Veterinary Emergency Group

What Veterinary Emergency Group does

Veterinary Emergency Group (operating as VEG ER for Pets) is a US-headquartered, privately-held veterinary emergency care provider founded in 2014 and based in White Plains, New York. The company operates 120+ 24/7 walk-in emergency veterinary hospitals across the United States and Canada, serving pet owners whose dogs, cats, and exotic animals require immediate medical attention for accidents, acute illness, trauma, or post-surgical complications. Its core service is delivered in an "open hospital" physical environment where pet owners can remain with their animals throughout diagnosis and treatment, observe procedures in real time, and speak directly with a veterinarian by phone at any hour without an appointment.

The company's product portfolio centers on the emergency visit itself — diagnostics, ultrasound, surgery, and on-site blood transfusion through an in-house blood bank — augmented by three ancillary programs: VEG Cares (a charitable fund that has distributed $1.19M+ to underserved pets), Little Vets (a children's veterinary education program), and a Partners referral network connecting general practice veterinarians to VEG hospitals. Underlying technology is operational rather than software-based: a transparent hospital layout, a 24/7 call-into-vet phone line, and a walk-in clinic model. No proprietary AI/ML, digital platform, or software product is evidenced in the input data.

VEG's revenue model is purely transactional fee-for-service at the point of care, with quote-based pricing that varies by case complexity. The go-to-market motion is direct-to-consumer through physical hospital locations and earned/owned media (Google reviews, blog, social, 5K events). The company was founded by David Bessler (CEO) and David Glattstein (President), with Frank W. Alderman as Chairman; the firm reports 1,001–5,000 employees and raised a $100M Series 3 funding round in September 2021 led by D1 Capital Partners and Fidelity, with Durable Capital Partners and Sequoia Heritage participating.

Name

Veterinary Emergency Group

Legal name

VEG ER for Pets

Website

https://veterinaryemergencygroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Veterinary Emergency Group (VEG ER for Pets) is a privately-held, US-based veterinary emergency care provider operating 120+ 24/7 walk-in emergency vet hospitals across the US and Canada, serving pet owners needing immediate after-hours and emergency care for dogs, cats, and exotics.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Emergency Veterinary Services

NAICS

Veterinary Services (54194), Veterinary Services (541940)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care Hospitals (HLAMACAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Companion Animal Veterinary Clinics & Hospitals (AFAEANAA)

Keywords

• Emergency veterinary care
• Veterinary hospital services
• Pet emergency services
• Animal urgent care
• 24-hour vet care

Headquarters

HQ city

White Plains

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices28 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Emergency Veterinary Services: Fee-for-service emergency veterinary care provided at 120+ hospital locations across the US and Canada. Pet owners pay for emergency medical services, urgent care, diagnostics, and treatments at point of service.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Veterinary Emergency Group operates a network of 120+ 24/7 walk-in emergency veterinary hospitals across the United States and Canada, providing immediate emergency and urgent medical care for dogs, cats, and exotic pets. Core services include diagnostics, surgery, ultrasound, and blood transfusions delivered through a proprietary open hospital model that allows pet owners to remain with their pets throughout treatment. The company sells care on a fee-for-service basis at point of need, with no appointment required.

Product overview

VEG ER for Pets operates a network of over 120 emergency veterinary hospitals across the United States and Canada. The company offers a single unified product: 24/7 emergency veterinary care with walk-in treatment for emergencies, urgent care, accidents, and various medical conditions. The service portfolio includes core medical services, an in-house blood bank, and the VEG Cares charitable program. The company differentiates through its open hospital environment allowing pet owners to stay with their pets throughout treatment, and operates a Little Vets educational program and Partners referral network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• VEG ER for Pets (Emergency Vet Services) 24/7 walk-in emergency and urgent veterinary hospital service for dogs, cats, and exotic pets, treating conditions including accidents, vomiting, diarrhea, trouble breathing, constipation, pain, wounds, bleeding, and swelling. Pet owners can call and speak directly with a veterinarian at any time or walk in without an appointment, and remain with their pets throughout treatment.
• Medical Services Comprehensive emergency medical services for pets including diagnostic imaging, ultrasound, and surgical procedures, delivered inside VEG's open and transparent hospital environment so pet owners can observe treatment.
• Blood Bank In-house blood bank providing transfusions and blood products to support emergency veterinary cases at VEG hospitals.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,000,000+ pets helped annually

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Animal Care & Control (Charlotte)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVEG partnered with Animal Care & Control in Charlotte to host a free microchip clinic in celebration of National Responsible Dog Ownership Day. This community-focused initiative provides free microchipping services to pet owners in the Charlotte area.
• VEG Blood BankcoreTechnology or IntegrationInternal blood bank capability supporting emergency transfusion services across VEG hospital locations. The blood bank provides critical supplies for emergency cases requiring transfusions.
• VEG Partners ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVEG maintains a partners program for referring veterinarians and clinics. The Partners page on veg.com indicates relationships with general practice veterinarians who refer emergency cases to VEG hospitals.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• BluePearl Pet Hospital: BluePearl is the largest network of specialty and emergency veterinary hospitals in the US, operating 100+ locations. It is VEG's most direct competitor, offering overlapping 24/7 emergency and specialty services to pet owners with a similar hub-and-spoke referral model.
• MedVet: MedVet operates a network of emergency and specialty veterinary hospitals across the US, providing 24/7 emergency care, surgery, internal medicine, and other specialties. It is a direct peer competing head-to-head with VEG in many of the same metros.
• Thrive Pet Healthcare: Thrive Pet Healthcare is a veterinary hospital network offering general practice, urgent care, and emergency services across hundreds of US locations. It competes with VEG in the emergency/urgent care segment and shares the multi-site, consumer-facing growth strategy.
• UrgentVet: UrgentVet operates a network of walk-in urgent care veterinary clinics across the US, focused on non-life-threatening cases between primary and emergency care. It is a direct peer to VEG's urgent care offering with a comparable walk-in, consumer-facing model.

Broad incumbents

• VCA Animal Hospitals: VCA (owned by Mars) operates more than 1,000 animal hospitals in North America, including primary care, specialty, and emergency services. As a broad incumbent, it overlaps with VEG on emergency/specialty while also offering general practice and ancillary services.
• PetVet Care Centers: PetVet Care Centers operates a large network of general practice, specialty, and emergency veterinary hospitals across the US. It is a broad incumbent with overlapping emergency services and competes for referrals and DVM talent with VEG.
• National Veterinary Associates (NVA): NVA is one of the largest private owners and operators of veterinary hospitals in the US and Canada, including general practice and specialty/emergency. It is a broad incumbent with overlapping ER footprints that competes for partnership opportunities with referring GPs.

Regional players

• Schwarzman Animal Medical Center: Schwarzman Animal Medical Center is a large specialty and emergency veterinary hospital in New York City. As a regional, single-site specialty/ER referral center, it overlaps with VEG in NYC for high-acuity emergency cases and is a comparable clinical model.
• ASPCA Animal Hospital: ASPCA Animal Hospital in NYC provides specialty and emergency veterinary care with a strong nonprofit/community focus. It is a regional player offering comparable emergency services to VEG in the New York market, often serving financially constrained pet owners.

Emerging players

• Guardian Veterinary Specialists: Guardian Veterinary Specialists is a specialty and 24/7 emergency veterinary hospital serving the Hudson Valley/New York region. It is an emerging player with a similar emergency/specialty focus, comparable to a single-site or small-network version of VEG.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/veterinaryemergencygroup
• Facebookfacebook.com/veterinaryemergencygroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/veterinary-emergency-group
• Instagraminstagram.com/veterinary_emergency_group
• TikToktiktok.com/@vegerforpets

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Veterinary Emergency Group