Shift in the market

Over the last 30 years, there has been a shift in the veterinary ­profession – much like the shift in the retail ­market.­ There used to be privately-­owned clinics, like corner shops, that were easily accessible for most local,­ value-driven pet owners who are passionate about animal health.

The market today, especially in Sweden, has mostly been consolidated into a few veterinary giants that have ­acquired smaller clinics and put more focus on large, inner-city vete­rinary hospitals capable of more ­advanced – and more expensive – animal care.

“A veterinary visit costs an average of 2,000-3,000 SEK. These rampant costs are due to the giants cornering the market. That’s a model we actively want to challenge.”

One way FirstVet is doing that is by creating a less stressful working environment for their employees.

The customer journey often begins on Google, where you often find a lot of conflicting information.

“Being a veterinarian can be emotionally demanding, requiring you to be compassionate while also making tough calls. It also often requires you to work when many others don’t, which can make it difficult to achieve a good work-life balance. Much like in the human health profession, it’s an industry already on its knees,” says Crusoe.

FirstVet offers their ­veterinarians­ a more flexible solution in which they can work from home or combine their clinical work with a digital-first approach. Employees are required to have experience working in a ­clinic, and many choose to work in their own ­clinics while supplemen­ting ­digitally with FirstVet. This also enables employees to take time off. Often, the peak seasons for vets are holiday ­seasons, when the owners are more likely to be at home, especially in the summer when physical clinics are closed. This model has the ­added benefit of bringing down costs for the clients.

Working with insurance

Another part of the FirstVet ecosystem is the insurance companies. One of the company’s goals has been to work preventively to decrease the number of emergency cases. By teaming up with the largest insurance companies early on and allowing them to offer FirstVet’s services to their clients at no additional cost, more pet owners are asking for help in time, eliminating the need to go to a veterinary hospital.

Pet owners Manfred and Åsa ­experienced this first-hand when their rottweiler Kito started to limp and lick his hind paw. After calling their ­closest vet clinic and being referred to their helpline, they were put on hold, last in a line of 125 other worried pet owners.

That’s when Manfred realised that through Kito’s insurance, they had ­received an offer of free digital care at FirstVet.

“I went online and booked an ­appointment straight away. While I waited, I answered a few ­questions and took pictures of the paw to ­prepare for the vet.”

After 45 minutes, the vet called and informed them that Kito suffered from furuncle, an abscess caused by an ­infection of the skin, and how it should be treated.

“We’re looking to disrupt, to ­challenge old truths and at the very least be a driving force in mending what’s broken in this business,” Crusoe says, adding that they aim to be the first contact for any pet owner.

FirstVet differs from vet clinics ­offering emergency care because they mainly want to work preventatively. They now operate all hours of the day in seven countries, providing information and helping their customers take an active part in the health of their pets.

According to Crusoe, around 60% of the people calling FirstVet get the help they need in just one call because many pet owner concerns are related to bowel issues, skin problems and runny eyes. These are clear and simple symptoms that rarely need clinical assessment.

Battling misinformation online

To make the experience as seamless as possible for the pet owner and to create an additional revenue stream, FirstVet launched a shop and recently opened its own pharmacy. Their goal is to make sure that patients entering the FirstVet ecosystem are helped the whole way through, especially for people owning pets for the first time. FirstVet saw a lot of new pet owners emerge out of the pandemic, as people’s priorities and possibilities changed.

“We really saw a big boost in pet ownership –especially in the UK where lockdown went on for months on end,” adds Crusoe.

She also explains that with the sheer mass of misinformation, it’s important for FirstVet to act as a myth-buster of sorts. A large part of their clientele is the forward-leaning, information-seeking type of pet owner – the proactive pet parent.

But trying to find reliable information on the internet can be difficult.

“We’re seeing a lot of misinformation spreading on social media. One example is that you shouldn’t cool down a warm dog with cold water ­during summer because it could lead to gastric volvulus – which isn’t true at all,” she says.

“Because of our start on content sites and forums, we know that the customer journey often begins on Google, where you often find a lot of conflicting information. We want to be your trusted voice in all avenues of pet care, whether you’re looking for a vet to talk to or a new brand of dog food. So, if you start asking Doctor Google about symptoms or pro­ducts, you’ll soon find us,” Crusoe concludes.