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New partners support Petco's full suite of accessible, affordable veterinary services offerings

SAN DIEGO, Aug. 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of its commitment to supporting the complete health and wellness of pets, Petco today announced a rapid growth plan to expand its footprint of in-store, full-service veterinary hospitals. With the addition of three new regional veterinary partners – Global Veterinary Partners (GVP), based out of Weston, Florida; VitalPet, based out of Houston, Texas; and VetnCare, based out of Oakland, California – Petco will more than double its count of full-service in-store vet hospitals by the end of 2019.

In addition to these new partnerships, Petco is expanding operations with existing partners Thrive Affordable Vet Care and The Pet Vet (which have partnered with Petco since 2017 and 2009, respectively) to open the more than 50 veterinary hospitals currently operating within Petco stores in Texas, California, Colorado, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Utah, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas and Missouri today. The new and existing partnerships support and complement Petco's complete suite of health and wellness services and experiences for pets and pet parents.

"The growth of in-store veterinary hospitals at Petco is part of our commitment to driving positive change in the overall health and wellness of pets," said Dr. Whitney Miller, Director of Veterinary Medicine at Petco. "By partnering with regional veterinary providers, including their respective networks of seasoned professionals, we can provide more pets and pet parents with convenient access to affordable, high-quality veterinary care, ultimately encouraging a deeper, more meaningful pet parent/vet relationship. Based on the success of our existing partnerships, our go-forward vet services strategy will continue to leverage this local partner model."

The partnerships are ultimately meant to strengthen Petco's existing suite of veterinary services offerings. The current ecosystem includes easy access to preventive care, vaccination clinics, full-service hospitals, Televet and pharmacy services, pet insurance and membership programs – all to ensure personalized, accessible and affordable care options for pet parents.

With the addition of these three new partners, by the end of 2019 Petco will offer full-service veterinary services across 21 states, including Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Missouri, North Carolina, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas and Utah. In the coming years, the company plans to identify additional markets and expand based on consumer needs.

"At Petco our ultimate goal is for every pet and their parent to have a lifelong relationship with a veterinarian, and expanding our network brings us one step closer to making that possible for all pet parents," said Dr. Miller.

Each of the new full-service hospitals will operate within an existing Petco and be considered a member of the Petco veterinary ecosystem. For more information about Petco's veterinary services, visit petco.com/veterinary-services.

About Petco and the Petco Foundation  
Petco is a leading pet specialty retailer with more than 50 years of service to pet parents. Everything we do is guided by our vision for Healthier Pets. Happier People. Better World. We operate more than 1,500 Petco and Unleashed by Petco locations across the U.S., Mexico and Puerto Rico; complete pet care services and veterinary advice through PetCoach; and petco.com. The Petco Foundation, an independent nonprofit organization, has invested more than $250 million since it was created in 1999 to help promote and improve the welfare of companion animals. In conjunction with the Foundation, we work with and support thousands of local animal welfare groups across the country and, through in-store adoption events, help find homes for more than 400,000 animals every year. 

About Global Veterinary Partners
Global Veterinary Partners (GVP) – a privately-owned company based in Weston, FL, was created in 2018 from a partnership between LFR VET LLC and Chris Viotti. Chris Viotti achieved success owning and managing hospitals throughout South Florida. The new partnership enables the business to grow at a faster pace. GVP's mission is to provide excellent standards of veterinary medicine and customer service. Their hospitals are fully equipped with the latest technology in imaging and laboratory, and clients can choose scalable services ranging from vaccinations to specialty surgeries.
* GVP will operate their hospitals within Petco under the Vetco Total Care name

About VitalPet
Headquartered in Houston, Texas, VitalPet is a privately-owned group of high-quality veterinary hospitals operating in seven states spanning from Texas to New York. VitalPet specializes in partnering with leading veterinarians to provide the "best of the best" in veterinary medicine to local communities. Each pet that walks into a VitalPet hospital becomes part of the family and are provided the best individualized care.

VitalPet's mission is to celebrate and protect the lifelong love of pets, this mission is the driving force behind everything that is done within their hospitals, as well as in their communities. To accomplish the mission, VitalPet realizes that team members are the most important asset, and pride themselves in consistently investing in their future. VitalPet will differentiate itself in the retail space by providing high-quality DVM driven veterinary medicine that is convenient and personalized to each pet parent.

About VetnCare
VetnCare, Inc., is a veterinary management group founded by Australian entrepreneur Dr. Andrew Moffatt and supports veterinary practice ownership through its 'Pathway to Partnership' program. This new alliance with Petco will allow VetnCare to expand our ability to partner with an additional one hundred Veterinarians and help them to realize their hospital ownership dreams. While providing this unique opportunity for veterinarians, VetnCare, and Petco will be expanding our collective abilities to provide pets and their owner's extraordinary care within our full-service veterinary hospitals. Uniquely, these hospitals will be owned and operated by Veterinarians, which is best represented by VetnCare's mission statement "Vets for Vets. Independent and Together."

The VetnCare Group is a Veterinary led collaboration of AAHA accredited hospitals within the San Francisco Bay Area that focuses on providing exceptional clinical care to patients throughout their lives. By investing in our clinical teams through our New Graduate Program and Associate Advancement Program, patients and clients have access to all aspects of clinical care, including general practice, wellness, advanced surgery, advanced imaging, urgent care as well as numerous specialties (including oncology, ophthalmology, dermatology, orthopedic surgery and exotics). This clinical environment allows us to be a home for all veterinarians, whether they aspire to be an advanced associate, loved general practitioner, outstanding specialist, respected Clinical Director, and Partner.

SOURCE Petco