- Dutch is an online veterinary pet telehealth service founded in 2021. It connects pet owners with licensed veterinarians through video chat and messaging, providing convenient and accessible care for dogs and cats.
- Dutch eliminates the need for unnecessary vet visits and offers general advice, recommended over-the-counter products, and, in certain states, prescription medications. With a focus on cost-effectiveness and timely care, Dutch aims to make veterinary care more accessible to pet owners.
- The company has raised $25 million in funding and has served over 25,000 pets through its platform. By putting the power of pet health in the hands of consumers, Dutch is transforming the way pet care is delivered.
Romeo and Juliet? Pfft.. it's Romeo and Ruff-iet now. Beauty and the Beagle, The Great Catsby, Purr-suit of Happiness. The world has always been this way. The real love story lies between people and their pets. Don’t you agree?
The pandemic really shook up things for people. Many got pets to cope with the loneliness and found their new best friends in them. The problem was, when these pets got sick, it was far too difficult to get them the medical attention they needed. In addition to this, pet care is becoming expensive and time consuming.
It's a world where “who's a good boy” and “crazy cat lady” are some of the most frequently used phrases. Pets are viewed as children in most families and require just as much care as any human would. A solution to the lack of appropriate and accessible medical care was desperately needed.
Joe Spector, former Hims co-founder, and Dr. Brian Evans, founder of Coastal Animal Hospital, shared a passion for bringing life-changing care to animals across the country.
They realized the gap between suffering pets and high-quality, specialized care was far too wide. And thus, they founded Dutch. Dutch was to provide pets with modern telemedicine—treatments rooted in science delivered monthly with ongoing support from trusted vets. After all, every pet should be able to access what it needs to live its ‘goodest’ life.
Founded in 2021, the company was inspired by Dutch founder and CEO Joe Spector’s personal experience. It is the leading online veterinary pet telehealth service created with board-certified veterinary specialists. Dutch connects you with licensed veterinarians over video chat and messaging to help you get care for your dog or cat quickly wherever you are, without the stress or expense of a vet visit. Prescription medication is then delivered (in the applicable states only) and over-the-counter treatments directly to your door. Dutch isn’t a veterinary practice or pharmacy, but a company that helps facilitate services for pet parents to make veterinary care more accessible to all. They use a science-backed approach to provide pets relief for their everyday physical and behavioral health issues.
Most of the time, parents take on the role of doctors in case of minor injuries. Dutch is your on-call parent hotline, a parent that is an actual medical health professional and is by your side all day long. Isn't that such a relief?
Dutch is for dog and cat owners wanting a more cost effective and timely way to handle common pet issues. They eliminate the unnecessary vet visit as well as the stress related to getting your pet to the vet (because we all know how much our pets like going to the vet). The Dutch experience is designed to connect you with a vet via video call for general advice and recommended OTC product offerings. In certain states, vets may prescribe medication and therapeutics, and their partner pharmacy will ship it right to your door.
Before understanding how exactly Dutch works, let’s understand what exactly veterinary telemedicine is. In Dutch’s words, “veterinary telemedicine involves sharing medical information about your pet with a veterinarian in a different location via electronic communications in order to have them evaluate, diagnose, consult, and provide treatment for the pet. This can be done in real time using phone calls and video chats. It can also be done via email, text messages, and uploaded photos and videos. In Dutch’s case, we connect patients to vets over video chat for live help as well as messaging through our member website. Our vets may also request photos and videos of your pet in their home environment as part of their evaluation.”
In simpler words, it's like you’re Aladdin and Dutch is your genie. You rub a magical lamp, in this case, your phone, and voila! You get medical advice from professionals for your pet. Without having to go through any hurdles. You get veterinary expertise combined with convenience. Who needs a magic carpet if you have this?
How it works-
- When booking a video call with a vet, you'll be asked a few questions about your pet’s health issue. Depending on the issue, you may also be asked to fill out a longer questionnaire about their symptoms and share photographs of them so our veterinarians can better understand what’s going on. You’ll then pick an appointment time that works best for you.
- During your video call, one of our licensed veterinarians will talk to you about the symptoms your pet is experiencing, ask you questions, review your pet’s medical history if you’ve provided it, and answer any questions you have. The vet will ask to see your pet and their environment. And they may ask you to perform some simple checks on them if needed.
- After your video call, the vet will send you a message with a custom treatment plan to help your pet feel better, including a link to buy any recommended prescription or over-the-counter medications. Place your order and we’ll ship it free.
It's that simple! Getting the medical care you need from Dutch is way easier than convincing your pets that going to a vet isn't a bad thing, even a goldfish with fins for fingers could schedule a video call! You can probably connect with a vet faster than your dog can catch that ball!
This virtual veterinarian care platform has raised $20 million in Series A funding led by Forerunner Ventures and Eclipse Ventures, bringing its total funding raised to $25 million in over 2 rounds. Dutch utilizes licensed veterinarians and provides a digital health platform for pets and their families to make pet care more accessible.
As for the new funding, Spector says Dutch will use it to invest in its intellectual property and grow its electronic medical records database to make it easier for pet owners to collect and share their pets’ data and prescriptions. The funding will also be used to grow its pharmacy network to enable same-day and next-day delivery. In addition, Dutch plans to hire across various divisions and double down on customer acquisition tools while also expanding its veterinary network. In terms of the future, Spector says Dutch plans to build out its membership perks and also introduce more ways for customers to choose how they want to communicate based on the condition that their pet is in.
Since its launch, Dutch has served over 25,000 pets through 100 licensed veterinarians. “Our north star is to put the power of pet health in the hands of consumers,” Spector said. “With the consumer at the center, we want to focus on bringing as many services as possible to the consumer’s door and on the consumer’s time. We want to make our product offering and pricing transparent, high value and customizable.
Dutch is your one stop shop for pet care paradise. A virtual oasis of pet healthcare. Forget the dreaded visits to the vet which make your pets cower in fear. Dutch has brought the convenience, joy, and preferred pet healthcare right to your paw tips.