Seattle veterinary group expands to Florida with Naples pet hospital

Lakefield Veterinary Group, a family-owned veterinary acquisition company based outside Seattle that operates more than 80 hospitals, is expanding to Florida for the first time, through a partnership with Emergency Pet Hospital of Collier County.

Emergency Pet Hospital of Collier County is at 6530 Dudley Drive in Naples, in a 5,300-square-foot facility off of Pine Ridge Road and just west of Interstate 75. Financial terms of the partnership with Kent, Washington-based Lakefield weren’t disclosed. 

Lakefield officials, in a statement, say the company, along with Emergency Pet Hospital lead veterinarian Dr. Erik Madison, plan to “expand services to offer emergency and critical care 24/7 in the near future.”

Lakefield also recently expanded to other states on the east coast, with two acquisitions in Virginia and one in Georgia. The goal with each arrangement, the company says, is to support “veterinary teams in delivering high-quality care while preserving the local identity of each hospital.”

That includes operational efficiencies, enhanced continuing education and financial resources, the company says. “With our expansion into Florida, Georgia and Virginia, we continue to uphold our commitment to providing top-tier veterinary care and ensuring that each hospital retains its individual character and community-driven approach,” CEO Mollie Hoff says in the release. 

Lakefield has 2,000 employees in its 80-plus hospitals spread across 12 states. Emergency Pet Hospital of Collier County, meanwhile, was founded in 1993, according to its website, “when local veterinarians recognized a real need in Collier County for an after-hours emergency veterinary hospital.” The hospital isn’t a substitute for a family veterinarian, and “clients are referred back to their regular practices when follow-up care is needed.”