Eternal Paws, a Cheshire veterinary practice specialising in palliative and end-of-life care for elderly pets, has been named a finalist in The Purpose Beyond Profit Award at the 2026 Lloyds British Business Excellence Awards.
Founded in 2017 by Dr Anita Bhanja, the practice was established in direct response to what she saw as the cold, clinical character of traditional veterinary environments, and it places the emotional wellbeing of pets and their owners at the heart of every decision.
Finalists were announced in July 2026, and winners will be revealed at a ceremony at Grosvenor House on Park Lane, London, on 10 November 2026. According to the awards organisers, the category celebrates businesses that put purpose before profit and prove that ethics, integrity and a social conscience can make commercial sense.
Care designed around pets and their owners
The practice takes a holistic, patient-centred approach. Dr Bhanja offers laser therapy, acupuncture, reiki and private, respectful cremation, a suite of services designed to minimise pain and maximise quality of life. An owner-inclusive theatre suite and a 24/7 home euthanasia service are intended to keep pets comfortable, settled and surrounded by love at their most vulnerable moments.
According to the practice’s website, Dr Bhanja qualified from the Royal Veterinary College in 1994 and is a member of the International Association of Animal Hospice and Palliative Care and the International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management, alongside almost three decades living and working in Cheshire.
Trust that travels
The company reports that its growth has been driven entirely by organic word of mouth, with families travelling from as far as Dubai to seek Dr Bhanja’s guidance. It also points to consistently outstanding five-star feedback, with clients highlighting the difference the service makes during traumatic transitions. One client, quoted in the firm’s awards entry, said: “Your help, love, support and spiritual guidance helped immensely with our grief after having to let our lovely dog go after 17 years.”
Purpose in a market shaped by corporate interests
Eternal Paws presents itself as a challenger in a sector dominated by corporate interests. That picture chimes with the work of the Competition and Markets Authority, which concluded its market investigation into veterinary services for household pets in 2026 and set out a package of reforms to how veterinary businesses operate.
Against that backdrop, the business says it reinvests profits into specialist facilities and is developing training programmes to share its palliative expertise more widely, an approach it believes leaves a legacy of compassionate care in the sector. That mix of day-to-day empathy and longer-term ambition helped secure its place on the shortlist for The Purpose Beyond Profit Award.
For Dr Bhanja, the argument put to the judges of the Lloyds British Business Excellence Awards is a straightforward one, according to the entry: when purpose is the foundation of a business, the result is not just commercial success but a transformative experience for everyone involved.
