Vetster, which bills itself as the world's fastest growing veterinary telehealth service, has launched in the UK offering pet owners consultations about non-urgent conditions. 

The Canadian company highlights research which showed that the biggest challenge UK veterinary clinics face is the volume of pets (57%), followed by being overbooked (50%) and unable to take on new patients1.

In addition, earlier research has shown that 37%2 of vets are “actively” thinking about quitting, with 80%3 of the UK profession leaving to get a better work-life balance.

Hence the company offers a service through which UK practices can divert non-urgent calls to Vetster, to relieve some of the pressure. 

Vetster says the most common cases treated by its veterinary surgeons are dermatology, gastrointestinal, respiratory, urinary tract, ophthalmology and musculoskeletal issues.

By diverting these cases to UK-licensed vets online, Vetster says it aims to relieve the pressure on clinics so that they can better serve pets in need of surgery, immunisations, bloodwork and other clinical treatments.

Mark Bordo, CEO and coFounder of Vetster said: “We are experiencing a global crisis in pet care exacerbated by the pandemic.

“Veterinarians are facing tremendous pressure to provide services to millions of pet owners.

"Vetster’s virtual care platform connects pet owners with licensed UK veterinarians to provide support when their clinic is closed, to answer a non-urgent question, and to improve the health outcomes of their pet and help ensure owners can care for their animals.” 

Veterinary surgeons in search of a better work life balance can also join Vetster to create a virtual care practice that provides teletriage and addresses non-urgent issues. 

Mark added: “Veterinarians are able to incorporate a new modality of practice to improve their work-life-balance, serve pet owners outside of a clinic environment, and hopefully practice for longer avoiding burnout and stress associated with this much-needed profession.”

Vetster is not available as a white label service at this time, and VetSurgeon.org understands that when it is clear an online consultation requires hands-on care, the owner is referred to the local practice on the platform, which may or may not be their normal practice.

Vets interested in offering consultations through Vetster can visit: https://vetster.com/en-gb/for-vets 

Veterinary practices that are interested in having Vetster provide OOH support to clients, can visit: https://vetster.com/en-ca/for-vet-clinics 

References

  1. Vetster commissioned research through 3Gem with 150 vets in March 2022.
  2. Research from Exeter University  - https://www.exeter.ac.uk/news/research/title_691468_en.html
  3. CM Research from a panel of more than 600 vets working in the UK 

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