Modern Vet: How A 24/7 Gamble Built The Foundation For Veterinary Consolidation In MENA

When Mansoor Alshiha decided to launch Dubai’s first true 24/7 veterinary hospital, advisors told him this decision wouldn’t directly generate profit. They were right. The overnight service, staffed with emergency and critical care (ECC) veterinarians on-site around the clock, still barely breaks even.

But Alshiha, now CEO of Vet Alliance Holding, says the gamble was never about profit.

“Pets don’t have two hours in an emergency,” he recalls. “They barely have two minutes. We built the 24/7 hospital because it was needed, not because it was profitable.”

The Problem With “24/7”

Before Modern Vet, most “24/7” clinics in Dubai operated on-call, with no veterinarians physically present overnight. Emergencies often meant long delays, sometimes with tragic outcomes. Alshiha’s decision to staff his hospital continuously was both a financial risk and a cultural shift.

“The economics were punishing,” he admits. “Overnight salaries, idle equipment, low patient flow. But credibility came first. And in medicine, trust is the most valuable currency.”

From Emergency To Multi-Specialty

That credibility became the foundation for Modern Vet’s transformation into Dubai’s first multi-specialty veterinary hospital, introducing oncology, cardiology, orthopaedics, dentistry, dermatology, and advanced imaging. Conditions that once required referrals abroad could now be treated locally.

“Emergency built credibility. Credibility built scale,” says Alshiha. “Together, they built the brand.”

A Different Growth Model

Ironically, while the 24/7 service struggled to break even, the rest of the business flourished. Modern Vet’s reputation spread through referrals and word of mouth, fueling growth without aggressive marketing.

“We succeeded by focusing on patients, not margins,” Alshiha explains. “Word of mouth did the rest.”

Building Vet Alliance

The success of Modern Vet laid the groundwork for Vet Alliance Holding, now the largest veterinary group in the MENA region. Its portfolio includes:

• Modern Vet – multi-specialty hospitals and clinics
• Blue Oasis Vet – advanced imaging
• Vienna Veterinary Clinic – accessible, community care
• The Veterinary Referral Centre (TVRC) – the UAE’s first referral-only facility
• Floof – a digital pet-care super-app
• Blue Sky Pet Relocation – global reloіcation services
• Dubai’s first licensed pet cremation service (launching 2026)
• Modern Vet Mobile vet – The first fully equipped mobile vet service provider in the UAE

With more than 10 clinics and hospitals and over 300 employees, Vet Alliance has become a case study in how credibility-driven growth can reshape an industry.

Looking Ahead

Alshiha’s vision for Vet Alliance goes beyond scale. The group plans to reach 30+ clinics across MENA, introduce residency programs to train the UAE’s first veterinary diplomates, and expand Floof into the region’s leading digital ecosystem for pet care.

For Alshiha, it all started with a midnight emergency and a difficult decision to prioritise trust over profit.

“The 24/7 hospital was never about margins,” he reflects. “It was about setting a standard.”