Compassion-First Pet Hospitals has acquired a trio of Florida veterinary practices — two focusing on neurology and one on emergency and specialty care.
The takeover of Specialists in Companion Animal Neurology in the cities of Clearwater and Naples and First Coast Veterinary Specialists and Emergency in Jacksonville Beach gives 5-year-old Compassion-First nearly 50 hospitals in 14 states. The company expanded into Florida in mid-2019 with the purchase of Florida Veterinary Referral Center near Fort Myers.
The transaction terms were not announced.
Compassion-First described the Specialists in Companion Animal Neurology, or SCAN, hospitals as the “only practices on the Florida Gulf Coast that exclusively treat medical and surgical disorders of the brain, spinal cord, nerves and muscles.”
First Coast Veterinary Specialists and Emergency is a referral specialty and emergency center serving pet owners in northeast Florida and southern Georgia.
In other news, Compassion-First hired Elizabeth Lund, DVM, MPH, Ph.D., as vice president of veterinary informatics.
“Elizabeth is one of the most respected scientific and medical affairs professionals in the industry,” said John Payne, president and CEO of the Tinton Falls, New Jersey-based company.
“She is a true driver of improving patient outcomes through research and concrete data.”
Dr. Lund last worked as president and CEO of the consulting and research firm DataDogs and previously was senior director of research at Banfield Pet Hospital.