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Welcome on board Ms. Senior Physician Catherine Grötz, GPCert Oncology
Welcome on board Ms. Senior Physician Catherine Grötz, GPCert Oncology 150 150 Sven Jan Arndt
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With Ms. Grötz we were able to gain an outstanding expert in oncology and imaging diagnostics for our small animal center in Karlsruhe-Durlach.

Even at her young age, Ms. Grötz can already point to an impressive CV:

  • 2 years assistant veterinarian at veterinary practice Dr. Susanne Drögemüller, Ditterke – Gehrden in the field of horses and small animals
  • 5 years as a veterinarian at the Speyer Small Animal Center – focus: oncology, cytology, soft tissue surgery

Further training:

  • ESVPS ultrasound Viernheim (shortly before completion)
  • ESVPS Oncology Frankfurt – completed as GPCert Oncology
  • Further training in skin cytology

We look forward to welcoming you to the team and wish you all the best and lots of fun with our dear patients!

You can find out more on our website.

Welcome veterinarian Maria Apostolidou!
Welcome veterinarian Maria Apostolidou! 150 150 Sven Jan Arndt
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Ms. Apostolidou has been supporting our small animal center in Karlsruhe and our two practices in Karlsbad as an assistant veterinarian since the beginning of May.

Ms. Apostolidou grew up in Krefeld and studied veterinary medicine in Thessaloniki. She was able to gain her first professional experience in a small animal clinic in Thessaloniki and a small animal practice in Emsland.

We look forward to your active support!

doc4pets will be at the Deutsche Vet in Cologne on June 8th, 2019
doc4pets will be at the Deutsche Vet in Cologne on June 8, 2019 372 104 Sven Jan Arndt
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On June 8th, 2019 we will give a lecture between 3:00 p.m. and 3:50 p.m. in the Business Theater as part of the Deutsche Vet:

https://www.deutschevet.com/businesstheater–workshops#/

Do good and talk about it – An ABC of modern veterinary marketing

What's the point if you're good as a veterinarian but no one knows about it?
Marketing has been part of every company's classic toolkit for decades.
For a long time, freelancers were not allowed to do this for legal reasons. This has been changing for a long time. The advertising ban became an advertising right for veterinarians. Use this right to point out your specialties, qualifications, etc. In this way, you not only achieve targeted new customer growth, but also reactivate existing customers. In this lecture you will learn which instruments are suitable for the different phases: • Legal framework conditions
• Brand building
• Customer acquisition
• Customer retention
Learning objectives:
• Recognizing the need for marketing for the veterinary practice
• Analyzing & structuring the (existing) marketing
• Recognizing what you yourself and what should be given to others
Speaker

Sven Jan Arndt, CEO – doc4pets GmbH

We are available to speak to you in person from 11 a.m. and after the lecture. We look forward to seeing you!
Aux petits soins pour vos animaux – doc4pets Renchen aims at French neighbors
Aux petits soins pour vos animaux – doc4pets Renchen targets French neighbors 1024 683 Sven Jan Arndt
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In addition to German patient owners from the Ortenau district, the new small animal practice in Renchen also targets our neighboring friends from Strasbourg and the surrounding area. For this purpose, Ms. Margot Dewerpe was recruited as a supporting force:

She completed her 3-year training at the Hanauerland Clinic in Kehl. In addition to assisting in treatment and surgery, our native Frenchwoman is also the contact person for our French patients.

Francais:
Madame Dewerpe rejoins our team from September 2018 as a specialist veterinary assistant.
This has the effect of training at the Hanauerland Veterinary Clinic in Kehl. Margot Dewerpe nous aide lors des consultations, à l'accueil, et lors des operations. The French nationality is equal to our interlocution for our French patients.

At the same time, a French-language article appeared in the neighboring region:

 

doc4pets Renchen GmbH successfully launched
doc4pets Renchen GmbH successfully launched 729 1024 Sven Jan Arndt
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On August 1st, 2018, doc4pets Renchen GmbH opened its new location in Renchen under the leadership of veterinarian Simone Schüssler. “I am very much looking forward to my new role as managing director. I feel well prepared thanks to my time as a senior physician at the Arndt Small Animal Center in Karlsruhe. My colleagues there are also still available to me for advice and support.”

doc4pets Renchen GmbH has taken over the veterinary practice of Ms. Dipl.-Bio. TÄ Manuela Bitsch took over, who has earned a good reputation locally over the last 10 years. Ms. Bitsch remains a consultant two days a week and continues to support the patient owners.

The practice was also equipped with a new (cardiac) ultrasound and a state-of-the-art digital X-ray system. To provide support, specialists from Karlsruhe will hold cardiology consultations on site in the future. The headquarters also takes care of marketing, PR work and all commercial matters, so that the on-site team can fully concentrate on looking after the little darlings. Furthermore, in an emergency, the consultation hours could be extended from Monday to Friday to 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

doc4pets is an owner-managed group of small animal practices in the North Baden area and was developed by TÄ Susanne and Dipl.-Ök. Sven Jan Arndt, LL.M., CIA. What is outstanding is the opportunity for veterinarians to grow within the group and also take on entrepreneurial tasks from management roles to partnerships.

Financial investors and the trend towards veterinary chains
Financial investors and the trend towards veterinary chains 681 1024 Sven Jan Arndt
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1. Current trend

It was only at the beginning of June that Mars Petcare's spectacular takeover of the largest German veterinary chain, Anicura, caused a stir (we reported: https://doc4pets.de/anicura-schliesst-sich-mars-petcare-an/ ). Now a new “chain” – Vetsana?

And the next financial investors are already in the starting blocks and promise the selling and acquiring veterinarians the “blue sky”. Currently, for example, Vetsana GmbH (nice name – sounds very serious and like a veterinarian) from Munich is on the move. They are committed for the long term (10-15 years) and are all entrepreneurs. We noticed them because they put a lot of marketing effort into the Grüner Heinrich and Wir-sin-Tierarzt.de as advertising partners.

In contrast to the big chains, you are the loved ones. Everyone can develop freely as a young veterinarian. The veterinary surgeon knows his business is in good hands. Etc. etc.

But they always want the majority when they take over a practice - quote: “  Yes, we typically take a majority stake in the practice. We really like to see the managing veterinarians take a significant stake in their own practice as shareholders. This is not a must but an option. The sizes are flexible within this framework.”

2. Vetsana – a new concept?

Let's take a look behind this new construct that wants to do everything better than the other chains:

a) There are no veterinarians among the investors - how are the economies of scale that one supposedly wants to leverage used: "And of course an association has other advantages, for example in purchasing as well as in training and the exchange of know-how."?

b) Legally, this construct, like Evidensia and Anicura, is on more than shaky national ground. The majority of state veterinary associations stipulate who and by what majority veterinarians must be involved in a practice. The State Veterinary Association of Westphalia states this in great detail:

㤠28 Veterinary society in the legal form of a legal entity under private law

(1) Veterinarians are permitted to run an individual practice or practice in a group in the legal form of a legal entity under private law. The prerequisite for operating a company in the form of a legal entity under private law is: 1. The company must be managed responsibly by a veterinarian, 2. The majority of managing directors must be veterinarians, 3. The majority of the company's shares and voting rights must Veterinarians are entitled to or based on social contractual regulations, the powers for resolutions with regard to the professional regulations of the 12 Westphalia-Lippe Veterinary Association, veterinary professional law and the rights and obligations of veterinarians arising from applicable law must be irrevocably transferred to a committee in which licensed practitioners Veterinarians have the majority of voting rights. 4. every veterinarian working in the company must have sufficient professional liability insurance; In the case of partnerships with limited professional liability, § 8 paragraph 4 of the law on partnerships of members of the liberal professions must be taken into account.”

It is actually quite remarkable that the state veterinary associations draw up professional regulations but do not enforce them. Why not? Fear of EU law? As a normal citizen, you ask yourself why there are laws and rules!?

c) Which veterinary practice has Vetsana already taken over!?

d) What kind of return does such a private investor expect if he makes such a long-term commitment? Anyone who says they don't want to exit until after 10-15 years usually demands a decent multiple of their group's sales. In other words, the veterinarians to be taken over must of course increase their sales dramatically during this time so that a proper exit is possible. We're talking about a 25-30% increase in sales per year - otherwise, in our opinion, this doesn't make sense for such a "private investor". From our point of view, the problem is the perspective of the young veterinarian who has put his sweat into the practice for 10 years, was only able to own a maximum of 49% and is now being sold to another investor (e.g. Mars Petcare) without him having a say can. And what will happen next there? Can he really continue to develop as he wants?

3. A look behind the scenes

Let's take a deeper look behind the scenes , which the editorial team at Wir-sind-Tierarzt.de doesn't seem to have done in detail. If you are otherwise so proud of your critical reporting, you seem to quickly forget the critical distance when “the ruble rolls” - which, to be fair, was made clear at the end: “ Disclosure: VetSana is our sponsoring partner for the summer months of 2018 -sind-tierarzt.de. The article was created as part of this advertising partnership – you can read more about this form of collaboration here.”

Lt. Commercial register shares in Vetsana GmbH with Mr. Ulrich Biffar (Switzerland) 63.1%, a company Pelecanus GmbH with 26.76% and Mr. Florian Arndt with 7.888% and Mr. Uwe Bühler with 2.252%. Behind Pelecanus GmbH is Mr. Felix Hauser.

Mr. Biffar, Mr. Hauser and Mr. Arndt all hold leading positions (managing directors) at Lamont Capital GmbH - also in Munich. According to their own statements, with this company they invest in highly profitable companies: “Lamont Capital is a company based in Munich that focuses on advising on the acquisition and ongoing support of medium-sized companies. The focus of the investments is on majority stakes in companies in German-speaking countries with an enterprise value of between EUR 10 and 75 million that are sustainable and above-average profitable.”

Now, of course, the question immediately arises – how many weddings can you dance at? Not a little bit, but professionally? So that your dance partner also has fun and doesn't have blue feet after the dance. 😉

Mr. Ulrich Biffar was also the German head of the financial investor Bain Capital. Mr. Arndt and Mr. Hauser were also at Bain Capital. Bain Capital is known for not being particularly squeamish about their investments:

“Bain Capital is accused of exploiting various companies and causing their subsequent bankruptcy:

GS Technologies, a steel mill in Kansas City, had been in operation since 1888. In 1993 it was taken over by Bain, and barely ten years later the company was bankrupt. According to a report by the US television station MSNBC, 750 people lost their jobs at the time. Bain, on the other hand, benefited from the deal: the company earned twelve million dollars, but had previously only invested eight million dollars. In addition, Bain apparently pocketed at least $4.5 million in advisory fees.  [4][5]

In 1992, Bain Capital purchased American Pad & Paper. In 1999, two of the company's factories closed, 385 jobs were eliminated, and the company was $392 million in debt. In 2000 the company declared bankruptcy. [6] The Boston Globe reported that Bain earned US$100 million from Ampad on an investment of US$5 million, including tens of millions in management fees. [7]

Bain Capital and Goldman Sachs bought Dade International in 1994 for approximately US$450 million. Approximately 900 jobs were eliminated or outsourced. Over the next few years, another 1,000 workers were laid off and the company's loan debt quadrupled. In 2002 the company declared bankruptcy.  [8][9]

In 1997, Bain Capital bought LIVE Entertainment for US$150 million. Subsequently, one in four of the 166 employees were laid off. [10] Bain Capital made a profit of US$578 million through the companies Stage Stores, American Pad & Paper, GS Industries, Dade, and Details, all five companies went bankrupt a short time later. [11]”

4. Outlook

A rogue who now thinks bad things about the sentences from the said - let's call it “advertorial” from Wir-sind-Tierarzt.de:

“  VetSana was founded by German entrepreneurs under the leadership of Florian Arndt and me.
We invest our own money. There is no investment fund or any other form of venture capital behind this, nor any other company from the veterinary sector. We are private investors and we have a long-term investment horizon. We see that as a 10 to 15 year project. Only then will our commitment and investment pay off. We want to build a long-term and sustainable partnership with our veterinarians.”

It's good that there will finally be a "good veterinary chain"...

Anicura joins Mars Petcare
Anicura joins Mars Petcare 150 150 Sven Jan Arndt
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What sounds so harmless actually has immense significance for our industry. While the Swedish financial investors still disguised themselves as long-term investors with the desire to only do good things for pets, the mask is now finally falling off. After less than 8 years on the market, the financial investors sold to the Mars Group, one of the largest companies in the food and pet industry alongside Nestle.

Regarding Mars Petcare from your own press release:

“…These include PEDIGREE®, WHISKAS®, ROYAL CANIN®, NUTRO™, GREENIES™, SHEBA®, CESAR®, IAMS™ ​​and EUKANUBA™ as well as the WALTHAM Center for Pet Nutrition, which has been conducting scientific research on nutrition and pet nutrition for more than 50 years promotes the health of pets. Mars Petcare is also the world's largest veterinary healthcare provider with a network of more than 2,000 veterinary clinics, including BANFIELD™, BLUEPEARL™, PET PARTNERS™ and VCA™. …”

A tendency towards monopolization of an entire market seems clear when you look at this list.

The complete German press release can be found here: 180611-anicura-anclides-sich-mars-petcare-an

What does this mean for the veterinary industry?

First of all, the wind that has previously prevailed at Anicura will probably become even more rigid and will be trimmed even more towards profit and return optimization. A Mars has high return targets and has already attracted attention in the past due to one or two scandals ( scandal about plastic particles in chocolate bars, etc.).

On the other hand, veterinarians who want to sell should think more carefully about who they sell to in the future. Because the other colleagues on the market such as Evidensia etc. are also profit-oriented financial investors. It seems self-evident that they also have an exit in mind in the long term.

In our opinion, anyone who wants to continue to provide their services seriously in the future, free from the pressure of sales targets or return expectations from external financial investors, should think carefully about whether the vaunted advantages cannot be achieved in another way and whether the disadvantages even outweigh the disadvantages.

 

A small impression of our small animal center in Karlsruhe-Durlach
A small impression of our small animal center in Karlsruhe-Durlach 150 150 Sven Jan Arndt
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Arndt small animal center is a “cat friendly clinic”
Kleintierzentrum Arndt is a “Cat friendly clinic” 768 1024 Sven Jan Arndt
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The Arndt small animal center in Karlsruhe-Durlach has received the international silver certificate as a cat-friendly practice “cat friendly clinic” . This makes it one of the few clinics and practices in Germany that have achieved this.
“We are very proud of the certificate awarded by the International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM), which recognizes our ongoing efforts in further training and maintaining high standards, especially in cat medicine,” says veterinarian Susanne Arndt, owner. The ISFM has been striving for years to spread a high standard of cat medicine worldwide.

What does this mean for your cat?

Cats have finely tuned body language, and in order to understand this, all employees are specially trained in dealing with cats and are constantly receiving further training.
As a recognized cat practice, the Arndt Small Animal Center minimizes stress for the cats right from the start - for example, through a separate waiting area for dogs and cats, but also separate stations with places to retreat and toys for longer stays, especially for cats.
In addition, cats have raised storage areas and the specific treatment rooms are sprayed with a special spray that calms the cats. This makes the upcoming treatment very easy - the cats are relaxed and blood samples, x-rays and ultrasound examinations work very well.
This way, your little darlings will not only be healthy, but also optimally pampered, and everything will heal much faster.
You can find more information about the certification standards here – Cat friendly clinic standards .
With heart and mind for your animal – the Arndt small animal center in Karlsruhe-Durlach!