What Pet+E.R. does

Pet+E.R. is a 24/7 emergency and critical care veterinary hospital serving the Baltimore, Cockeysville, and Hunt Valley region of Maryland. Originally founded in 1986 as the Animal Emergency Center by a group of Baltimore-area veterinarians seeking to provide after-hours emergency care, the facility was rebranded to Pet+E.R. in 2003 and relocated to a 40,000-square-foot purpose-built facility in Hunt Valley in 2023. The hospital is a wholly owned subsidiary of National Veterinary Associates (NVA) and operates as one of only two VECCS Level-II certified 24-hour critical care facilities in Maryland. A second branch at Pet+ER Columbia is scheduled to close permanently on September 29, 2025, consolidating operations at Hunt Valley.

The core service offering is emergency veterinary care, critical care, and hospitalization, with supplemental revenue from specialty referrals routed through a co-location partnership with Chesapeake Veterinary Referral Center (CVRC). Underlying clinical capabilities include dedicated ICU space, advanced imaging, an isolation ward, improved surgery suites, and a Next in Line QR-code-based mobile check-in system with iPad kiosk fallback. Supporting programs include a five-seat annual Emergency and Critical Care specialty internship, RACE-approved continuing education for referring veterinarians, grief-support resources, and CareCredit-based patient financing.

Pet+E.R. generates revenue on a fee-for-service basis with payment due at the time of service; hospitalized patients must provide a deposit equal to the low end of the treatment estimate, with financial updates issued every 12–24 hours. Distribution combines direct walk-in emergency intake (24/7, no appointment required) with a formal veterinarian referral channel that funnels specialty cases to CVRC. Community-facing go-to-market is anchored by an exclusive Maryland SPCA emergency provider relationship since 2015, multi-year sponsorships of BARCS, Baltimore Humane Society, and Animal Advocates of Howard County, and brand sponsorship of the Baltimore Orioles Pet Calendar. Headcount is reported in the 101–250 range; revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Pet+E.R.

Legal name

Pet+E.R.

Website

https://pet-er.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Pet+E.R. is a 24/7 emergency and critical care veterinary hospital in Hunt Valley, Maryland, serving pet owners across the Baltimore metro area. It operates one of only two VECCS Level-II certified 24-hour critical care facilities in Maryland as a subsidiary of National Veterinary Associates.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Emergency veterinary services

NAICS

Veterinary Services (54194)

SIC

Services-Hospitals (8060), Services-Specialty Outpatient Facilities, Nec (8093)

akta.pro primary industry

Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care Hospitals (HLAMACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Veterinary Specialty Referral Hospitals (Multi-specialty) (HLAMACAB), Veterinary Imaging, Surgery & Specialty Referral Centers (AFAEANAG)

Keywords

• Emergency veterinary care
• Veterinary critical care
• Animal hospital services
• Veterinary referral network
• 24/7 veterinary care

Headquarters

HQ city

Towson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Emergency Veterinary Services: Fee-for-service model where payment is required at the time of service. Accepts all major credit cards, cash, and CareCredit financing. For hospitalized patients, a deposit equal to the low end of the estimated treatment range is required, with updated financial estimates provided every 12-24 hours.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Pet+E.R. provides 24/7 emergency veterinary medical care for pets experiencing acute conditions such as trauma, labored breathing, seizures, severe wounds, collapse, and bites, staffed by emergency veterinarians and DACVECC-board-certified criticalists. The VECCS Level-II certified facility delivers critical care hospitalization, emergency surgery, advanced imaging, and ICU monitoring from its 40,000 sq ft Hunt Valley hospital, with seamless specialty referrals to Chesapeake Veterinary Referral Center co-located specialists.

Product overview

Pet+E.R. operates as a unified 24/7 emergency and critical care veterinary hospital network. The core offering is emergency veterinary care and critical care services (VECCS Level-II certified), supplemented by patient referral pathways to Chesapeake Veterinary Referral Center specialists. Supporting services include Your Trip patient intake with Next in Line mobile check-in, payment processing via CareCredit, grief support resources, and continuing education programs for referring veterinarians. The company also offers an annual ECC internship program for aspiring veterinary specialists.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Emergency Veterinary Care 24/7 emergency veterinary services for pets experiencing acute medical conditions including trauma, labored breathing, seizures, severe wounds, collapse, and bites, staffed by emergency veterinarians available around the clock at the Hunt Valley facility.
• Critical Care Services VECCS-certified Level-II critical care providing intensive care unit services, hospitalization, advanced monitoring, and life-saving treatment for critically ill pets, delivered from the 40,000 sq ft Hunt Valley facility with dedicated ICU space and larger isolation ward.
• CVRC Specialty Referrals Specialty referral service providing access to board-certified specialists in surgery, internal medicine, oncology, advanced diagnostic imaging, cardiology, dentistry, neurology, and ophthalmology through a co-located partnership with Chesapeake Veterinary Referral Center.
• Continuing Education for Referring Veterinarians RACE-approved continuing education programs for referring veterinary partners, including Lunch & Learn sessions that share practical clinical insights and strengthen collaboration with the practice.
• Emergency & Critical Care Internship Program Five annual Emergency and Critical Care specialty internship positions offered in partnership with Chesapeake Veterinary Referral Center specialists, providing specialty training at a VECCS Level-II certified facility.

Quantifiable outcome

• Only certified veterinary emergency and critical care center in Maryland
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Maryland SPCAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Exclusive emergency medical provider for the Maryland SPCA's shelter and foster animals since 2015. Partnership includes annual March for the Animals event collaboration, volunteer and staff training on emergency medical needs, and provision of spay/neuter surgeries for shelter pets.
• Chesapeake Veterinary Referral Center (CVRC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPet+E.R. shares its Hunt Valley facility with Chesapeake Veterinary Referral Center, enabling seamless referrals to board-certified specialists in surgery, internal medicine, oncology, advanced diagnostic imaging, cardiology, dentistry, neurology, and ophthalmology. This co-location ensures patients receive comprehensive specialty care in a single location.
• BARCS (Baltimore Animal Rescue & Care Shelter)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity partner receiving annual sponsorship funds. Participant in BARCStoberfest community event.
• Show Your Soft SideminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual sponsorship recipient and participant in Pawject Runway community event.
• Baltimore Humane SocietyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual sponsorship recipient supporting animal welfare initiatives in the Baltimore area.
• Animal Advocates of Howard CountyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual sponsorship recipient supporting animal rescue efforts in Howard County.
• CareCreditmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCareCredit credit card accepted as flexible financing option to help pet owners pay for emergency veterinary care over time, subject to credit approval.
• Local Rescue GroupsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorks with dozens of local rescue groups to provide emergency medical care for shelter pets, offering discounts and volunteer time to support their life-saving missions.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Thrive Pet Healthcare: Thrive is a large multi-specialty and general practice veterinary platform with locations across the U.S. Operates as a broader incumbent with overlapping emergency/specialty services and consolidator playbook similar to NVA (Pet+E.R.'s parent).
• Ethos Veterinary Health: Ethos operates a wide network of specialty and emergency veterinary hospitals across the U.S. Larger, broadly diversified specialty veterinary platform with overlapping disciplines but a much broader geographic footprint than Pet+E.R.
• VCA Animal Hospitals: VCA operates the largest network of general, specialty, and emergency veterinary hospitals in the U.S. and is owned by Mars Petcare. While mostly general practice, VCA's specialty and emergency locations provide a broad-incumbent comparison given the overlap in ER capabilities.

Direct peers

• BluePearl Specialty + Emergency Pet Hospital: BluePearl is one of the largest veterinary emergency and specialty referral hospital operators in the U.S., offering 24/7 emergency care and board-certified specialty services mirroring Pet+E.R.'s combined ER-plus-multi-specialty value proposition.
• Veterinary Emergency Group (VEG): VEG operates a growing network of 24/7 emergency veterinary hospitals with a similar walk-in, no-appointment model. Direct competitor to Pet+E.R. in the emergency veterinary space and one of the most aggressively expanding ER-only chains in the U.S.
• Chesapeake Veterinary Referral Center (CVRC): CVRC is a multi-specialty veterinary referral practice co-located within Pet+E.R.'s Hunt Valley facility and Pet+E.R.'s core specialty-care partner. Although a partner rather than competitor, it operates an immediately adjacent set of capabilities (surgery, internal medicine, oncology, cardiology, neurology, ophthalmology, advanced imaging).
• MedVet: MedVet operates a network of veterinary emergency and specialty hospitals across multiple U.S. states with board-certified specialists in similar disciplines (surgery, internal medicine, oncology, cardiology, neurology). Direct peer given overlapping emergency and specialty referral model.
• Animal Emergency & Referral Associates: An independently operated 24/7 emergency and specialty veterinary hospital in the Mid-Atlantic. Comparable in scale and service mix (ER + multi-specialty referral) to Pet+E.R., making it a strong regional direct peer.

Emerging players

• UrgentVet: UrgentVet operates a fast-growing chain of after-hours urgent care (non-emergency) veterinary clinics. While not a direct ER competitor, it competes for the lower-acuity case mix that traditionally feeds Pet+E.R.'s after-hours walk-in volume.

Others

• National Veterinary Associates (NVA): NVA is Pet+E.R.'s parent company and one of the largest veterinary hospital consolidators in the U.S. Although it owns Pet+E.R. rather than competing with it, NVA sets the strategic and operational context and owns hundreds of comparable companion-animal hospital assets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TowsonPetER
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pet-e-r
• Instagraminstagram.com/pet_er.vets

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Pet+E.R.