Tomball, the VCA and Banfield were 0.85 miles apart. The common owner matters more when a pet needs a service only a few clinics offer. In 2022 the FTC challenged the proposed NVA–SAGE deal over competition in specific Austin specialty and emergency services. The settlement required divestitures to United Veterinary Care. FTC complaint

Published exam prices went both ways

The selected Banfield clinics had a median advertised exam fee of about $72 in Dallas–Fort Worth and Houston. Two independent DFW clinics listed $80 and $90. One independent Houston clinic listed $67. Those examples show why the parent name is a poor substitute for a quote from the clinic. Banfield Lakewood pricing · Animal Hospital Southwest pricing · Hearthstone pricing

Each metro calculation uses three Banfield locations per service. Banfield lists the office visit separately from the procedure, so both appear in the table. The procedure figures cover the posted components. For a dental estimate, ask whether bloodwork, anesthesia, full-mouth X-rays and extractions are included. A price for cleaning alone and a price with imaging describe different bills. Banfield service pricing and inclusions

How we got this

Locations were counted at their physical addresses through November 10, 2026. The research set includes 277 reviewed locations, with five independent clinics, two with unresolved ownership and one nonprofit alongside the 269 network clinics. Corporate directories made it easier to find chain locations, so the reviewed set cannot show a metro market share. The state’s current public lookup tracks individual licensees. The planned facility registry could give researchers a way to count the clinics themselves.

The price sample comprises 63 published observations from 27 clinics, including three historical figures. It contains no complete patient-specific quotes. Compare today’s itemized estimate with another clinic for the same appointment or procedure. If independent ownership matters to you, ask who owns the practice before you decide. Texas veterinary license verification · Facility registration schedule