Our slogan says it all. Let’s state the obvious up front. We all love our pets. And yes, sometimes they do not feel well. And if history is any indication of what we do instinctually, (it is, by the way), loading your sick dog or cat into your car at 9:35 pm on Wednesday night to go to the emergency vet is just what we have become accustomed to. We mentally prepare ourselves for the wait time we are about to face as we drive 30+ minutes to the ER with our sick pet in tow. We know what is in front of us. Anxiety, long waits and yes, very high costs. We did the research for you. In the chart below, the average wait time at a veterinary ER is 4.5 hours. And what we always say in our house : “If you have to wait four hours, you are not having an emergency!” The average cost per visit is $800. It’s usually higher, but we promised to give you averages!
$79.80 ? Funny you should ask. A PAD Standardsubscription is $19.95/month, or $239.40/annually. If you use the service three times a year (average customer usage, though some are much higher), it breaks out to be $79.80/per consultation. And there is no wait! Our golden rule is to get you connected to a veterinarian in a few minutes, literally.
This should not be a hard decision. And if you speak to anyone that has used the service, they will tell you.
Believe it or not, human tele-medicine has been around since the 1950’s! Obviously advancements in technology and a greater need has advanced its ability to what we know of it today. But back in the 1950s-1960s, closed circuit television was used for remote consultations, particularly in psychiatry. NASA began developing systems for monitoring astronauts vital signs from a distance! Fast forward to today, the options are endless. When it comes to Pets After Dark, we have developed our own system of tele-medicine that is evolving on a daily basis. We are constantly working on our technology so that we can provide the most streamlined version of veterinary after-hours care. We started from the ground up. Things like instant video teleconference meetings, access to poison control, Summary of Call after each consult to you and your veterinarian, Next Day Appointment Guarantee* and your medical records stored in our system*, are just a few things we have been able to accomplish.
Veterinary tele-medicine is in its infancy, many years behind human medicine. In the past few years, there have been major changes in the veterinary medicine field. Typically, in the past, an in person VCPR (Veterinary Client Patient Relationship) was required for a veterinarian to diagnose and prescribe medication. There has been a tremendous effort happening around the country to allow veterinarians to establish a VCPR via tele-medicine, which is slowly becoming the law of the land. At first this was strictly pursued to make veterinary care more accessible to those living in rural areas, far away from a veterinarian. But with the development of technology coupled with intense need as well as external pressure from lawmakers, the VCPR is expanding. While we are strong believers in the importance of the VCPR, we also embrace the fact the we are one of the “First Movers” in the space of veterinary tele-medicine. Our foundation of providing access to veterinary care to as many pet owners as possible in the most ethical and compassionate way remains our focus. Innovating how to do this so that everyone can have access has been our mission since day one. We have worked along side the AVMA and the WPVMA to assure that we are always in compliance with current regulations governing veterinary care. And we have a plan to protect the VCPR and the secure the ethical guidelines associated with practicing good medicine.
* Denotes features available with a PAD Premium Subscription
Changing Behavior
One of the most common questions we get is “Is my pet going to be ok?” And a prompt video conference with one of our on-call vets can get you an answer to that question really fast. While veterinarians are not magicians, they have an uncanny way of calming the soul. PAD On-Call vets receive training specifically for Tele-health consultations. Our expert consultations typically last about 15 minutes on an average and during that time, the goal is to make an assessment of your pet’s condition and determine whether or not an emergency room visit is necessary. In most cases we can save you a trip to the ER, help you make your pet comfortable for the night and recommend you follow up with your primary veterinarian the next day. You no longer need to feel stressed. If you are wondering what course of action you should take, we can help! All of our on call vets are practicing vets during the day. They have the experience to guide you towards a meaningful resolution of your pet’s health concerns . You will see after just one call with one of our on-call veterinarians, your after hours veterinary care with Pets After Dark is a GAME CHANGER!
Think of it this way: back in 2010, you probably never would have considered getting in the car of a stranger outside your favorite restaurant unless the car was yellow and had a light on top and a meter attached to the dashboard as if it was cooked up in 1907. It was!
Enter Uber.
We encourage you to give Pets After Dark a try. You will never think about after-hours veterinary care the same.
CEO and Co-Founder, Pets After Dark