[waythenewsgoes]

It all comes down to available resources. It takes capital and motivated founders to create new vet clinics. Few will want to spread themselves thin enough to cover many clinics unless they are in the same geographic area, and even then the market has saturation limits. However, if an entity essentially resembling Chase bank in terms of capital resources comes into your town and either buys out or undercuts you drastically until you appear to be uncompetitive, and you can't make your mortgage payments, or cover your whole staff and equipment, what are you supposed to do? PE can starve you out, they have the resources, these small businesses do not. There is no competition in this instance, just a slaughter.