8 Apr 2025
A senior figure has argued ‘fundamental’ change is necessary amid an ongoing legal row over Pet Health Club offers.
Allister Webb
Job Title
Image: © pressmaster / Adobe Stock
A practice boss at the centre of a row over the provision of pet health club services has warned it would be “crazy” for the issue to end up in court.
Organisers of the We Are Spartacus campaign said they have been “overwhelmed” by the support for their ongoing dispute with IVC Evidensia, despite the company pausing its legal action.
Talks are also said to be ongoing in an attempt to reach what IVC officials described as a “mutually acceptable resolution”.
However, a senior figure has warned the whole sector will need to “fundamentally” change its approach to health plans amid concerns about some products commonly offered in the packages.
More than 150 professionals are said to have registered on the campaign’s website so far, though organisers remain keen to hear from practices that have not yet signed up despite being affected by the dispute.
Alex Green, director of Broadway Vets in Kent, which is among the affected businesses, said: “We’ve been overwhelmed by the number of people who have registered to support us – especially those that aren’t affected, but who want to stand shoulder to shoulder with us.”
The campaign estimated it could cost as much as £350,000 to rebrand affected practices’ services and said it has now appointed a specialist intellectual property lawyer to advise them.
Mr Green said: “The view is that given the extensive prior use of ‘Pet Health Club,’ it would be crazy to allow this to escalate to court when it can be amicably resolved.”
An IVC spokesperson said: “We’re engaging in some dialogue around the protection of our trademark, as you would expect, with a view to reaching mutually acceptable resolution.”
But, however the present dispute is finally settled, there is a belief that other issues may ultimately trigger a broader change in health plan provision.
Speaking at the recent reveal of the annual Antibiotic Amnesty results, BSAVA president Julian Hoad argued the ongoing debate about environmental impacts from parasiticides may be one such factor.
He said: “The RCVS code says that we should give parasiticides, as they are a prescription medicine, where they are needed, appropriately and according to the risk.
“That doesn’t fit in with clients paying for them and expecting them every month. So, there has to be change fundamentally in how these plans run.”
“Clients can help by saying, ‘no, we’ve heard parasiticides are a danger or can be a danger.’ But in fairness, it’s got to be the veterinary profession that owns it and runs it.”
Although he did not discuss the Pet Health Club dispute, Dr Hoad suggested several major care providers were reviewing their plans.
However, he also stressed that he believed the schemes were a good idea in principle.
In response, IVC said it was spending £40,000 on research that aims to develop new guidance on responsible parasiticide usage for its practice teams.
The company said it recognised concerns, though it argued the products fulfil an “important role in preventing parasite burden and disease”.
