State report

State of Vet Care in South Dakota

As of July 2026, South Dakota has 169 veterinary practices tracked; 4.7% are corporately owned , led by National Veterinary Associates with 6 in-state locations . 95.3% of practices remain independently owned , and 6.5% are actively hiring .

Key takeaways

  • 169 veterinary practices tracked in South Dakota, of which 4.7% are corporately owned.
  • 4.7% of practices in South Dakota are private-equity-backed.
  • National Veterinary Associates leads all consolidators operating in the state with 6 locations.
  • General practices make up 79.3% of the state's practice mix.

Consolidation by city

At a glance

169
Practices tracked
95.3%
Independent
4.7%
Corporately owned
4.7%
PE-backed

6.5% of practices in South Dakota are actively hiring.

Ownership breakdown in South Dakota

Ownership type Practices Share
Independent 161 95.3%
PE-backed 8 4.7%
National ownership-type breakdown, stacked by share Independent: 95.3% (161 practices) PE-backed: 4.7% (8 practices) 95% Independent (95.3%) PE-backed (4.7%)

Top consolidators operating in South Dakota

Ranked by in-state locations. See the full national leaderboard on ownership & consolidation statistics.

# Group Ultimate owner In-state locations Share of corporate practices
1 National Veterinary Associates 6 75.0%
2 PetVet Care Centers 1 12.5%
3 Veterinary Practice Partners 1 12.5%

Practice-type mix

Type Practices Share
General 134 79.3%
Mixed 30 17.8%
Mobile 3 1.8%
Emergency 2 1.2%

Species mix

Segment Practices Share
Mixed 112 66.3%
Small Animal 55 32.5%
Food Animal 2 1.2%

Browse by city

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Frequently asked questions

How many veterinary practices are in South Dakota?

As of July 2026, VetPulse tracks 169 veterinary practices in South Dakota.

What percentage of veterinary practices in South Dakota are corporately owned?

4.7% of veterinary practices in South Dakota are corporately owned — part of a consolidator, private-equity-backed group, or public company — while 95.3% remain independent.

Who is the largest veterinary consolidator in South Dakota?

National Veterinary Associates is the largest veterinary consolidator operating in South Dakota, with 6 in-state locations.

What share of veterinary practices in South Dakota are hiring?

6.5% of veterinary practices in South Dakota are actively hiring, based on live job-signal data.

Every figure above is queried live from our practice-level dataset — see the methodology for how ownership is triangulated from multiple independent sources. Compare South Dakota against every other state on the ownership & consolidation statistics page, or browse the rankings.