Equipping a new clinic is a five-to-six-figure exercise in prioritization. A general companion-animal practice typically needs $85,000–$125,000 in core equipment for a functional launch, with fully outfitted builds running $250,000+. This is the room-by-room master list — what each space needs, what it costs, and what can safely wait.
Reception & front desk
Desks and chairs, client seating, walk-on scale, card readers, computers/phones (covered in our tech-stack guide), retail shelving if you’ll sell product. Budget $10,000–$20,000 including furniture. Cheap to furnish, expensive to get wrong aesthetically — this room sets client expectations.
Exam rooms (each)
Exam table (lift tables cost more, save backs), stool, computer or tablet, otoscope/ophthalmoscope set, thermometer, small scale for cats and pocket pets, sharps container, cabinetry. Roughly $5,000–$10,000 per room outfitted. Most startups open with 2–3 equipped rooms and shell a third or fourth for growth.
Treatment area
The workhorse room: wet table and/or treatment tables, IV pumps (2–3 minimum), fluid warmer, centrifuge, microscope, blood-pressure and multi-parameter monitors, clippers, scales, crash cart supplies, cage bank. Budget $25,000–$40,000. Underequipping treatment creates daily bottlenecks — prioritize it over aesthetics anywhere else.
Laboratory
In-house chemistry and hematology analyzers are the decision point: purchased outright, lab gear runs ~$18,000+, but major diagnostics companies offer reagent-rental agreements — pay per test, with maintenance, calibration, and software included — instead of buying the analyzers. For most startups reagent-rental is the right call: near-zero capital, full diagnostics capability on day one. Add a quality microscope, refractometer, and snap-test reader.
Imaging
- Digital radiography — non-negotiable for day one. Systems run $30,000–$70,000+ new; refurbished and DR-panel retrofits bring that down substantially. Include table, generator, and shielding in the build-out plan (see our X-ray guide).
- Ultrasound — $15,000–$50,000, and the classic defer candidate: unless you have the training and caseload to use it weekly, a mobile sonographer covers the gap in year one (see our day-one ultrasound analysis).
- Imaging is also among the most commonly leased equipment — $400–$1,200/month instead of $15,000–$45,000 upfront.
Surgery suite
Surgical table, ceiling or mobile surgical lighting, anesthesia machine (~$6,000 per station) with vaporizer and scavenging, multi-parameter anesthesia monitor, warming system (Bair Hugger-style), instrument packs (4–6 general packs plus spay/neuter kits), suction, electrocautery. A full surgical suite typically totals ~$40,000. See our surgical-suite checklist for the full pack-by-pack detail.
Dental
Dental delivery unit (high/low speed, scaler, polisher), dental X-ray generator and sensor, dental table with drainage, extraction instruments. Basic small-animal dental runs $5,000–$15,000; add $10,000+ for dental radiography — which is worth it, because dentistry is one of the strongest early revenue lines for new practices.
Sterilization & pharmacy
Autoclave (tabletop ~$3,000–$8,000), ultrasonic cleaner, instrument drying/wrapping station; pharmacy shelving, lockable controlled-substance safe (DEA-compliant — see our controlled-substance guide), medication refrigerator with temperature logging (vaccine cold chain has its own requirements — see that guide).
Kennels & housing
Stainless cage banks sized for your caseload, at least one isolation cage/space, dog runs if boarding or day-stay is planned, bathing tub. $15,000–$30,000 depending on scale. Buy the cage bank right the first time — retrofitting kennel space is disruptive.
The day-one vs. year-two split
| Day one (non-negotiable) | Year two (defer safely) |
| Digital X-ray | Ultrasound (use mobile sonographer) |
| Anesthesia + monitoring | Second anesthesia station |
| In-house lab (reagent rental) | Purchased analyzers |
| Dental unit + dental X-ray | CO2 laser, therapy laser |
| Core surgical packs | Specialty instrument packs |
| IV pumps ×2–3 | Additional pumps, telemetry |