Candy maker Mars is buying L.A.-based animal hospital chain for $7.7 billion

latimes.com ^ | James F. Peltz

[BenLurkin]

The deal calls for Mars to pay $93 for each of VCA’s shares and to assume VCA’s $1.4 billion in debt. VCA’s stock — whose ticker symbol is WOOF — soared $20.02, or 28%, to close at $90.79 a share in trading Monday.

“VCA is a leader across pet healthcare and the opportunity we see together — for pets, pet owners, veterinarians and other pet care providers — is tremendous,” Mars Chief Executive Grant Reid said in a statement.

The deal was approved by both companies’ directors, but remains subject to approval by VCA’s stockholders. It is expected to be completed in this year’s third quarter.

Mars, which is based in McLean, Va., and has $35 billion in annual sales, is the privately held maker of such candy brands as M&M’s, Snickers, Milky Way, Skittles, Dove chocolate and Wrigley’s gum.

The century-old company also has a major pet-care unit whose pet food brands include Pedigree, Whiskas and Sheba. It owns Banfield Pet Hospitals, many of which are in PetSmart Inc. retail locations.

“We simply believe Mars ... found VCA to be an attractive long-term asset, and we would expect the two businesses to complement one another quite nicely,” analyst Nicholas Jansen of the investment firm Raymond James & Associates said in a note to clients.

In a memo to its employees, VCA said it would remain based in Los Angeles and continue to operate under the VCA name as part of Mars.

[Anima Mundi]

Festive! But maybe not something you want as a tradition I suppose!

[Vendome]

The Candy Man!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYihDAhVPko

[dfwgator]

[fision]

Chocolate is lethal to dogs. I kills them slowly and painfully.

[dp0622]

Both of you are nuts! :)

[left that other site]

VCA South Shore was wonderful with Lynn-Dah-The-Dog, both with her emergency care and end of life care.

I wish them well.

[dfwgator]

Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t.

[Trillian]

Even better..

[EinNYC]

Those particular pet foods are among the junkiest on the market. They are FULL of grains like corn, rice bran, corn bran, hulls, and wheat mill run, which have no nutritional significance for obligate carnivores like cats and dogs. Ingredients like "meat by product meal" or "bone meal" are euphemisms for meat-stuff rendered from sick cows, downers, dead zoo animals, euthanized pets (including the poison to kill them), and roadkill. Artificial preservatives like BHT, BHA, and sodium nitrite can be dangerous for pets – they have been linked to increased risk for cancer and other health problems. These kinds of brands have that stuff in them. Did you know that "protein", according to gubmint standards, can include very low quality proteins like ground lungs, hooves, noses, and other noisome disgusting stuff. Premium brands like Wellness specify that they use human grade muscle meat for proteins. You get what you pay for, and you see the difference in your pet and how much they leave on the lawn or litter box.

[kalee]

Animal poison control and our vet said if dogs eat chocolate, milk is better than dark. The higher the cocao the greater the toxicity. That bag had been left on the kitchen table, we put chocolate in the pantry now. :)
Yes, festive but I don’t care to repeat it. We had to make him drink peroxide to induce vomiting.

[nomorelurker]

Your dog in the wild would eat the stomach first then the lungs, nose, brain before getting the muscle tissue. After that marrow, hide, hooves. You as a human would go for meat (muscle) first then the rest not that different from the dog. This will change with whatever predators or scavengers are around. ooves.

[faithhopecharity]

Gee. He doesn’t sound like he had a very good time. Reminds me of when a child of six years reached up and bit into the pretty red thing at the grocery (cayenne hot pepper). Ouch!

[burghguy]

They see the handwriting on the wall. The food police are going to outlaw sugar and candy in general. Smart move. People love and spend big on their animals.

[GranTorino]

Wild predators always go for the innards first.
I worked at kal-kan for a summer and that is the main ingredient in the canned food. Innards.

[Redcitizen]

“Premium brands like Wellness specify that they use human grade muscle meat for proteins. “

Sounds like Soylent Green to me.

[T-Bone Texan]

Banfield really, really sucks.

A very poor value. Also, the vets were all 3rd world foreigners who, in their own country, would likely view my pet as a food source.

[zaxtres]

First, I won’t take any of my pets to Banfield. Second, the vet I use to treat my dogs left after the Vet clinic became part of the VCA franchise. I recently found where she resumed her practiced and moved all my pets’ records to that vet clinic. After the newly franchised VCA clinic remodeled and restructured they raised the price on everything by almost 15 to 20 percent. This told me where their priorities lay. They have the only emergency clinic in town so I have to take my pets there only in an emergency after hours.

Now I am glad I removed my pets care from this newly converted to VCA franchise.

[Bob]

That sounds very much like our cat after consuming some tinsel from the tree. Her poop was strung together on the strands for a day or two until it finally cleared out of her gut. It drove her nuts.