If you think its hard to get a doctors appointment for yourself, try getting one for a pet. Veterinarians in the U.S. are slammed. More than 23 million American householdsnearly one in fiveadopted a pet during the pandemic, according to the ASPCA. Today, 66% of American householdsnearly 87 millionown a pet, according to a 20232024 survey by industry association American Pet Products Association (APPA). That means there are now more households with pets than with children.Meanwhile, the ranks of veterinarians are thinning. At the end of December, there were only about 127,000 of them in the U.S. And like their counterparts who care for humans, many are feeling burned out. A 2021 study found that more than 40% of veterinarians who entered the profession in the past 10 years were considering leaving the profession earlyprimarily for reasons of mental health and work-life balance. But in many places, the crisis is already here: In recent months, Colorado, Pennsylvania, and Texas have all announced critical shortages in veterinarians.With the rapid expansion of its services in the U.S., the four-year-old Toronto-based pet health platform Vetster is working to fill the care gap.Since May, five of the most populous (and pet-filled) statesVirginia, Arizona, New Jersey, Florida, and most recently, Californiahave updated their laws to broaden the scope of virtual veterinary care. This means that Vetser can now offer a full range of veterinary services to about two-thirds of the U.S. population through a pet telehealth platform that connects independent vets with pet patients in need.Vetsters pet telehealth propositionCommon things we address are what we call the itchy, scratchy, smelly, says Vetsters COO Cerys Goodall. This includes things like allergies, ear infections, minor scrapes and bruises, and tummy troublesboth ends. Broken bones and large wounds cant be patched up remotely, but online triage can help determine whether a borderline injury requires a higher level of care, and help avoid unnecessaryand shockingly pricytrips to the animal ER.Vetster users can book a virtual appointment with one of nearly 7,000 licensed veterinary professionals across the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. who are all independent contractorssomething that sets Vetster apart from competitors such as Dutch Pet, Smart.vet, or Animal HealthLink, says Goodall. They are not employees, nor are they working in a call center.With so many vets on the platform, chances are that your pet can be seen quickly. And considering the value of not having to load a thrashing cat into a carrier, prices on Vetster might seem reasonable to many people. Flat-rate pricing for a half hour appointment starts at $50, but each vet sets their own, clearly advertised rate. (In the small city where I live, I could find four vets who could see my cat, Fifi, today, starting at $65). A Vetster Plus subscription, which costs $138 annually, covers four telehealth consultations, plus unlimited live chat via text, and assorted discounts and special offers. In late 2023, Vetster partnered with the pet insurance company Fetch, which offers customers $1,000 in annual telehealth services as part of their plan.The perks of pet telehealthAppointments are conducted over a secure video connection on a phone or computer.Pets need to be present on the call for a veterinarian to establish a medical relationship and provide a diagnosis and treatment plan. Their human can help by describing symptoms and assisting with a physical exam by, for example, checking their pets gums, taking a photo inside an ear, or shooting a video of the animal moving. A common trick vets teach owners is how to check their pets hydration status (using a skin elasticity test), which is important in assessing gastrointestinal issues.Some ailments may actually be better addressed virtually than in an office. Virtual visits are great for appointments that rely heavily on seeing the patient in its home environment, such as behavior and anxiety consultations, says Jo Myers, a Colorado-based Vetster veterinarian and member of the Veterinary Virtual Care Association. It is also ideal for a pet newly diagnosed with diabetes, so that a vet can coach the owner through the mixing, measuring, administering, and storage of insulin.After an exam, vets can order additional at-home diagnostic kits, and in states where it is permitted, prescribe medications or special-formula pet foods from partners including Purina, Hills Pet Nutrition (a Colgate-Palmolive subsidiary), and Royal Canin (owned by Mars Incorporated). Vetster users can order meds directly through the Vetster app, which connects to PetMeds, which ships the order to their home. If the pet owner prefers to buy medications or food elsewhere, Vetster can send a prescription to a pharmacy or clinic of their choice.Gaining accessToday, more than 20% of the veterinary industry is providing telehealth in some form, a number that seems likely to grow. And not all animal-focused organizations are thrilled about it. The ASPCA supports the reduction of legal limitations to telemedicine access, advocating for public policy that explicitly empower [s] veterinarians to create veterinarian-client-patient relationships. But the not-for-profit American Veterinary Medical Association, while supporting telemedicine, has lobbied for more restrictive laws that require an in-person relationship be established first before virtual services can be provided, citing concerns about misdiagnosis, delayed diagnosis, and inappropriate treatment.Today, 22U.S. stateshave language that explicitly prohibits a veterinarian patient relationship being established virtually, but pet owners in all 50 statesand beyondcan access Vetster for consultationVetster asserts that isnt out to replace the brick-and-mortar vets office, but to complement it. Were not impacting their revenue, says Vetster founder Mark Bordo, who sold his previous company, the vacation-rental platform CanadaStays, to Expedia in 2019. COO Goodall says that most veterinarians on the platform also have an in-person practice: We have thousands of veterinarians who work in-clinic, as mobile vets, as locums. To provide continuity of care, Vetster sets up a secure, portable online medical record for each pet.Caimans, pigeons, and moreAlthough vets can prescribe medications only for patients in their state, telehealth visits can be done from anywhere. (A smooth-fronted caiman crocodile in North Carolina was able to get help from a specialist in Missouri, for example.) And while most of Vetsters clients are in the U.S., Canada, or the U.K., pet owners anywhere can use the platform. Bordo says that a Great Dane in Perth, Australia, was seen by veterinarian in Florida. And a good Samaritan in Kuwait was able to find a vet in the state of Georgia to develop a care plan for a rescued pigeon. Air Canada Cargowhich mademore than 11,500 differentanimal shipments in 2021 includingrescued dogs, endangered animals transported in conservation efforts, livestock shipped for breeding or shows, as well as family petsalso uses Vetster to ensure that all animals being shipped are safe to travel; a crew in Lima, Peru, connected witha Vancouver-based expert in alpacas to get the A-OK on one recent passenger. The company says that since its launch in late 2020, about one million petsmore than 20 specieshave accessed services through the platform.Pets with benefitsIncreasingly, companies are starting to offer Vetsters pet telehealth services as an employee benefit. In a 2024 survey of 1,000 U.S. pet owners by financial services firm Empower, 57% of pet owners said they would switch jobs strictly for more pet-friendly benefits, and 37% said they consider pet care costs when evaluating a job offer. Currently, Amazon, Royal Bank of Canada, Samsung, Hyundai, and GoodRx, and other big companies are working with Vetster to create a pet-inclusive workplace that includes Vetster services. Can on-site pet massage be far behind?