Athena Lee (AL): Veterinary care is a fragmented industry here in Southeast Asia, operating within a very traditional framework. Other countries such as the US and UK are way ahead of us in terms of their progression of pet care.

Being the first players in the SEA market has been challenging in developing a consumer-first, remote-care solution as most clinics and vets were initially resistant to the idea — but consumers were looking for a solution like us that made accessing a vet much easier.

70 per cent of pet owners hadn’t been to the vet in a year citing inaccessibility! Having a solution like ours encouraged them to seek help earlier from a professional.

AL: Going back to the example of my cat with the undiagnosed UTI, what I later realised was that there were behavioral signs that indicated a more serious medical condition, but I did not know what to look out for at the time. It wasn’t until I completed a video consultation that I realised I needed to bring her into a clinic for further diagnostics.

The vet typed up a referral letter and I was at a clinic that afternoon. This perfectly exemplifies how remote health can be an essential part of every pet owner’s healthcare journey. We want them to ask questions early and often to prevent serious conditions from escalating. That said, we are aware of the fact that not all conditions can be treated via telemedicine, especially in cases that require blood work or scans. In such cases, our vets will refer pet owners to a clinic and explain the next steps. Oftentimes, we act as the first point of contact for pet owners who just want to understand what their options are and what they should expect.

AL: Restrictions to telehealth tend to be around conditions and not so much species. But that said, it is important to recognise that in some species, especially those that tend to mask their symptoms, visible symptoms may already be signs of an emergency.

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AL: There are many things I love about my job, but first and foremost is that we have created a mission-driven company that puts the well-being of pets first. Some of our most loyal customers are community feeders and shelters, and it is very encouraging to see how technology can make healthcare affordable for all animals.

AL: COVID-19 has forced users to adopt digital solutions for all aspects of their daily lives and veterinary care is no exception. The biggest change came from vets themselves, who found a reason to integrate technology into their practice and encourage a more patient-centric approach.

AL: Our service offering was quite different pre-COVID-19 and centred more around house visits, but we recognised the need to refocus our service offering to video consults and had to make operational adjustments within a matter of days.

That served us well and the pandemic proved to be an inflection point for us. Not only did we see organic growth from a consumer perspective, vets and clinics were also turning to us as a solution to the restrictions imposed during the circuit breaker.

AL: Listen to your users – more than ever, people wanted a sense of community and to feel supported. Being quick to listen and pivot your business.

AL: The veterinary ecosystem is currently quite traditional, but we do foresee more collaboration going into the future.

Especially because of the coronavirus and social distancing measures, clinics will need to find a meaningful way to collaborate with remote care providers. We view this as a positive change, one that will encourage pet owners to put their pets’ health first.

AL: ZumVet’s customers are at the heart of everyone and our vision is to make quality veterinary care affordable and accessible to all. As a starting point, pet owners want a reliable and trustworthy resource that they can rely on to find the answers they need.

For example, if my cat suddenly started wheezing, could it be the haze that is affecting their respiratory health? By incorporating a digital element into your pet’s health, we are building an online to offline care ecosystem that looks after all their healthcare needs.

We will also focus on using data to improve diagnostics, automate the triaging process and build online resources to help pet owners understand the health of their pet better and optimise healthcare decisions in the long run.

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