Veterinary Equipment Financing: What You Need To Know
Veterinary equipment financing can be difficult to navigate, especially if you’re new to owning or managing a veterinary practice. In this article, you’ll learn everything there is to know about financing veterinary equipment, from what types of equipment can be financed, to what your next steps are to getting financing for your business.
What Veterinary Equipment Can Be Financed?
It’s no secret that veterinary equipment is expensive, and even purchasing secondhand or liquidated equipment can add up quickly. Most clinics won’t have this cash on hand, especially at the beginning of a new practice, so financing is a critical part of ensuring your business can provide essential, safe services both in the exam room and in the surgical room.
While there is a wide range of equipment that is approved for financing, it’s important to double-check with your lender before making the investment. Some lenders explicitly prohibit financing of certain items, which is why working with a broker can help you find a financing program that fits your clinic’s needs.
The right financing loan will cover all standard equipment, such as electrosurgical equipment, incubators, dental equipment, surgical lighting, and secondary machinery such as anesthesia machines, centrifuges, autoclaves, and even exam tables.
In the list below, you’ll find a range of common equipment that many clinics finance which are approved by most financing programs.
Animal Crates
Some clinics may wish to offer boarding services for animals that require the watchful eye of a vet tech after a complicated surgery, or for owners who need a place for their animals while they’re away on vacation. In this case, a wide range of large crates are necessary.
These crates may offer accommodations for the animals, but they also must provide easy access to the animals when they need to be retrieved by staff. The expense of these crates can add up quickly, however, and financing is an excellent solution to providing this service without any additional financial burden up-front.
Scales
From small to large – or even extra-large scales, this type of equipment can help veterinary staff make recommendations for the animal’s health, including changing prescriptions or assigning dietary regimens. These scales must support the weight of the animal, however, and are often resistant to scratching or breaking.
Veterinary clinics often see patients ranging from 60 pounds to a few grams. This extreme range requires veterinary scales to be more accurate and provide a fast reading, as the patient isn’t likely to sit still for very long.
Veterinary Monitors
Most animals will need to be monitored in some way from the time they set foot in the exam room, until they go home with their owners. These monitors are useful for providing the veterinary staff with critical information about heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, and much more.
The cost to the clinic can easily range from $2,000 to $6,000 per monitor screen depending on the complexity and features of the monitor, however. With multiple exam tables and multiple monitors needed in a small-to-medium clinic, it’s often necessary to finance this equipment.
Surgical Equipment
Any type of surgery is considered an invasive procedure, and veterinarians must have sterilized equipment when the procedure begins. Depending on the equipment in the room, safe patient turnover can be reduced to just a few minutes between patients, providing the essential care that these animals need for a healthy life.
From autoclaves to scalpels, surgical lighting, anesthesia machines, and wash basins, this expensive surgical equipment can be financed to reduce the upfront costs, allowing even small veterinary practices to offer basic surgical procedures.
Exam Tools
The exam room is a varied place that requires veterinarians to accommodate not only different animals, but different sizes. The exam room needs to provide ample tools for the veterinarian, all within easy access as they restrain the animal and perform a physical examination.
Standard exam tools are commonly covered by financing loans. This type of equipment can range from small to large, including lighting and tables, to stethoscopes, cotton swabs, and even additional scrubs for veterinarians.
Other types of exam tools may include ear flush syringes, nail clippers, weighing scales, and other essentials.
Emergency Equipment
Not every small-town veterinary clinic will need extensive emergency equipment, especially if they only take patients on an appointment-basis, however, it’s always a good idea to have this equipment on hand in case of an emergency.
This equipment can make the difference between life or death, especially in cases where there is not enough time to bring the animal to an emergency clinic. Some items may be required by state or federal regulation, such as defibrillators.
Other emergency equipment may include ventilators, endotracheal tubes, and monitoring equipment.
Is Financing Equipment a Good Idea?
Every clinic needs essential equipment to operate, and it cannot do that without equipment. (1) No business owner is expected to make a business run without any resources, which is where financing can help.
“A lack of capital is not a barrier to entry, necessarily; it normally just limits the speed at which you can grow the business.”
– Forbes.com
Whether you are upgrading equipment in a pre-existing clinic, or purchasing new equipment and starting from scratch, financing equipment is an excellent way to keep your business running without negatively impacting your cash flow
Get the Equipment You Need Fast
Through veterinary equipment financing, you can pay off the bill over time, allowing you to start your practice sooner and get the revenue rolling in.
It can be difficult to find the right financing program for your business, however, which is where BSF comes in. We’ll help you find a program that suits your needs with a high approval chance for your business in no time.
It’s time to take the next step in financing veterinary equipment for your new or pre-existing clinic. Give BSF a call today
Is There Any Equipment That Cannot Be Financed?
With the appropriate documentation of your business and sufficient enough need for the equipment, it is unlikely that your clinic will be denied financing for any type of equipment. This applies to upgrades to pre-existing equipment, as well as stocking the clinic with brand-new equipment in preparation for a new service or care standard.
Depending on the financing program, some lenders may place a minimum on the equipment, stating that smaller items – like cotton swabs or microscope slides – are easily purchased with minimal investment. Larger equipment, however, like scales, tables, lighting, and others are often approved for financing.
Is it Hard to Get Financed for Veterinary Equipment?
Depending on the financing terms for your business, you may have difficulty getting veterinary equipment financing for your business if you have not yet been in business for a year. Start-up financing loans, however, will often support new businesses in both purchasing a pre-existing business, or in purchasing equipment for a new business, often in exchange for a higher APR.
Need help finding the right fit for your clinic? Our team of veterinary brokers can help you find the right financing program for your needs. Get in touch today via phone or email and see how we can help.
How Do You Get Approved for Veterinary Equipment Financing?
Getting approved is a science more than an art, despite what lenders will lead you to believe. With the right help, you can find a financing program that works for your business.
It all comes down to identifying what terms you are willing to agree to – including the timeline for paying off the loan, and interest rates included in that timeline – and balancing that with what the lender is willing to accept.
In this delicate negotiation, it is essential to balance the risk you are taking with the risk that the lender is taking, and finding an equitable balance.
Are you ready to finance veterinary equipment right from the beginning even if you have no previous business history? Get in touch with BSF today to see how we can help you take the next step with your practice.
How Does Equipment Financing Work?
Veterinary equipment financing is a loan that is utilized to purchase equipment under the agreement that the lender owns the equipment until the loan is paid off. Businesses almost entirely utilize this type of loan to purchase large, costly equipment.
While the loan is active, the lender owns the equipment as the purchaser; only when the loan is paid off in full are any liens removed and the business comes into full possession of the equipment.
If a payment is delinquent or the loan defaults before the balance is paid off, the lender may repossess the equipment it purchased for your business.
Veterinary Equipment Financing Made Easy
Are you looking for an easy solution to financing veterinary equipment through loans? Our brokerage team handles more than just buying and selling veterinary clinics. At BSF, we can help you with veterinary equipment financing as well.
Get in touch today through phone or email and we’ll see how we can best help you achieve your goals.
References:
- Forbes.com, Six Tips for Financing a New Business with Limited Capital
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesfinancecouncil/2018/09/05/six-tips-for-financing-a-new-business-with-limited-capital/?sh=22bee1641906