Is Vets4Pets the same as Vets for Pets?

Yes. They are two spellings of the same brand. Companion Care is its sister brand, and all of them belong to Pets at Home.

Are Vets for Pets practices independent?

No, though they are run more like independents than most chains. A local partner makes the day-to-day decisions, but Pets at Home co-owns every joint-venture practice and is paid fees by each one. The CMA counts Pets at Home as one of the six large vet groups, and we list these practices as corporate, marked as joint ventures.

Who sets the prices at Vets for Pets?

Pets at Home told the CMA that clinical, operational and pricing decisions are made locally by each practice's owners. So prices can differ between two Vets for Pets branches a few miles apart. Compare the ones near you rather than assuming one national price list.

Is Vets for Pets part of Pets at Home? Who owns it

Q: Is Vets for Pets part of Pets at Home?

Yes. Vets for Pets (also written Vets4Pets) and its sister brand Companion Care are the vet practices of Pets at Home Group plc, the UK-listed pet retailer. Most branches are joint ventures: a local partner, usually a vet, runs the practice and Pets at Home holds half the shares.

Q: Is Vets for Pets cheaper than other vets?

There's no clear answer yet. The CMA found that five of the large groups charged more on average than independents, but said its evidence for Pets at Home was not conclusive. Practices must publish price lists from December 2026, which will make local comparison easier.

Yes, Vets for Pets is part of Pets at Home. Pets at Home Group plc, the UK-listed pet retailer, bought Vets4Pets in 2013 and runs it alongside its other vet brand, Companion Care. Most branches are joint ventures: a local partner, usually a vet, runs the practice and keeps its profits, while Pets at Home holds half the shares and charges fees for the brand, premises and support.

Who owns Vets for Pets?

Vets for Pets (also written Vets4Pets) belongs to Pets at Home Group plc, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange. No private equity firm sits above it: the ultimate owners are the company’s shareholders.

In the year to 26 March 2026, Pets at Home reported 455 vet practices:

407 joint ventures, co-owned with a local partner
48 company managed, owned and run by Pets at Home itself

Our directory lists more entries than that (854 for Pets at Home’s vet brands, as of 19 October 2026), because the RCVS register lists some branch sites separately, and some practices under both their trading name and their company name. See who owns Vets for Pets for every listing.

How the Vets for Pets joint venture works

Each joint-venture practice is its own company, owned by two parties:

The local partner holds the “A” shares, runs the practice and sets its prices. Once their start-up loans are repaid, they keep all the profits.
Pets at Home holds the “B” shares, half the total. These carry no share of the profit. Instead, Pets at Home charges each practice fees, plus rent where it provides the building.

Pets at Home’s 2026 accounts say partners run their practices “with complete operational and clinical freedom”. Its fees from these practices came to £108.4 million in the 2026 financial year, with a further £13.7 million in rent. In return, partners get the brand, a fitted-out practice (often inside or next to a Pets at Home store), IT systems and back-office support.

Sometimes Pets at Home buys out the partner’s shares, and the practice becomes company managed.

What it means for your vet bill

Pets at Home told the CMA that clinical, operational and pricing decisions are made locally by each practice’s owners. For you, that means:

Prices vary by branch: two Vets for Pets practices in neighbouring towns can charge different amounts for the same vaccination. Ask, or check the practice’s website.
Your vet decides the treatment, as at any practice. Every vet is personally registered with the RCVS, whoever owns the building.
The shop is part of the business: many branches sit inside a Pets at Home store, which also sells food, flea treatments and insurance. You don’t have to buy them there.

Whether it’s cheaper is still unclear. The CMA found that prices at five of the large groups averaged more than at independents, but said its evidence for Pets at Home was not conclusive. In its survey, Pets at Home customers were about as satisfied with the cost as customers of independents. Practices must publish price lists from December 2026, which will make comparing easier. Until then, phone and ask.

How it differs from other vet groups

The CMA lists six large vet groups: CVS, IVC Evidensia, Linnaeus, Medivet, Pets at Home and VetPartners. Pets at Home stands out in two ways:

It grew by opening new practices: the other five grew mainly by buying existing ones, often local independents that kept their old name.
Most practices are part-owned locally: Medivet runs a similar partnership in some of its practices. At the other groups, the group owns the practice.

The branding also makes ownership easy to spot. Almost every branch has Vets for Pets or Companion Care on the door. At several other groups, a practice can carry a local name with no sign of the group behind it. Our ownership guide shows how to check any practice.

How we classify Vets for Pets practices

We list Vets for Pets and Companion Care practices as corporate, part of Pets at Home, with a “Joint venture” label on each one. They are corporate because Pets at Home co-owns every joint-venture practice and earns fees from it, and the CMA counts it as a large group. The label shows that a local partner runs the practice and sets its prices.

If a joint venture suits you, you can search joint-venture practices near you. If you’d rather use a practice with no group behind it, browse independent vets near you. Either way, compare every practice near you with its owner shown before you register.