Born in South Florida in 2011, Chewy upended the pet food business by providing online ordering, fast delivery, and personal touches like birthday cards adorned with actual paintings of pet customers.

Now among the nation’s largest pet supply retailers, the company took the first step this week in an effort to disrupt another traditional pet-related business: veterinarian clinics.

Chewy opened its first brick-and-mortar vet clinic, called Chewy Vet Care, on Monday in Plantation Walk, a mixed-use development along University Drive, south of Broward Boulevard, in Plantation.

Created by the company’s Chewy Health division, the clinic is the first of six scheduled to open this year in the United States. The others will be in Coral Springs, Denver and Atlanta.

The aim, according to Chewy Health division president Mita Malhotra, is to provide a full continuum of care by leveraging information compiled from years of providing pet food, toys and supplies, medicines and insurance.

“We have 20 million patrons on the (Chewy) platform,” Malhotra said at an event held Thursday to show off the new center’s unique features. “The way our technology is set up is that we know a lot about these pets, right? As they come in, our team is trained to greet them by name and talk to you about them. They will know you, know the food your pet eats. We can make these visits personalized.”

Thought has been given to make every aspect of the vet visit more comfortable for pets and their owners, says Dr. Ben Carter, the company’s chief medical officer.

Carter says that Chewy worked hard to make its vet clinics — which currently treat only dogs and cats — feel like “Disney World for pets.”

Warm tones and rounded design shapes dominate the front reception area. The floor includes a grip technology to prevent slipping.

When pets arrive, they are called by their names and given favorite treats. If a wait is necessary, owners take their pets to a separate room with padded furniture.

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