The Longford Veterinary Clinic will change hands after 12 years under the ownership of Dr Martina McPeace.
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Vets Dr Peter Wishart and DrSam Morgan will take over the clinic on July 1, after recently purchasing the practice from Dr McPeace.
Dr Wishart said the clinic, which only treated smaller animals, would transition to a mixed clinic under the pair’s ownership.
“Both of us are from mixed practice backgrounds, so we’ve worked with a lot of cattle and farm animals,” he said.
“We’re looking at the practice becoming a mixed practice and expanding quite a lot to cater for sheep, cows, horses and all that.
“No one is filling that niche right now in the Northern Midlands.”
Dr McPeace has sold the clinic, after deciding on a career change after working for 17 years as a veterinarian.
She completed a certificate in herbal medicine several years ago and has decided to pursue working as an acupuncturist as a full-time profession.
“In one way it is really sad to leave, because I’ve had really lovely clients and you get to know their kids and what happens in their lives,” Dr McPeace said.
“But it’s also really exciting and I’m fully focussed on the future.”
Dr McPeace said she had heard overwhelmingly positive reviews about Dr Wishart and Dr Morgan’s professional etiquette.
“I’ve got a best friend who had great things to say about their attitude and was very happy with their approach to clients and the way they treat animals,” she said.
A lot of vet clinics are moving to a corporate model and there are less locally-owned clinics.
- Peter Wishart
Dr Wishart and Dr Morgan worked together for the Scottsdale Veterinary Clinic for a period.
While Dr Wishart only recently resigned from the clinic, Dr Morgan left about a year ago and has been working at a practice in NSW.
Dr Wishart said it was important for the pair to run a locally owned practice that cared about the community.
“A lot of vet clinics are moving to a corporate model and there are less locally owned clinics,” he said.
“We want to be able to charge reasonable prices, not over-service animals and not push unnecessary products.
“It’s really important to me and [Dr Morgan] to run a clinic in this way.”
Dr Wishart said purchasing the clinic was a culmination of many years’ hard work and was something he had considered for a long time.
“It’s always been in the back of my mind to be able to run a practice how I want it to be run and to provide the level of care you want,” he said.
The practice will be ready to care for most animals, big and small, from day one, according to Dr Wishart.