South Branch is a neighborhood practice owned by working veterinarians. Dr. Elizabeth Pope practices right here in Lebanon, and the owners are part of the same Symbios family as the doctors who see your pets every day.
Symbios Animal Health began with a simple conviction: veterinary hospitals are better when the people who own them are the people inside them. Drs. Nick and Elizabeth Pope met at Oklahoma State's veterinary program, married, and made New Jersey home. Today they live on a small Somerset County farm with their sons, Benjamin and William, two Labradors, Nora and Brody, and a small herd of cows, goats, and chickens. They are joined in ownership by Dr. Jan Cailles, who founded Oldwick Animal Hospital in Tewksbury Township and brought her practice into the family.
Corporate groups now own a large share of veterinary medicine, and it can be hard to tell who is behind a hospital's name. Here it is simple. There is no corporate parent and there are no outside investors. Every Symbios hospital is 100% family owned, every decision is made by veterinarians, and the standard we hold ourselves to is the one we would want for our own animals.
Dr. Nick Pope
Nick grew up on an Oklahoma farm, inspired by his grandmother, who managed a multi-doctor veterinary clinic in his hometown. That is where his belief in veterinarian-owned practice began. He lives on a small farm in Somerset County with his wife, Dr. Elizabeth Pope, their sons Benjamin and William, their Labradors, Nora and Brody, and a small herd of cows, goats, and chickens. When he is not at one of the hospitals, you will find him fishing the Raritan or golfing.
Dr. Elizabeth Pope
Elizabeth grew up in New Jersey knowing she wanted to be a veterinarian. She met Nick at Oklahoma State's veterinary program, and the two returned to New Jersey to build something of their own. She has been part of South Branch Veterinary Services since 2017, with a focus on internal medicine, dentistry, and leading the South Branch team.
Dr. Jan Cailles
Dr. Jan Cailles has practiced veterinary medicine in New Jersey for more than twenty years. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, she built Oldwick Animal Hospital in Tewksbury Township, where she lives with her husband, Glenn, and their daughter, Margeaux. She brought her hospital into the Symbios family and remains one of its owners, with professional interests in emergency medicine, zoo animal medicine, and family practice.
Ownership, plainly answered
Is South Branch Veterinary Services corporately owned?
No. South Branch Veterinary Services is 100% independently and family owned, with no corporate parent and no outside investors. It is part of Symbios Animal Health, a family of six New Jersey hospitals owned by working veterinarians.
What is Symbios Animal Health?
A family of six independently owned New Jersey animal hospitals that back each other up with specialists, extended weekend hours, and shared records, while each hospital is run by its own doctors and front desk team.
The owners are in the building, and the door is open.
Book a visit or give us a call. We'd love to meet you and your pet.
Part of the Symbios network
A family of 6 neighborhood animal hospitals across New Jersey, every one 100% independently and family owned. Each is rooted in its own community and run by its own doctors and front desk team, with colleagues across the family comparing notes behind the scenes. Specialists, extended weekend hours, and shared records are all just down the road.