New Animal Hospital Opens Doors In Cotati

ROHNERT PARK-COTATI, CA — A new animal hospital is welcoming patients in Sonoma County.

The Animal Hospital of Cotati and Rohnert Park will begin examining dogs and cats this week.

The veterinarian will begin examining both this week, and the new practice has opened its appointment calendar.

Primary veterinarian Rodger Claxton will provide care along with local registered veterinary technicians, according to an announcement.

The hospital said it wants to create a welcoming space where pets feel safe, and where their owners feel heard and supported.

Pet owners can also visit the hospital with animals that are not yet due for exams. The hospital will offer treats during those visits to help pets form positive associations with the practice.

Appointments are available through the hospital’s website.

The hospital is operated by a newly formed California corporation whose shareholders are not identified in publicly available records.

Independently owned practices remain under the control of one or more practicing veterinarians, who generally make business and medical decisions locally.

However, a growing number of veterinary hospitals are owned by private-equity firms. No public record reviewed identifies a private-equity owner associated with Animal Hospital of Cotati and Rohnert Park.

Private-equity-backed consolidators purchase hospitals, combine them into larger networks, and seek to increase their value before selling or refinancing them.

Examples include PetVet Care Centers, owned by KKR; VetCor, backed by Oak Hill Capital Partners, Harvest Partners, and Cressey & Company; and National Veterinary Associates, controlled by JAB together with JAB Consumer Partners.

Privately owned corporate consolidators also acquire veterinary hospitals without relying on traditional private-equity funds.

Those companies include Curo Pet Care and Mars Veterinary Health, a division of family-owned by the candy bar giant, Mars Inc. Often a smaller corporation takes over the independent business, which is in turn owned by a consolidator. For example, the VCA Windsor Animal Hospital in Sonoma County is owned by VCA, an affiliate of Mars Inc.

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