A new mobile app is allowing pet owners to fetch vital veterinarian information on the fly.
Vet24seven, launched on July 10, gives pet owners peace of mind through visits with their veterinarian by way of mobile face-to-face chat.
Sunnyvale resident Cal Lai, CEO and founder of the free app, said he saw a problem with the veterinary medical system and set out to solve it.
“As an animal owner, we never have occurrences when they’re convenient, right? It’s never during office hours or when we’re home sitting around,” Lai said. “Your animal gets ill at 3 in the morning, or you get a call when you’re at work. It’s never convenient. I thought, there’s a real way to create an on demand environment that would give the animal owner peace of mind, assurance and the ability to talk to someone right away, when they need help.”
According to Lai, the app is the first of its kind and the Bay Area is a prime location to launch the new technology.
“The Bay Area is highly technologically oriented, so that’s a criteria because you’re going to have to do something on your phone. And of course, around here, who doesn’t use their mobile device?” he said. “The Bay Area also has a vast majority of two member families that are working. We see people that have very busy lives. Both members of the family are working. Who has time to go to the vet? We live in an area where there is more money than time.”
The average consult with a veterinarian via Vet24seven is $40-$50, depending on the prices set by the vet and the urgency of the problem.
The app is available in a version for pet owners and one for veterinarians.
Pet owners download the app from their mobile device app store, sign in and make a profile for their pet. Lai said there is no limit to how many animal profiles an owner can have on the app.
The app will connect pet owners with their veterinarians, or for those who don’t have a regular veterinarian, the app offers a list of nearby participating locations. Then, if there is a concern with a pet’s health, the owner can describe the problem, take photos and videos, and send the information over to the vet’s app, who will call the owner back for a consult after observing the symptoms and information.
For emergencies, there is an immediate level of service, which costs more for a visit, but guarantees a veterinarian’s response within 15 minutes.
Otherwise, the less expensive option gives owners a four-hour window for a vet response.
Though most participating veterinarians will not take calls outside of normal business hours, there are independent veterinary contractors that are available all hours of the day and seven days a week.
“There are many things that require a physical visit, but there are also many things that don’t,” Lai said. “If we can use the mobile devices to bring the veterinarian to you quickly, to help you understand if you need to go to the clinic now when I know that’s a $300 expense in the middle of the night, or if the owner can wait until morning.”
Lai said the app can be used for veterinary specialties as well such as hospice care, chronic illness and pre- and post-operation visits.
So far, the app has about 150 veterinarians participating, with at least one in almost every city in the Bay Area and four participating in Sunnyvale.
Lai hopes to launch the app nationwide within the next two years.
“We’re really trying to grow and expand the network to provide focus areas of care around really critical areas of health issues,” he said. “I think that’s where the network can grow. As we start to do that it will propel the use of it both by users and veterinarians.”
For more information about the app, visit vet24seven.com.
