Patterson is a leading dental distributor and wholesaler of consumable products and equipment operating through two business segments, Patterson Dental and Patterson Animal Health. The firm offers dental and veterinary practice management products, including office software products, technical, financial, and educational services, primarily to two highly fragmented market segments throughout the U.S. and Canada. The company began as a dental distributor in 1877 and expanded to become a major supplier of animal health products to vets and production companies through an acquisition of Animal Health International in 2015. Patterson also has a presence in the U.K. animal health market.