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The man who founded the biggest corporate vet and pet company in Australia has blown the lid on how he thinks bean counters and retailers have too much power in the $12.2 billion industry. Greencross founder and shark tank judge Glen Richards told The Daily Telegraph the bosses he accuses of dismantling the vet-centric structure he built at the company need to “get off your high horse and out of your bloody office”. Dr Richard’s explosive claims are the first instalment of a five-part investigation by The Daily Telegraph on all you need to know about owning a pet — from how much owners are willing to spend saving their pet’s life to what’s really in pet food to how much we are spending on pet insurance. A veterinarian, Dr Richard’s began Greencross 25 years ago after the $330,000 purchase of a suburban vet practice. He’s proof there is money in pets, growing a booming business from the humanisation of pets and their improved status from backyard to bedroom. Sydney man’s $40K vet bill to save dog’s life In the past few years he’s pocketed $38 million in two massive deals — first merging with the Bunnings of pet retail, Petbarn, and then selling out earlier this year to the United States’ “king of buyouts”, TPG private equity in a deal worth $1 billion. Now Dr Richards has lashed the structure at Greencross, saying he believes accountants and retailers have too much power. But the new boss has hit back, saying in the three months since taking over, the previous single management structure has been replaced with two divisions, one for retail and one for vets. He said this was done in order to better support the clinical side of operations, which at 160 vet practices is the biggest vet network in Australia. Dr Richards said he is disappointed his system of ownership incentives for vets is being dismantled. “They (vets) bought the right to manage the practice by putting some money on the table and they got a share of the growth in profit. If they really engaged their community, had a great team and the practice grew _ top line and bottom line they shared as a business associate,” he said. It created an “owner-like” mentality in vets, who would be more likely to open the doors for an out-of-hours consultation, he said. “I think the recent management team has pretty much dismantled that program — very sad because it worked and it delivered good numbers. “This is the trouble when you’ve got accountants taking over a business and they don’t understand the value of these things. I still remember bringing the program in and having a massive fight with my CFO (chief financial officer in 2009) … At the time being an accountant he was questioning the value of allowing people to be a part-owner of the business.” Private equity firms like new Greencross owner TPG are well versed in taking over distressed or struggling companies, stripping out the costs and driving up profit. When TPG took over, profit at Greencross had plunged by half and the takeover price per share was half of what the shares had traded at their peak. TPG’s new executive chairman at Greencross is Canadian Paul Mirabelle, former CEO of controversial National Home Doctor Service and a former partner at Boston Consulting Group, which specialises in advising companies on how to ruthlessly cut costs. TPG swooped on Greencross when the company was “underperforming quite significantly”, particularly on the vet and clinical side, Mr Mirabelle said. He said “there was a whole array of different structures” under which vets were paid and many of these systems were being replaced. With what exactly he couldn’t yet say, but he emphasised the importance of giving vets the best professional development support and training available. “We are taking a fresh look at all these things,” Mr Mirabelle said. He says under his new structure that separates the management of retail and clinical operations, vets will be better supported and customers will be much better informed about preventive health options for their pets. “Twenty years ago your pet was your friend, today they are part of the family,” Mr Mirabelle said. Former Greencross CEO Simon Hickey revealed in the company’s 2018 annual report the push to sell vet services and products in a bundle and give vets short-term incentives to turnover more. “We have developed a new short-term incentive plan for our vets which we believe will result in better alignment and increased productivity,” Mr Hickey, who was paid just shy of $1 million that year and was recruited for making a booming success from Qantas’s loyalty program, said. He also revealed a big push for retail staff in Petbarn to sell Greencross vet services and flagged an aggressive push for vets to boost referrals and come to the vet more. Respected vet from Sydney University’s vet school Dr Richard Malik said what this means for pet owners is higher bills. “The best thing that can happen if you’re a vet is for Greencross to take over one of the vets (practices) in your suburb because you get so many people unhappy with Greencross that it improves your business,” Dr Malik said. “It’s not the quality of the service, the bills are too high. The thing that drives the propensity to over-service are the corporate practices or any practice that uses an algorithm (to determine the services vets recommend). “There has to be some wiggle room according to what people can afford to pay and if you are instructed and advised to always make people take the most expensive option … people get bill shock,” Dr Malik said. Mr Mirabelle said there is no conflict of interest in having vets recommend products. “They are not pushing any particular products at all,” Mr Mirabelle said. Dr Richards kept a seat on the Greencross board after the 2013 Petbarn merger but stepped away from an executive role, which Dr Malik said meant vets no longer had as much power in the organisation. “All of the people that make all the decisions and have the authority are non-veterinarians,” Dr Malik said. “Are we a highly principled profession that has to guard the human animal bond and think about the best welfare for people’s companion animals? Or are we a business that has to make a lot of money. Juggling those two priorities is very difficult.” https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/greencross-founder-glen-richards-blasts-corporatisation-of-franchise/news-story/1900049817d5fadfdf6711bc89f9b1b2?fbclid=IwAR1u35OfHGqzpuz7xyjTIP8hZ7C8N8Sl2aQpQIr5CNYZ-51UxQH86sUAB9E

July 1st as far as I know. Your rehoming number should have been sent in an email but call the OLG and they will give it to you. It begins with RN

Absolutely looks like a seizure. Neurological.

I always assume it's dried up earthworms after the rain. Aka Worm Jerky

Do you have a list of what you could offer a dog? You may find one to fit your needs but you need to fit theirs as well.

Might be not what you mean but yes, we do all the incoming over 10yrs, obviously some are quite senior too or in a really bad way and most are with no history so we need to build some kind of health record and baselines. Yes we've found things like kidney or liver issues primarily. Adopters need to know, as well as us. In some cases it means either retirement into permanent care, or relieving their suffering if they will never recover. edited to add, After I rambled on, yes our 10+yr retired dogs get their bloods and a full health check at least annually. Yes, I've found it useful.

Love it, but I'd call them for sure. The table doesn't mention large breed puppies. http://prime100.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Prime100-SPD-SK-D-200-Product-Table.pdf <---SKD not chicken & veg

I could find stuff on the internet which could be evidence or not, you don't really know. Anyone can find proof of their theories. First hand: first thing we do is eliminate all chicken for food allergy signs (paw, armpit, chin/mouth & groin rashes) and chronic ear infections. And cut down to single protein. Much of the time it works. I'm not scientific enough to know why. It just does. We also treat symptomatically at the same time to catch up (eg ear infections don't clear up on their own). For sensitive dogs any chicken, even in a treat, causes a relapse. Hot skin, itchy ears. Roo or venison are good replacements. edit; not saying the dog in this post has allergies.

I have a pancreatitis dog and the Prime 100 Roo has been a lifesaver. I switched from home made to their roll and find he digests it much easier and hold his condition better. http://prime100.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Prime100-SPD-SK-D-200-Product-Table.pdf On the table it says you can feed diabetic dogs the same. Pet Barn and Pet O sell it.

@teddybeans Yes, for ingesting even though it looks gross lol. (They do a shampoo too which I hate the smell of.) If it's not too much trouble, give half with a meal at brekkie and half at dinner while you're doing the loading dose. Once a day after that when you're down to the maintenance dose. And I just keep mine in the cupboard, it's quite cool in there. Keep it out of the sun so not on a shelf or anything. Not sure but maybe it would go quite solid in the fridge?

There's this from the home page https://www.dogzonline.com.au/why-buy-a-pedigree-pure-bred-dog.asp

Oh wow, I just followed Boronia's link. Your seller has scammer written all over I totally understand what it's like to fall in love with a photo but this is not a legit seller. https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/news/dont-fall-for-a-scammers-puppy-dog-eyes

Here's the Dogz list of ANKC registered breeders https://www.dogzonline.com.au/breeds/dog-breeders.asp What were you looking for in a pup/dog? Have you decided on a breed?

A quick change from one food to the other will do that too. Weaning them from one to the other works much better.

Ugh PETA They should never have been given Aus charity status.

Natural, dried kangaroo tendons soften nicely with chewing and are a lot of fun for the doggy. Almost turning into dental floss. Like with bones and a lot of other chewies, I do take the stumpy bit away at the end because I worry they could swallow it whole. For a bone day, they don't really need to crunch on the bone itself to get a lot out of it. For small dogs and puppies, score a lamb shank finely and they pick or suck the meat off as well as the tendon and gristle. (Remove bone when bare.) It's more than teeth cleaning when you think about what else they get out of the process.

Yes, organisers can see everyone's names. But not credit card numbers and things like that.

Apart from a vet check. Have you changed his diet? If you're feeding him kibble at night you'll get more night-time drinking and more toilet breaks.

Canberra Dog Rehoming List added a new photo to the album: DOGS NEEDING NEW HOMES. May 14 at 7:43 PM · LOVEABLE LOU NEEDS A NEW HOME DO YOU HAVE ROOM FOR AN OLDER GENT? **PLEASE SHARE** Lou, or Lou-dini as he's sometimes known, is a 10 year old border collie. Not much is known about his past but he's an active, well behaved, fun dog looking for a new home through no fault of his own. Don't let Lou's age fool you though, he's quite puppy-like in some of his behaviours and that's why he's not getting along with the other pets in his current home. He wants to play and they are too old to play with him. Lou loves cuddles, getting pats and going for walks, he's a very inquisitive dog. Lou is used to living inside and he's well behaved in the house, he loves children. Lou needs a home with colourbond fences as he manages to escape over and through other fence types, hence his nickname. If you can offer Lou an active new home with secure colourbond fences please contact Allison, https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100004901687097

Canberra Dog Rehoming List May 30 at 5:00 PM · RETIRED MAJOR NEEDS A NEW HOME **PLEASE SHARE** Major is a 14 year old fox terrier. He's desexed and in pretty good shape for an older dog, he's not on any medication but he just needs TLC befitting a gent of his age. His teeth are in good condition for his age. PLEASE DO NOT COMMENT ON THIS POST JUST TO PASS JUDGEMENT ABOUT MAJOR'S REHOMING. HIS CURRENT CARER TOOK HIM IN BUT ISN'T ABLE TO KEEP HIM. WE LOVE POSITIVE COMMENTS OF COURSE! Major is well trained and is used to life indoors. He's easy to take on a walk and he just cruises along next to you. Major has always lived with another dog, he currently lives with two big dogs and has blended in well, he's also good with cats and children. He's getting a bit fragile so he wouldn't suit living with children who could be rough with him. Major is an affectionate dog who loves his pats, he's also happy to go and curl up on his bed and give you space if you want. Major is looking for a home where he can relax and spend his days curled up with his owner feeling loved. He's a gentle boy and gets excited just having his person around. If you can offer Major a home for his retirement please contact his current minder at: https://www.facebook.com/sophie.rech.1

Impound No: IMP-19-02180 Animal Type: Dog Sex: Female Colour: Tan Age: Adult 6y-8y Breed: Shar-Pei Cross Breed: Am-Staff Hair: Short Date In: 16/04/2019 Sale Type: Immediate Blacktown Pound

Impound No: IMP-19-02970 Animal Type: Dog Sex: Female Colour: White Chocolate Grey Age: Adult 8y-10y Breed: Shih-Tzu Cross Breed: Other Hair: Short Date In: 31/05/2019 Sale Type: Immediate Blacktown Pound

We have regular 'bone nights' which even the toothless enjoy, they suck the meat off. lol. But we still do regular dentals, certain dogs seem to have worse enamel than others. Some will still lose teeth no matter what they eat. We've gotten pound dogs who've needed a mouthful of teeth removed and visibly felt much much better. I guess the rot, sore gums (and even pus in the worst ones) was not just painful but making them sick and I can't imagine how bad it would taste in their mouth either. I'm not a vet but have been told a rotten tooth can also send bacteria into the bloodstream, kidneys and heart. We've had a couple of stomatitis dogs too.

@teddybeans we've found this supplement to be fabulous for dry skin. https://www.budgetpetproducts.com.au/new/product/natural-animal-solutions-omega-3-6-9-oil-for-dogs-and-horses-500ml/6144/

I don't know how exactly old this girl is but she looks sad and maybe older (Campbelltown Pound) Staffy x. Female. Black/White. Size: Medium Gender: Female Where animal found: Airds Available for sale from: 28 May 2019 Age: Adult Breed: Staffy X Impounded date: 20 May 2019