$11OM Capital Secured to Make Vet Care Affordable

The news is covered by Fortune’s Term Sheet [here →].

But this isn’t really a story about fundraising. I’ve never written about our funding and it’s never felt newsworthy until now. This is a story about how capital can reframe care.

The state of veterinary medicine

Veterinary prices are rising at double the rate of inflation, which is already high. Vet visits are down. Millions of pets are quietly missing basic care - not because their families don’t love them, but because they’re afraid of the bill waiting at the front desk.

Most people can’t absorb a $500 surprise expense. A routine vet visit for a healthy pet can easily cost that, and more in cities. When money becomes unpredictable, people delay. They wait. And sometimes, they never come in at all.

That’s the part we don’t talk about enough.

Veterinarians vs. pet owners

When I first came into the veterinary industry, I was struck by how deeply money shaped care decisions.

Nearly 30% of pet owners avoid the vet because of cost. The industry is still cash-based. Invoices often arrive at the worst moment, with few options and little transparency. As a pet owner, I remember feeling ripped off and a growing distrust for the care provider in front of me.

As I got to know veterinarians, the disconnect was impossible to ignore.

Vets are among the most compassionate people I’ve met. Their teams absorb enormous financial and emotional pressure. Staff are asked to be caregivers, bankers, and counselors. We have hired many former clinic staff members for our own team at Snout who have surfaced horrible stories, including clients who yell, throw money at them, and accuse them of killing their fur babies.

That person wasn’t a bad person. People behave badly when they’re pushed past their edge.

And right now, too many families and veterinary teams are being let down by a broken system.

What we believe

Our belief is simple and non-negotiable:

No one should have to make a health decision for their pet based on the cash in their bank account.

Wellness plans aren’t new. But historically, they’ve asked vets to finance care themselves - shouldering risk, admin, and collections on top of practicing medicine. That model doesn’t scale and it’s unsustainable, particularly for independent practices.

The power of capital and what makes Snout different

Snout provides the capital so veterinarians don’t have to. With this Series A and our new financing partnership with Clear Haven, we have the ability to support veterinary practices nationwide and create savings for pet parents.

Snout is the first financing platform to offer universal preventive care to any pet:

• No credit checks
• No interest payments
• No discrimination by pet age or breed or pre-existing conditions

When cost is no longer the gatekeeper, everything changes. Pets come in earlier. Small concerns don’t wait. Issues are caught before they become emergencies. Veterinary teams can practice the medicine they believe in without constant financial tension at the front desk.

Melanie Bowden said it best in her Ted Talk which I reference often in the work that we do. 

What’s next

Snout works exclusively through veterinarians. If you’re a pet parent, you can find a Snout clinic near you or ask your vet to join us. 

Veterinarians - find time to speak with us, we promise a human will get back to you same day.

And if this mission touches you, please reach out. We’re hiring!

I’m deeply grateful to Clear Haven and Footwork for seeing this vision and backing it with real conviction. And I’m incredibly proud of the Snout team for building something entirely new, something this industry has needed for a long time.

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