A few things stand out at Burrwood Veterinary in Royal Oak, which offers primary and urgent care for dogs and cats, and is privately owned. For starters, if a phone rings, it’s most likely a client receiving a call while their pet is being treated. Seeking to limit any noises that may scare animals, general phone calls to the clinic are routed to a remote team and, based on the request, the caller is transferred to the appropriate personnel. The office décor along 14 Mile Road, just east of Woodward Avenue, features muted colors, soft furniture, natural plants, and themed artwork that centers on dogs and cats. The overall culture is more like a spa at a northern Michigan resort than an animal hospital dominated by barks, growls, and meows. What’s more, the 30-person staff is predominately female.
“It just worked out that way,” says Dr. Alex Schechter, founder and owner of Burrwood Veterinary. “Following school, residency, and getting experience elsewhere, I wanted to come home and open a veterinary business that wasn’t corporate but more entrepreneurial and family-oriented.” Schechter, who grew up in metro Detroit, earned a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and obtained his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from the Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine in East Lansing. He also undertook advanced training in New York City and Baltimore.
Returning home following COVID-19, he acquired a former physical rehab building and “gutted it to the studs.” He opened the clinic’s doors in October 2022 with nine employees, and in the following year he doubled the business. In both 2024 and 2025, the business grew 45 percent. That growth led to the recent expansion of the business — Schechter added 1,000 square feet to the facility, which now consists of 5,000 square feet of space.
“Our philosophy is to provide as much care to the client and the patient (as we can),” Schechter says. “Every exam room has large windows. We also have smart windows that go from transparent to opaque in case someone doesn’t want to watch, say, an operation.”
While working on the East Coast, Schechter says he noticed more veterinary centers were “being scooped up by private equity firms.”
“We really are a family office,” he says. “We draw clients from around the region, and we have some people with pets who drive here from Traverse City. The demand has been off the charts.”
Overall, 70 percent of that demand comes from dog owners, with cats making up the rest. In the future, Schechter says he may add a handful of locations around the region, and perhaps even in northern Michigan.
“We’ve seen more private equity firms scooping up mom and pop veterinarians, but we don’t want to be a number on a balance sheet,” he says. “We focus on families and individuals, and provide personal, quality care for our patients.”
