Mobile Veterinary Service The Vets Abruptly Ceases Operations, Leaving Clients and Staff in Limbo
Once considered a rising star in the world of mobile veterinary care, The Vets has gone dark. The company, which offered in-home veterinary services in nearly 30 major U.S. cities, abruptly ceased operations this week—leaving pet owners confused, appointments canceled, and employees without answers or jobs.
Visitors to The Vets’ website are now met with a simple message: “We are currently not taking new appointments at this time.” Earlier versions of the notice were more direct, stating the company had shut down and urging clients to email for medical records. Since then, many who’ve reached out say their emails have gone unanswered, and the company’s phone line now routes callers to a generic voicemail.
A Startup That Grew Too Fast?
Founded in 2021 by venture capitalists Daniel Sagis, Dori Fussmann, and Shmuel Chafets—of Target Global—The Vets quickly expanded to 28 cities, including Boston, Miami, San Francisco, Dallas, and Seattle. The company’s model was tailored to the pandemic moment: at-home veterinary care with steep convenience fees—$199 for travel plus $99 for exams. By October 2024, The Vets had even acquired BetterVet, a major competitor, and boasted over 80 veterinary teams and more than 250,000 pets served.
Despite that apparent success, cracks were forming beneath the surface.
Dr. Zach Mills, former VP of Medical Performance, told VIN News that the company had begun quietly pulling out of certain markets as early as last year. “I had friends in these cities all of a sudden looking for jobs,” he said. Reports suggest employees were informed of the closure via email late Monday night.
At its peak, The Vets employed up to 45 full-time veterinarians alongside a network of relief vets. Now, many of those professionals are left without severance or clear direction, and clients are left without access to vital pet health records.
A Growing List of Disrupted Clients
In a message sent to customers, The Vets wrote, “We've made the difficult decision to wind down our services in your area, effective July 21, 2025... Email us for your pet’s medical records.” But for many, that’s where communication ended. Pet parents report unanswered emails, unavailable phone lines, and no access to their pets’ medical histories.
The ripple effects of the closure have left clients uncertain about how to continue care, especially for pets with chronic conditions or those mid-treatment.
Part of a Larger Industry Reckoning?
The fall of The Vets is not an isolated event. It comes on the heels of other veterinary business failures:
In April 2025, My Pets Wellness, with 10 brick-and-mortar clinics, also shut down abruptly, citing “overwhelming financial issues.”
Between 2023 and 2024, PetIQ closed nearly 300 in-store veterinary clinics in retail giants like Walmart and Meijer, attributing the decision to labor shortages and escalating costs.
What once seemed like an unstoppable boom in pet care—driven by pandemic-fueled adoption rates and demand for at-home services—now appears to be cooling. Many startup ventures that scaled quickly are finding it hard to sustain operations in a post-pandemic economy marked by inflation, staffing shortages, and reduced consumer spending.
