Crown practice

Crown Veterinary Services photo

This veterinary practice in the Indian capital of New Delhi is among eight owned by Crown Veterinary Services, which has just attracted an investment from Mars Inc.

In a country with 10 times as many cattle as pet dogs, working with production animals historically has been a well-trodden career path for veterinarians in India.

In recent years, however, India's growing middle class has warmed to pet ownership, upping demand for increasingly sophisticated companion animal medicine — and tempting corporate consolidators of veterinary practices to invest in the world's most populous nation for the first time.

In a notable development, Mars Inc., the biggest owner of veterinary clinics in the world, has tentatively expanded its practice footprint into India by acquiring a minority stake in Crown Veterinary Services, a Mumbai-based group of eight practices in the country, according to a press release issued by Crown in December. A Mars spokesperson confirmed that the deal has been sealed. The companies haven't disclosed the stake size or price.

Mars, based in Virginia in the United States, owns more than 3,000 veterinary practices worldwide, under brands such as Banfield and VCA in the U.S. and Canada; Linneaus in the United Kingdom; and AniCura in mainland Europe. It also sells pet products, chiefly dog and cat food. In most quarters, Mars is better known as the maker of M&Ms and other candy.

Crown was founded in 2016 by Pratapsinh Gaekwad, a member of the unofficial royal family of Baroda. (India abolished princely titles in 1971, but its dynasties remain influential.) Gaekwad was inspired to start the company after feeling disappointed by the quality of care he received for his pet dog, a Great Dane named Chevy.

"India's pet care industry has been growing rapidly, but high-quality veterinary care has lagged behind," he said in an interview by email. "Rather than just sitting back and complaining, I decided to take on the challenge, start my own clinic and provide better care and services."

Gaekwad said the investment by Mars will help Crown open more practices in India (its ninth opens later this month), improve clinical standards and introduce training programs for its 240 employees, including 60 veterinarians. Some of Crown's veterinarians, he added, already are going on exchange trips to Mars practices in Singapore, France and Italy.

Corporate influence growing but still minimal

There were 81,938 veterinarians registered with the regulatory agency Veterinary Council of India as of March 31, 2023, according to the country's Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying. The council did not respond to requests for information on the proportion of veterinarians who work in production animal practice versus companion animal practice.

Most veterinarians in India work in government or academia, according to Vet Helpline India, a Guwahati-based consultancy.

Practitioners working with production animals predominantly serve the country's dairy or poultry industries, said Dr. Rizvan Ghasura, an assistant professor at Kamdhenu University who has blogged about the state of the Indian veterinary profession. (Sacred in Hindu culture, cows are kept more for their milk than their meat in India, although some beef from India is exported.)

Ghasura said companion animal medicine is emerging as a significant source of employment for veterinarians in the country.

"India's pet care market is expanding, particularly in major cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Hyderabad," he said by telephone. "Middle-class and wealthy families are increasingly viewing pets as family members."

India's pet dog population reached 33.6 million in 2023, up from 12.6 million in 2014 — a 167% increase in a decade, according to figures from Statista, a market data firm. The number of pet dogs is projected to grow to 51.5 million by 2028.

By comparison, the number of pet dogs in the U.S. stood at 89.7 million in 2024, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. The difference is more pronounced when considering that India's human population of over 1.4 billion is more than four times that of America's 335 million.

For further context, India's cattle population in 2023 was 308 million, Statista estimates. The U.S. counted 89.3 million head that same year, federal figures show. (The number of cattle in the U.S. has since declined to 86.7 million.)

Rising pet ownership in India has been accompanied by the establishment of more locally owned hospitals, either as standalone, single-site businesses or groups such as Crown. Other local chains include Vetic, which was established in 2022 and has more than 40 clinics across India, and Max Vets, which owns eight practices in Delhi.

"Traditionally, veterinary practices in India have been independently owned by veterinarians, often operating as standalone clinics with limited infrastructure," Crown's Gaekwad said. "However, in recent years, there has been a shift with larger companies entering the market and creating a chain of clinics. While the concept of multi-location veterinary chains is still in its early stages in India, it is gaining momentum."

The Crown investment isn't the first foray of Mars' pet care business into India. Its Royal Canin pet food business opened a manufacturing facility near Mumbai last year.

Still, foreign investment in hospitals to date has been modest. Japanese company A'alda maintains that it is the first foreign multinational to open veterinary clinics in India, initially with a small practice in New Delhi, which opened in 2020, then through a large-scale hospital in Gurugram, a city just outside of New Delhi, that opened in 2021.

Although Ghasura predicts corporate chains will keep expanding, he doesn't expect them to command the kind of market share that they do in Western countries like the U.K., for example, where big companies own around 60% of veterinary practices.

More broadly, he said, one impediment to growth in the profession is a shortage of skilled practitioners in India — a point on which Gaekwad agreed. "While India has a large number of veterinary colleges, there remains an unmet need for advanced training programs, especially focused on companion animal care," Gaekwad said. "High-quality, well-equipped veterinary hospitals are still rare, especially outside major cities."

Limited appreciation of animal health also is a challenge, particularly in rural areas but even in big cities. "Many middle-class families are less focused on spending on high-end pet health care services" than those in Western countries, Ghasura said.

Moreover, many pet owners lack knowledge about preventive care, leading to a greater need for late-stage treatments, according to Gaekwad.

Mars changes leadership, re-examines strategy

Mars' advance in India comes amid a revamp of its veterinary business that has seen it shutter urgent care clinics in the U.S. and change its leadership.

The company appointed Nefertiti Greene, the former head of its diagnostics unit, as head of its global veterinary health business as of December. She replaced Doug Drew, who held the position for five years and previously spent 10 years in senior roles at VCA.

On Jan. 31, VCA closed at least 17 urgent care practices in five U.S. states, an apparent reversal of strategy 2½ years after it announced its first urgent care center in Mar Vista, California.

Elsewhere in the world, Mars owns practices in Japan and Hong Kong. VCA also has a 50% stake in Pet Care Central Veterinario S.A., which owns six practices in Brazil.