The practice was established in November 1982 by Alan Sim who bought an abandoned chemist’s shop in King George V Road, Bovington. Initially, the practice was mixed, providing services to both the farming community and the owners of domestic pets. The first full-time employee was Jean Parsons, who is still employed today as Practice Manager. A second premises was purchased in the Eastern side of Weymouth at Littlemoor Road, Preston in 1984, which remains operational today.

The practice grew rapidly and was employing four vets by the mid-1990's. By that time, it had outgrown the original building and a move was urgently required. Planning was sought at Home Farm, Winfrith and construction of our new premises, designed to meet hospital standards, began in July 2000. The practice moved in May 2001 to the existing premises and has been operating as a veterinary hospital (RCVS Standards Tier 3 Practice) ever since. The Hospital is also an approved Nurse Training Centre, linked with the Myerscough-Lynwood School of Veterinary Nursing, and normally has two trainees studying for the Veterinary Nursing qualification at any given time.

Due to the difficulty of running the farm practice profitably, Heathlands became a dedicated small animal hospital in the summer of 2003. An MRI scanner was purchased in 2006, which remains the only privately owned MRI scanner within general practice in the UK (i.e. not linked to a university or referral centre). In 2008 Heathlands was one of the first practices to install a fully digital X-ray system with remote picture archiving and retrieval - this reduces the amount of time patients spend under general anaesthetic or sedation, increasing patient safety, and also allows us to easily share radiographs with other practices via email.

In October 2007 planning was given for a phase 2 development, including additional space for a physical rehabilitation unit and manager’s accommodation. Construction of these new facilities began in September 2010.

The practice remains dedicated to providing the highest standards of care for pet-owning families and is continuing to invest in the people and equipment to do so. Currently the practice is run by Alan Sim with Sarah Warren as an associate.