Modern pet parents know the lengths one must go to get their beloved animals to take vet-prescribed medicine. 

Disguising pills in cheese or burying tablets in kibble so a dog or cat remains none the wiser may seem vain, but accessing such medicine in the first place proved to be a headache one local telehealth platform aims to cure (no separate treat purchase required).

Airvet, a West Hollywood-based veterinary telehealth platform, now allows California veterinarians to begin prescribing medication to clients through its app after California passed new legislation allowing for pet medication to be prescribed virtually on Jan. 1.

Assembly Bill 1399 grants veterinarians this legal right so pet parents can access prescriptions virtually– joining the ranks of Idaho, Michigan, Oklahoma New Jersey and Virginia which allowed this previously.

Veterinarians in California were allowed to evaluate pets and recommend care prior to this law, but the food and agriculture code for the state limited filling prescriptions over the phone. 

Growing need

The amendment comes after the number of pet owners and pets skyrocketed during the pandemic. According to a veterinary health report by Mars, the parent company behind pet food brands such as Pedigree and Royal Canin, the rate of pet owners entering the market far outpaces the number of veterinarians available, and up to 75 million pets may not have access to local vet offices.

The pressure is already felt throughout California. While the state’s rural central valley leaves residents there driving miles to find the nearest clinic, major metropolitan hubs have such pet density that wait times can tick up to weeks for in-person appointments to receive the proper prescriptions.

“The question changed from ‘Is it better to get care in person or virtually?’ to ‘Is it better to get care virtually or not at all?’” said Brandon Werber, the founder and chief executive of Airvet. 

Werber founded the telehealth company in 2018 to address the growing number of pet parents who struggle with veterinarian access. The company has amassed over $32 million in funding over its last two rounds.

Last year, Airvet pivoted from being a direct-to-consumer operation to partnering with companies as an employee benefit offering. Companies including Adobe and Brentwood-based Rexford Industrial Realty Inc. pay Airvet to cover their employees’ telehealth visits with veterinarians, and now their pets’ prescriptions in California.

How much coverage and what is included varies with each company. Airvet’s partnership terms and charges depends on benefits negotiated. On its direct-to-consumer side, vet visits are a minimum of $30. Airvet does not directly hire the veterinarians on its platform, and instead operates like Uber with vets able to make supplemental income with these calls on top of their own practice.

According to Werber, the telehealth platform will be rolling out local prescription fills slowly, marketing on a small scale so every step between the vet visit and ultimate fulfillment is smooth.

Airvet does not fill the prescription itself. The venture partnered with one of the largest e-commerce pet pharmacy services Vetsource to locate the medication and ship it to customers’ homes.

Those who use Airvet through their employer do not pay a premium or extra cost for the prescription service. This could save benefits recipients up to $500 a year on preventive medications, according to a recent survey by USA Today.

“We don’t charge premiums for anything,” Werber said. “We typically try to do that always for anything, whether it’s training, prescriptions or telehealth.”

Rollouts for Airvet

On top of virtual prescriptions, Airvet plans to unveil new mobile vet options for the pets whose ailments can’t be diagnosed through a Facetime call. 

Through the Airvet app pet owners will soon be able to book a home visit from a veterinarian for everything from blood work to X-rays.

The offerings buffet serves as a differentiator in a pet care industry growing more saturated by the day. Mixlab, Lassie, and Otto are just some startups that have raised millions with digital solutions for veterinarians.

For this year, Werber wants to scale the business-to-business network as more employers push return-to-office policies. Airvet positions itself as a tool for companies to use in convincing workers they can leave their pandemic pups at home from nine to five.

“One of the biggest drawbacks for those pet parents to go back into the office is they’re terrified to leave their pets alone for the first time,” Werber said.

Data backs this up: a poll conducted by the pet pharmacy company PetMeds last September found 40% of pet parents would take a pay cut to work from home to be with their pets. 

Airvet steps in to couple human relations with pet relations at companies, offering return-to-office consults paid by their company partners to assess pets’ separation anxiety signs. 

By easing young professional pet owner worries, Airvet offers a strong incentive for companies to claim mental health initiatives and in-person appointments.

“If a pet gets sick, whether it’s medical or behavioral issues, and we can’t care for them, that backbone of our mental health goes away and everyone loses,” Werber said. “If we can better care for our pets, they can better care for us.”