Vet with a vision

Dr Jon Carruthers doesn’t mind living life on the edge. 

When not busy running his two veterinary clinics, he can typically be found getting his adrenalin fix trailing behind boats on a pair of skis, burning up the tarmac at top speeds astride a bike, coaching netball, or catching up with the busy lives of daughters Deni (21) and Sass (19).

Even the pets he’s chosen for himself are a little left of centre. He’s bypassed what are considered more conventional animals in favour of two green tree frogs, Roy and Keely, named in honour of characters on the hit TV show Ted Lasso.

When it comes to his professional obligations, however, Dr Carruthers takes no chances, opting for a strategic career trajectory over the wait-and-see approach favoured by some practice owners. 

In the beginning

Dr Carruthers says his decision to choose a career in animal health was not one he took lightly. He simply doesn’t recall entertaining any other career but one in veterinary medicine.

“I have always loved animals and grew up reading Gerald Durrell and James Herriot books,” he recalls. “I graduated wanting to be a surgeon but quickly realised I was more suited to medicine. I now have a membership in veterinary behaviour after being admitted to the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists in 2018, and love behavioural work in all species.”

Aside from his interest in behavioural science, over the years he has also undertaken postgraduate certification in veterinary oncology and veterinary practice management.

A Perth native, Dr Carruthers graduated from Murdoch University in 1987, spending five years in the UK before returning to open his first practice, the Glenelg Veterinary Centre in South Australia, in the early ’90s. 

Shortly after, he purchased what was then known as the Eden Hills Veterinary Clinic, which at the time, he says, was in the hands of the public trustee and was itself on life support. He purchased the current building, an old Lutheran Church, in 1993, and built a new hospital into which he moved his practice in 1994. 

Now known as the Hills Veterinary Centre, the clinic has been a prominent part of the local community in Blackwood, South Australia, for many years. “It was a blank palette when we moved in with virtually no internal walls. It’s about 350m2 which makes it a large clinic, and we still have plenty of space to grow in the current location.”

Having undertaken a second rebuild about eight years ago, the new building is now also home to Pawprints Afterhours, with the aim of bringing a much-needed dedicated after-hours service to the area.

Here to help

A firm believer in the notion that all vet practices need to evolve to become successful, Dr Carruthers’ approach to business sees him constantly seeking out new ways to help. 

“Scotch 3M (supplier of adhesives) had (or have) a mission to make one-third of their income from new products. To some degree, we have embraced that philosophy. We were very active in oncology when it was largely ignored. We developed a rabbit desexing program as they grew in popularity and became legal as pets, and desexed rabbits from all over the state. 

“Some of these roles have become mainstream, and our involvement has decreased as we have moved on to new challenges. I think that philosophy of looking for new ways to help energises and validates the efforts and ongoing learnings of our team.”

With the physical growth of the business, the practice has moved from one vet and a couple of nurses to a multifaceted team. Dr Carruthers’ firm belief in the adage ‘Prevention is better than cure’, means the clinic also offers a range of wellness services including vaccinations, worming, microchipping and senior wellness checks. 

The skills and involvement of the nursing staff has also grown during this time, with nursing staff now able to monitor temperature, oxygen and CO₂ levels, heart rate, and blood pressure in real time “allowing us to react to problems during surgery before they can harm the patient”. 

The financials

But it’s not just in staff skill levels and resourcing that Dr Carruthers has enjoyed the fruits of his labour. Having access to additional financing options has helped to ensure the Hills Veterinary Centre has gone from X-ray tanks to automatic processing, to digital X-rays. It now has dedicated full-body and dental X-ray systems. 

“My first ultrasound was second-hand from a hospital, weighed about 180kg and was about the size of a medium fridge. Our latest ultrasound is the size and weight of a briefcase with a couple of books in it maybe.” 

Dr Carruthers says he and his team have worked with Avant Finance through a number of phases of the company, during both equipment and business acquisitions. 

Unlike other finance companies, Dr Carruthers believes one of the key advantages in working with Avant Finance has been the efficiency with which his applications are dealt with. “Obviously the first loan took longer, but after that, I can often organise the loan in 15 minutes. The process is now very easy, and less convoluted than dealing with banks directly. I leave it all to Avant Finance."

Dr Carruthers says the unique partnership he enjoys with Avant Finance has meant his practice can create a rational approach to equipment renewal without hitting major hurdles in cashflow. A practice like his has about $300,000 worth of equipment at any one time, he says, often with a relatively short life span, as technology evolves. “On average, we get a new X-ray system every 10-15 years. Without support, it is unlikely we could keep that equipment at the cutting edge of medicine. Avant Finance is one of the tools we need to maximise patient care.” 

Dr Jon Carruthers has been a client of Avant Finance for several years. This means he has benefited from just about all the financial products and services Avant Finance has to offer, says Avant Finance relationship director Stuart Robb. The pair first crossed paths when Dr Carruthers approached Stuart to broker lending for commercial property, practice and equipment finance. More recently, he sought assistance again by borrowing directly through Avant Finance’s lending products for practice equity lending and more equipment.

Stuart says, because not every finance proposal goes smoothly, he makes a point of working closely with all clients to provide timely updates, particularly when it comes to gaining an understanding of transactions and speeding up the process of approval, documentation and settlement. “Dr Carruthers is a busy vet running two practices, managing all that goes with business ownership including staffing, capital purchases, and patient cases, so we’ll always do what we can to make this finance part as quick and easy as we can to help him grow those practices.”

Stuart Robb - Relationship Director, Avant Finance